Épisodes

  • How Mindfulness Transforms Leaders

    How Mindfulness Transforms Leaders
    Jun 23 2025
    Timothy Swords, MBA, founder of Mindful Leadership Executive Coaching and a former CFO and business transformation executive, shares his unique approach to leadership in this podcast. He highlights how integrating mindfulness and executive coaching helps leaders—especially financial executives—develop self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and resilience, which are essential for navigating high-pressure environments. Timothy provides practical examples, such as coaching a biotech CFO who intimidated colleagues, helping him use mindfulness and emotional grounding to improve relationships and communication. He emphasizes values-based intentions and the need for leaders to bridge the gap between intentions and impact, addressing common risks like emotional reactivity and executive presence challenges. The key message: mindfulness enables financial executives to lead with clarity, purpose, and authenticity. Guest’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tswords/
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    54 min
  • CFO to COO – A Professional Journey

    CFO to COO – A Professional Journey
    Jun 10 2025
    Adrienne Dale is one of a select few professionals nationwide who deliver Fractional COO services, offering over 20 years of hands-on leadership in scaling and transforming small and mid-market B2B SaaS, service and content businesses. Known for her breadth of functional expertise—spanning operations, software development, enterprise tech integration, finance, and customer loyalty—Adrienne partners closely with CEOs to optimize execution while freeing them to focus on strategic vision. Her unique ability to decode and operationalize insights from complex data has earned her the reputation of a “Data Geek” who consistently uncovers game-changing opportunities hidden within company performance metrics. As Principal of Pivotal LLC and former COO at high-growth firms, Adrienne drives results through data-driven strategy, scalable operations, and a focus on high-performance cultures. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriennedale/
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    52 min
  • Zero Trust, Maximum Security: The New CFO Imperative

    Zero Trust, Maximum Security: The New CFO Imperative
    May 27 2025
    In a recent FEI Silicon Valley Strategic CFO podcast, host Jan Robertson interviewed Dave Daetz, SVP of Corporate Development at Netskope, a cybersecurity leader in SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) technology. Daetz, with 25+ years of experience including roles at Apple and Symantec, shared insights on cybersecurity challenges facing modern enterprises, particularly how organizations struggle with "shadow data" dispersed across cloud environments and SaaS applications. He emphasized Netskope's evolution from addressing shadow IT to providing comprehensive data security solutions, exemplified by their strategic acquisition of Dasera (their 10th acquisition) which expanded their capabilities from unstructured to structured data protection. Daetz highlighted crucial M&A best practices, stressing the importance of strategic clarity, understanding alternative execution paths, and cultural fit for successful integrations. For CFOs managing cybersecurity concerns, he recommended consolidating security solutions to reduce costs and complexity, noting that most security spend is actually on services rather than products. His key message centered on the need for organizations to modernize their security approach for today's distributed workforce and data landscape through cloud-delivered solutions rather than traditional perimeter-based security models. https://www.linkedin.com/in/daetz/ #CyberSecurity #CFOInsights #MergersAndAcquisitions
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    37 min
  • Beyond IPOs: Strategic Liquidity for Private Companies

    Beyond IPOs: Strategic Liquidity for Private Companies
    May 12 2025
    In a recent episode of FEI Silicon Valley's Strategic CFO Podcast, host Jan Robertson interviews Brett Mock, Chairman of NASDAQ Private Market International Division. Mock highlights the fundamental shift in how companies approach going public, noting they now stay private for an average of 14 years (versus 5 years in 2000) and typically IPO at 5 billion valuations rather than100 million. He explains how NASDAQ Private Market fills a critical gap by providing secondary liquidity solutions for private companies through tender offers and marketplace technology that connects buyers and sellers in a unique "trilateral settlement market." Mock emphasizes the importance of liquidity options for employee retention, founder monetization, and investor capital returns. He addresses market correction concerns, discussing how valuation adjustments for private companies tend to lag public markets. Looking internationally, Mock notes growing demand for private market solutions across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe as entrepreneurial ecosystems develop globally. His key message: private companies can achieve strategic liquidity while maintaining control over their cap table, addressing the growing "duration problem" between the typical 7-10 year VC investment cycle and the extended 14-year timeline to IPO. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-mock-a26a5b8/
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    45 min
  • Inside the Tax Battle: Congress, Tariffs, and Your Bottom Line

    Inside the Tax Battle: Congress, Tariffs, and Your Bottom Line
    Apr 28 2025
    Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee, Tony offers crucial insights on the upcoming expiration of key Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions in 2025, highlighting that while some elements are permanent (like the 21% corporate tax rate), many individual tax provisions will revert to pre-2017 levels without Congressional action. He explains how Senate reconciliation procedures could extend these cuts through a novel "current policy baseline" approach, potentially making them permanent rather than temporary. Tony details how the interplay between tariff policies and tax legislation is affecting economic stability, noting that even traditionally tax-friendly industries are concerned about recent tariff volatility. His insider perspective on Senate procedures and policy negotiations provides financial executives with valuable foresight as they navigate strategic planning in an uncertain legislative environment. The key message: comprehensive tax planning in 2025 will be essential as companies prepare for potential significant changes to both corporate and individual taxation. Connect with Tony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-coughlan-8292b839/ #TaxPolicy #CorporateTaxation #FinancialPlanning
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    51 min
  • Marketing's Role in Raising Capital, Acquisitions, and IPOs

    Marketing's Role in Raising Capital, Acquisitions, and IPOs
    Apr 15 2025
    Discover how marketing visionary Stuart McFaul is transforming the CFO-CMO relationship through strategic AI implementation. Learn why marketing isn't just a cost center but a crucial ally for financial leaders navigating economic uncertainty. McFaul reveals practical strategies for leveraging AI tools to maintain marketing momentum while cutting costs, positioning companies for investment or acquisition, and even turning downturns into market share gains. Don't miss these actionable insights that bridge the gap between finance and marketing for measurable business growth. #MarketingIntelligence #FinancialLeadership #AIStrategy
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    54 min
  • AI Valuations, Exit Challenges: A VC's Honest Take

    AI Valuations, Exit Challenges: A VC's Honest Take
    Apr 1 2025
    Angel Investor Amos Ben-Meir Shares Insights on Silicon Valley Investment Landscape In the latest Strategic CFO podcast, Jan Robertson interviews Amos Ben-Meir, a seasoned investor and board member at Sand Hill Angels and President/Board Director at Silicon Catalyst Angels. Drawing from his background in semiconductor design and experience with six startups (four with successful outcomes), Ben-Meir provides financial executives with valuable perspectives on early-stage investing trends. He highlights the evolution of Sand Hill Angels' investment volume—from 4M in 2014 to peaks of32M in 2021, settling at 10-12M annually post-2022—and discusses their evaluation process for the 150-250 monthly applications they receive. Ben-Meir emphasizes current challenges including high AI company valuations, the "pay-to-play" rounds facing companies with inflated 2020-2021 valuations, and uncertainties surrounding market exits. Notable portfolio successes include Jackpocket (acquired by DraftKings for800M), Beyond Meat (IPO), and innovative companies like Arrow Lane (air cargo transport) and Mentium Tech (edge AI chips). For financial executives navigating today's economic uncertainty, Ben-Meir's key message emphasizes conservative capital deployment while maintaining investment momentum in promising technologies regardless of macroeconomic conditions. Connect with Amos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abenmeir/ #VentureInvesting #CFOInsights #SiliconValleyFinance
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    41 min
  • The CFO's Struggle and Triumph in AI's Power Crisis

    The CFO's Struggle and Triumph in AI's Power Crisis
    Mar 17 2025
    In this FEI Silicon Valley podcast, Robert Barker, CFO and board member of AI Storm, shares insights from his four-decade semiconductor industry career. Barker emphasizes finding passion, setting goals, and networking as crucial for success. He discusses AI Storm's innovative charge domain technology that cuts power consumption in AI applications, and their pursuit of Series C funding after previously raising $30 million. Barker highlights that successful CFOs must excel at communication and relationship building, while noting concerns about emerging tariffs and the rapid pace of AI development outpacing regulatory frameworks. Connect with Robert Barker at https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-barker-mba-cma-73bb537/
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    43 min