Author: admin

As boards grapple with continued advancements in AI, a pressing challenge is how to protect their organizations from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats without stifling innovation. in CBMAt our recent Board of Directors Summit, Alicja Cade, director of Google Cloud's Office of CISO, and David Homovich of Google's Office of CISO presented a solution-driven framework for tackling this complex problem. They pointed out that cybersecurity, especially in the age of AI, is not about discrete technology solutions, but rather the integration of digital defense, comprehensive risk management, regulatory compliance, and AI-powered innovation. Here are five key points.1. Adopt a “common destiny”…

Despite their vociferous voices, most Americans continue to praise corporations and their leaders as important forces for innovation, prosperity, and stability.In the wake of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan, the most popular posts on social media are those expressing support, if not glee, at the brazen assassination. . Indeed, UnitedHealthcare's own bereavement message was brutally mocked online by 77,000 hilarious posts, and SNL faced massive backlash from viewers after running a skit mocking its response to a murder, and in cold blood. The killer's cartridge was engraved with the words “denial, denial.'' Defend him, depose…

The year is 1993, and former U.S. Treasury Secretary and Alcoa CEO Paul O'Neill is sitting on his first board of directors at one of the world's largest companies. Just as the meeting was coming to an end, O'Neill asked, “Where is the safety report?” As the story goes, the safety report was not planned, but the question had significant ramifications. This set the company on a path that led to superior safety, embedding safety as a cultural value. Below are four powerful questions board members should ask to similarly embed safety into their organization's culture.1. How do we know…

Neal Naor, CFO of Alachua, Fla.-based Axogen, Inc., has had a financial career spanning countless areas of life sciences, where a CFO's smart resource allocation and spend optimization can bring great value. It spans types of business.After working as CFO at Arbor Pharmaceuticals Mr. Naor will join Axogen, a provider of peripheral nerve repair products, in late 2023, joining Sweden's Medtech Mölnlycke. His current focus is on helping 15-year-old companies achieve bottom line profitability and positive cash. What's the key? Cost-effective sales growth.We asked Naor about his first-hand experience with the variation in CFO positions depending on an organization's maturity,…

If management believes that people are its most important asset, why is payroll considered a cost center rather than an investment? Labor costs are one of the largest line items on the income statement is. Managers often look first to control costs and increase profits. But the instinct to keep labor costs as low as possible can be destructive.Too many employers view employee compensation for low- and moderate-wage earners as an expense with little or no return. They recognize the short-term costs, but not necessarily the long-term value. They're missing something pretty basic: investing in paying low-wage workers more can…

Geopolitical turmoil, international conflict, and the president-elect's “America First” policy are upending the trade landscape for U.S. companies, forcing CFOs to question their assumptions about “the way the world works, the way America works, pretty much everything.” I will have no choice but to have it. Beth Sanner, who served as assistant director of national intelligence during President-elect Donald Trump's first term, said: Sanner delivered the keynote speech Monday at StrategicCFO360's CFO Leadership Awards event in Midtown New York. ben haider photoAmid ongoing unrest around the world, including recent conflicts in Syria and South Korea, Sanah told the audience, “We…

Yuri Levin achieved what many entrepreneurs can only dream of. That's creating two companies each worth more than $1 billion. What's his secret? We focus on solving everyday problems that our customers face. On a recent episode of the Corporate Competitor podcast, Levine shared insight into what makes Waze, a popular navigation app used by millions of people every day, and Moovit, a leading public transportation app, successful. “The easiest way to create value is to solve problems,” Levine says. “When you focus on a problem, that problem acts as the north star of your journey. When you have [that]That…

As a former CPA, I truly appreciate the importance of GAAP in providing a standardized view of financial performance. However, while GAAP provides the necessary foundation for financial reporting, it also has limitations. Over time, the complexity and technical nature of GAAP has made it a language that only accountants can fully understand. The first accounting textbook I opened began with “Accounting is the language of business.'' Sadly, today accounting has evolved into a language only for accountants. In today's business environment, where CFOs serve as strategic partners and storytellers, non-financial key performance indicators (KPIs) have emerged as essential tools.…

Virpy Richter has had a career spanning four different countries and two different seats in the C-Suite, but it wasn’t until her most recent role as the CFO of Awin Global that things really clicked. “Although I always lived and worked in different countries, all the other companies were more like set up classical headquarters based in Germany,” she says. “This is the first company where we truly think globally and where we also come from a global mindset, which is very enriching.” But with a global mindset comes a new host of challenges. Richter joins Jack McCullough for the…

Looking ahead to 2025, CEOs of PE-backed portfolio companies face unique challenges that highlight the need for disciplined, forward-looking strategies. Interest rates have fluctuated but are still higher than they were five years ago, and ongoing economic shifts and political transitions continue to shape strategic choices. At the same time, sponsor expectations are rising, increasing the demand for consistent and tangible returns. Against this backdrop, CEOs must prioritize sustainable value creation, operational optimization, and well-constructed exit strategies to effectively navigate these challenges. The following approach, based on operational improvement best practices, provides PE-backed companies with a blueprint for driving growth,…