CFO THOUGHT LEADER

CFO Macrina Gill of Figure discusses her career journey from engineering in Korea to PwC, Fortress Investment Group, and Springleaf Financial, before landing in blockchain-based capital markets. She explains how Figure uses blockchain technology to create a transparent, efficient marketplace for loan origination and trading. The conversation covers her views on AI in finance, blockchain adoption challenges, and her priorities as a newly public company CFO.

At the Sage Future Conference, three Sage leaders—CTO Aaron Harris, SVP John Fasoli, and SVP Julie Adams—discuss how AI is transforming finance operations, emphasizing that trust, transparency, and accountability are the critical gatekeepers to broader AI adoption. Harris argues that the future of finance lies in AI empowering strategic decision-making rather than just automating repetitive tasks. Fasoli and Adams ground these ideas in practical applications across finance teams and the construction sector respectively.

Andre Mancl, CFO of Nium, shares his unconventional career journey from U.S. Navy aviator to investment banker to fintech CFO. He discusses how military leadership principles and banking instincts shape his decision-making, and outlines Nium's mission to disrupt the $100 trillion cross-border payments market. The conversation covers AI adoption, finance team management, and key strategic priorities.

Yuval Atsmon, Senior Partner and CFO of McKinsey & Company, discusses his unconventional path from law school to leading finance at the world's most influential strategy firm. He explores how McKinsey is navigating AI disruption, evolving its pricing models from billable hours to outcome-based fees, and balancing short-term performance with long-term resilience. He also shares how partnership culture shapes financial decision-making and why understanding — not just reporting — numbers is the core skill of effective finance leadership.

Scott Thorell, CFO of Benetrends Financial, discusses his career journey from Ernst & Young and Campbell Soup through various entrepreneurial and mid-market businesses in the Philadelphia area, before arriving at Benetrends, a company that helps entrepreneurs fund businesses through ROBS (Rollover for Business Startups) plans and SBA financing. He reflects on leadership lessons learned, the value of cross-functional experience, and his priorities for growing Benetrends through AI, infrastructure, and deeper sales alignment.