一定和公司的财务总监搞好关系！
记得去结识贵司现任首席财务官，因为他（她）很有可能会成为下一任首席执行官。
Peloton Interactive的新任首席执行官巴瑞·麦卡锡就是个活例子，他于今天正式上任。该公司前任首席执行官约翰·弗利离职，并将出任执行董事长。有消息称，该公司将裁员约2,800人，相当于全公司约20%的岗位。麦卡锡此前曾担任Spotify和Netflix的首席财务官。
Peloton首席独立董事卡伦·布恩在一份声明中表示：“巴里是一位久经考验的领导者，具有敏锐的财务头脑，又曾在Netflix和Spotify等代表性公司推动变革。”
Peloton确实陷入了一定程度的财务困难。据《财富》杂志报道，它的股价相较于一年前的历史高点已经下跌了八成以上。因此，有激进的投资者要求弗利下台，并要求Peloton考虑出售公司。首席财务官的职能在短短10年里已经发生了重大变化。负责的不再仅仅是数字，还包括整体业务的战略和转型。
德勤(Deloitte LLP)全球和美国首席财务官项目全国执行合伙人史蒂夫·葛鲁奇表示，首席财务官和首席执行官之间的战略伙伴关系一直存在，但如今愈发重要。葛鲁奇称：“回顾过去2年，首席执行官确实更加看重首席财务官。”他表示，在不得不快速转向的过程中，首席财务官们掌握着公司的脉搏。葛鲁奇说：“企业以一种前所未有的速度快速转型已经成为现代商业生活中的必须。”
“我做过的许多首席财务官人选调查都明确与首席执行官继任计划有关。”海德思哲(Heidrick & Struggles)合伙人兼财务官业务全球执行合伙人艾莉莎•博迪恩表示，“很多组织将首席财务官差不多视为副首席执行官。”她说：“通常，在一名高管成为首席财务官之前，企业希望看到他实际上承担的是总裁的角色。”除了财务之外，首席财务官通常还要主管其他业务。“如果看看对首席财务官的期望，就会发现标准在不断提高。”博迪恩说，海德思哲“多年来一直在观察首席执行官的继任情况，从首席财务官到首席执行官的上升路径并不罕见。”
尽管有许多首席财务官最后升任首席执行官，但史宾塞•斯图尔特去年12月发布的研究发现，他们的表现经常不尽人意。与此前担任首席运营官、部门首席执行官以及从非管理层领导选拔的候选人相比，首席财务官可能会过度依赖数字。报告称：“对数字的熟悉、对逻辑的依赖和合理的分析是他们的重要优势，但成功的首席执行官在做决定时必须纵观全局，向不同的听众发出不同的声音，在面临不确定性时尤其如此。“斯宾塞•斯图尔特建议，上位者应找到“培养增长导向和风险承受能力”的方法。他们需要参与企业关键业务的决策，“偶尔为首席执行官担起首席运营官的职责”，并学会用全局视角进行分析、作出平衡。
酒店元搜索网站Trivago的首席执行官阿克塞尔•赫弗刚进公司时担任的也是首席财务官。该公司现任首席财务官为马蒂亚斯·蒂尔曼，说二人之间建立了战略伙伴关系。“是阿克塞尔在2016年招的我。”蒂尔曼说，“当时，他也才刚入职两个月。我们合作的第一项工作就是公司的IPO。老实说，那段时间非常紧张，我们不分昼夜地一起工作了六个多月。”
但他说，两人也因此建立了信任和相互尊重。“我在2020年初，也就是疫情爆发前接替他担任了首席财务官，他接任了首席执行官，（信任和尊重）非常重要。”他说，虽然过去两年“对我们两人来说压力都很大，但我们必须合作，也合作得很好。”
蒂尔曼说他还在向赫弗学习。如果有一天他也成为某家公司的首席执行官，这些经验肯定能派上用场。（财富中文网）
译者：Agatha
记得去结识贵司现任首席财务官，因为他（她）很有可能会成为下一任首席执行官。
Peloton Interactive的新任首席执行官巴瑞·麦卡锡就是个活例子，他于今天正式上任。该公司前任首席执行官约翰·弗利离职，并将出任执行董事长。有消息称，该公司将裁员约2,800人，相当于全公司约20%的岗位。麦卡锡此前曾担任Spotify和Netflix的首席财务官。
Peloton首席独立董事卡伦·布恩在一份声明中表示：“巴里是一位久经考验的领导者，具有敏锐的财务头脑，又曾在Netflix和Spotify等代表性公司推动变革。”
Peloton确实陷入了一定程度的财务困难。据《财富》杂志报道，它的股价相较于一年前的历史高点已经下跌了八成以上。因此，有激进的投资者要求弗利下台，并要求Peloton考虑出售公司。首席财务官的职能在短短10年里已经发生了重大变化。负责的不再仅仅是数字，还包括整体业务的战略和转型。
德勤(Deloitte LLP)全球和美国首席财务官项目全国执行合伙人史蒂夫·葛鲁奇表示，首席财务官和首席执行官之间的战略伙伴关系一直存在，但如今愈发重要。葛鲁奇称：“回顾过去2年，首席执行官确实更加看重首席财务官。”他表示，在不得不快速转向的过程中，首席财务官们掌握着公司的脉搏。葛鲁奇说：“企业以一种前所未有的速度快速转型已经成为现代商业生活中的必须。”
“我做过的许多首席财务官人选调查都明确与首席执行官继任计划有关。”海德思哲(Heidrick & Struggles)合伙人兼财务官业务全球执行合伙人艾莉莎•博迪恩表示，“很多组织将首席财务官差不多视为副首席执行官。”她说：“通常，在一名高管成为首席财务官之前，企业希望看到他实际上承担的是总裁的角色。”除了财务之外，首席财务官通常还要主管其他业务。“如果看看对首席财务官的期望，就会发现标准在不断提高。”博迪恩说，海德思哲“多年来一直在观察首席执行官的继任情况，从首席财务官到首席执行官的上升路径并不罕见。”
尽管有许多首席财务官最后升任首席执行官，但史宾塞•斯图尔特去年12月发布的研究发现，他们的表现经常不尽人意。与此前担任首席运营官、部门首席执行官以及从非管理层领导选拔的候选人相比，首席财务官可能会过度依赖数字。报告称：“对数字的熟悉、对逻辑的依赖和合理的分析是他们的重要优势，但成功的首席执行官在做决定时必须纵观全局，向不同的听众发出不同的声音，在面临不确定性时尤其如此。“斯宾塞•斯图尔特建议，上位者应找到“培养增长导向和风险承受能力”的方法。他们需要参与企业关键业务的决策，“偶尔为首席执行官担起首席运营官的职责”，并学会用全局视角进行分析、作出平衡。
酒店元搜索网站Trivago的首席执行官阿克塞尔•赫弗刚进公司时担任的也是首席财务官。该公司现任首席财务官为马蒂亚斯·蒂尔曼，说二人之间建立了战略伙伴关系。“是阿克塞尔在2016年招的我。”蒂尔曼说，“当时，他也才刚入职两个月。我们合作的第一项工作就是公司的IPO。老实说，那段时间非常紧张，我们不分昼夜地一起工作了六个多月。”
但他说，两人也因此建立了信任和相互尊重。“我在2020年初，也就是疫情爆发前接替他担任了首席财务官，他接任了首席执行官，（信任和尊重）非常重要。”他说，虽然过去两年“对我们两人来说压力都很大，但我们必须合作，也合作得很好。”
蒂尔曼说他还在向赫弗学习。如果有一天他也成为某家公司的首席执行官，这些经验肯定能派上用场。（财富中文网）
译者：Agatha
Get to know your current CFO—because there’s a big possibility that he or she may be the next CEO.
Take for instance Peloton Interactive’s new CEO Barry McCarthy, who began his role today. The former CEO, John Foley, stepped down and will become executive chair amid news the company will shed about 2,800 jobs, impacting approximately 20% of corporate positions. McCarthy was previously a CFO at both Spotify and Netflix.
“Barry is a proven leader, well known for his financial acumen and record of driving transformative change at iconic companies including Netflix and Spotify,” Karen Boone, lead independent director at Peloton, said in a statement.
Peloton is certainly in need of financial help: its shares have tumbled more than 80% from their all-time high a year ago, Fortune reported. As a result, activist investors called for Foley’s resignation and for Peloton to explore a sale of the business. But the role of the CFO has dramatically changed in just a decade. It’s no longer just about numbers, but strategy and transformation of the overall business.
The strategic partnership between the CFO and CEO has always existed, but it’s become even more vital, Steve Gallucci, national managing partner of the global and U.S. CFO Program at Deloitte LLP, said. “As I reflect on the last 24 months, the CEO has really looked to the CFO even more,” Gallucci said. CFOs have their hands on the pulse of the business in the midst of having to pivot at a much quicker pace, he said. “Transformation is being asked of companies at a pace that we've not seen before in modern day business,” Gallucci said.
“Many of the CFO searches that I conduct are very explicitly CEO succession planning engagements,” said Alyse Bodine, partner and global managing partner of the Financial Officers Practice at Heidrick & Struggles. “In many instances, organizations view CFOs as almost deputy CEOs,” Bodine said. “Oftentimes before an executive even becomes a CFO, organizations like to see that executive actually serve in a president capacity.” Besides finance, the CFO often has responsibilities in other areas of the business, she said. “If you look at what's expected of a CFO, the bar just continues to kind of rise,” she said. Heidrick & Struggles has been “tracking CEO succession for years and years, and the CFO to CEO path is not an uncommon one,” Bodine noted.
Although many CFOs have headed to the chief executive chair, research by Spencer Stuart released in December found they often underperform. In comparison to promoted COOs, divisional CEOs, and leaders advancing from below the C-suite, finance chiefs can over rely on the numbers. "Comfort with numbers, reliance on logic and sound analysis are important strengths, but successful CEOs must understand the broader landscape when making decisions and hit different notes with different audiences, especially when faced with uncertainty," according to the report. Those who are successful find ways to "cultivate a growth orientation and risk tolerance," Spencer Stuart advised. They need to be involved in key business decisions, "occasionally serving as de-facto COOs for the CEO," and learn to balance analysis with a more holistic view of the organization, the firm noted.
Axel Hefer, CEO of Trivago, a metasearch hotel search site, began at the company as CFO. Matthias Tillmann, current CFO, talked about their strategic partnership. “Axel was the one who hired me in 2016,” Tillmann explained. “And at that time, he just joined the company two months earlier. The first thing we worked on was the IPO for the company. That was a very intensive time to be honest, working together day and night, for over six months.”
But the two learned to trust each other and built mutual respect, he said. “When I succeeded him as the CFO in the beginning of 2020, just before the pandemic, and he took over the CEO position, that was very important." Though the last two years "have been intense for both of us, we had to work together and that worked out quite well," he said.
Tillmann said he still learns from Hefer. That experience will certainly come in handy if he’s the CEO at a company one day.
