4 true stories of finance leading on strategy

Finance teams are being asked to step up and provide strategy—not just set budgets. In this guide, we share four true tales of finance leaders who took the lead to transform the business with epic results: 10,000% stock price jumps, $120 million procurement windfalls, and $330M loan paybacks.

The New York Times | Lululemon | Danaher | LiveRamp

Companies need their CFOs, controllers, and supply chain execs to lead

What happens when the VP of finance or head of procurement has to provide the top-level strategy? In these stories, you’ll find inspiration for how you might transform your own company. Like Warren Jenson did with Axicom. He had such conviction in a cash-losng tech startup, he sold their entire company to buy it.

Lululemon’s new procurement leader created $1B+ in shareholder value

01 / RETAIL

The New York Times diversified into affiliate revenue by acquiring the review site Wirecutter

02 / MEDIA

Danaher grew market value 10,000% over several decades

03 / LIFE SCIENCES

LiveRamp went from unprofitable to $700M in cash with no debt

04 / ADTECH

Sometimes, the finance leader can be the transformer

Within this guide you’ll follow the stories of four finance leaders who generated and executed strategies that changed their companies entirely. Like Dan Comas' 200-company aquiring spree over two decades which increased Danaher's stock price 10,000%. This happened in concert with the CEO, but Dan was crucial to the strategy of stockpiling capital and aquiring during downturns—19 companies in 2008 alone.

$1 billion in shareholder value from new procurement policies? For Michael, that was just a start

When he joined as head of procurement, the company’s stock price was $40 per share. When he left, it was near $400. It’s not just a procurement story. But it’s a flawless example of how instituting basic rigor like competitive contracts can have a transformative effect on a company.

Learn about how NYT’s most famous aquisition changed media

In 2016, everything turned around for The New York Times. Since then, the stock has risen dramatically—while the rest of media languishes. And it’s all due to their aquisition of a little known technology review site known for rigid honesty. Shortly thereafter, Meredith was elevated to CEO.

Your Co-Authors

Franz and Sandeep co-founded Everest to be the first AI-native ERP built for change. They're interested in stories like those above, because that's what's possible when your finance systems think for you.

Franz Faerber

Co-CEO & Co-Founder

Former EVP of Technology at SAP

Original architect of SAP HANA

Sandeep Chopra

Co-CEO & Co-Founder

Former VP of Product at Veeva Systems, led quality, manufacturing

Prior, at NextLabs and Deloitte

To deliver strategy, finance teams need
agile systems

There is a commonality to every story in this guide. All the acquisitions, carve-outs, rollouts, and new offerings all depended on strong financial systems. These leaders transformed their companies when changing tech was still hard. Today, it is much, much easier.