CFO THOUGHT LEADER6 Joulu 2023

957: Mission-Centric Finance: MDA's Transformation Story | Michael Kennedy, CFO, Muscular Dystrophy Association

When Michael Kennedy first stepped into the CFO office at the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) in 2018, he was surprised to learn that the association was spending $8 million annually on office space across the country.

“Why were we in these offices?,” asks Kennedy, voicing the question that helped to kick off the first of what he now characterizes as a multichapter digital transformation.

As it turned out, the 93 offices occupied by the MDA were a legacy of the organization’s historic Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, a once-massive annual fundraising event for that had lost its mojo in the Age of the Internet.

“MDA wanted to have an office near every local television station that was participating in the Telethon broadcast,” explains Kennedy, who notes that the MDA offices needed to compete with local Girl Scout troops and firefighters to secure fundraising airtime on the local affiliates.

“But the fact is that we had stopped doing the Telethon 8 years before I arrived,” reports Kennedy, who adds that the $8 million that the MDA had once paid in real estate fees now goes entirely to support MDA’s causes and mission—a development that the pandemic no doubt helped to accelerate.

He continues: “We now have a 100 percent remote office environment.”

Still, the pandemic put much of the transformation at the MDA into a holding pattern, as fundraising events and activities came to a near standstill. According to Kennedy, however, the MDA is now on its way to matching and even surpassing pre-pandemic fundraising levels, as it opens yet another impressive chapter in its healthcare history. –Jack Sweeney

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1198: Building Long-Term Value Starts With Better Capital Allocation | Shane Hostetter, CFO, Chemours

When Shane Hostetter arrived at Chemours in 2024, he stepped into a company facing liquidity challenges while also pursuing important long-term growth opportunities. His goal was not to replace decade...

12 Heinä 48min

Inside the CFO Mindset Before the Deal

Three accomplished CFOs. Three candid conversations. One revealing look at how finance leaders think about acquisitions before the headlines ever appear.In this special CFO Thought Leader edition, we ...

8 Heinä 30min

1197: The CFO Who Learned Finance by Owning Sales | Sinohe Terrero, CFO, Envoy

Sinohe Terrero still remembers the timing. He joined Envoy in January, only to see the workplace transformed just two months later as offices around the world shut down because of COVID. The company h...

5 Heinä 45min

Inside the IPO: Three CFOs, Three Perspectives

Taking a Company Public: What CFOs KnowWhat does it really take to prepare a company for life as a public company?In this special CFO Thought Leader compilation, we revisit three conversations with fi...

1 Heinä 59min

1196: Your Next Finance Hire Should Think Like a Founder | Martino Cadoni, CFO, DeepL

When Martino Cadoni joined DeepL, he arrived with an unusual perspective—he already knew the company’s product firsthand. Earlier in his career at Klarna, he had helped introduce DeepL as a translatio...

28 Kesä 52min

1195: When Finance is at the Center of the AI Code Revolution | Jean Compeau, CFO, Sonar

When Jean Compeau joined Sonar as CFO in March 2025, AI coding was not yet dominating industry conversations. By the summer and fall that followed, however, the landscape had shifted dramatically. Tod...

24 Kesä 47min

1194: Why Curiosity Creates Better Finance Leaders | Stacey Jenkins, CFO, Aerotek

Each day, Stacey Jenkins watches a different set of indicators than the quarterly financial results that eventually appear on a report. Candidate applications, recruiter activity, and other throughput...

21 Kesä 41min

1193: Building Finance Functions That Shape Outcomes | Jesse Waldron, CFO, Thyme Care

When Jesse Waldron describes Thyme Care’s work, he begins with the patient experience. Cancer patients, he explains, are often thrust into a healthcare system that can feel overwhelming both financial...

17 Kesä 49min