CFO THOUGHT LEADER9 Marras 2025

1142: From Webcomics to Wall Street: Inside a Storytelling Powerhouse | David Lee, COO & CFO, WEBTOON

When David Lee joined PG&E in San Francisco, the company was collapsing under the weight of California’s first energy crisis. “These utility veterans kind of got us into this,” the new CFO told him, handing him an unusual assignment: act as an “anti-CFO.” Lee spent his days testing every forecast and financing plan, proposing contrarian options like a preferred-equity line from KKR. The exercise, he tells us, forced him to “think independently” and learn how to guide a public company in deep trouble.

That moment crystallized a pattern in Lee’s career—a willingness to enter complex situations and rethink accepted wisdom. From his start at Leo Burnett Company, where he learned to “walk in the shoes of the consumer,” to his nine-year transformation tour at Del Monte and later Best Buy’s celebrated “Renew Blue” turnaround, he has sought environments that reward original thought over routine expertise.

Today, as global COO and CFO of Webtoon, Lee applies the same mindset to a different kind of transformation—the business of storytelling. He tells us the platform connects 24 million creators to 156 million readers each month, growing its English-language audience 19 percent year over year. Yet he draws a bright line around technology’s role: “Human storytellers are the best storytellers.” AI, in his view, should fight piracy and improve discovery, not replace creativity.

Across every chapter, from crisis utilities to digital comics, Lee’s philosophy remains constant—progress begins when finance leaders question assumptions and listen long enough to see possibilities others overlook.

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1215: Building Finance for the Long Game | Jessica Somers, CFO, Aledade

At Aledade, CFO Jessica Somers is helping finance navigate a business where investment decisions can take years to fully reveal their value.The technology-driven, physician-led company works with more...

16 Syys 49min

1214: The CFO Checklist Keeps Growing | Jack Gordon, CFO, Harri

For Jack Gordon, the CFO role at Harri increasingly extends beyond finance—and into the mechanics of how an AI-powered business scales.Harri, a workforce operating system focused on hospitality, has e...

13 Syys 56min

1213: When Constructive Tension Yields Sharper Decisions | Martin Uhrik, CFO, Third Bridge

When Martin Uhrik compared the margins of two visual-effects brands at Technicolor, one appeared far more profitable than the other. Uhrik tells us the reported difference prompted him to investigate....

9 Syys 54min

1212: When Working Capital Rewrites the CFO Agenda | Dan Barzily, CFO, Tipalti

Shortly after Dan Barzily became CFO of Tipalti, a go-to-market transformation altered the company’s working-capital profile. One quarter later, Barzily tells us, the company missed its forecast acros...

6 Syys 36min

1211: Mission, Means, and the Will to Grow | Jonathan Ma, CFO, Sutter Health

Jonathan Ma recalls being at his parents’ home in Nebraska one Saturday when his Morgan Stanley boss called with advice: pursue an opportunity at Sutter Health. After nearly 15 years, the mentor belie...

2 Syys 39min

1210: The Best Trade May Be the One You Don’t Make | Shiv Verma, CFO, Robinhood

Six weeks before Lehman Brothers went under, Shiv Verma tells us, he joined a hedge fund as the world felt like it was falling apart. After building structured-credit and CLO models at J.P. Morgan fro...

30 Elo 53min

1209: Finding a Larger Voice in the Room | Ross Grainger, CFO, Nasuni

Ross Grainger remembers an early chapter of his career when finance was only one part of the job.After stepping outside a traditional finance path to own and operate a Mako auto-body franchise, Graing...

26 Elo 33min

1208: Quality, Trust, and Scale | Cal Brouilette, CFO, Flatiron Health

Cal Brouilette recalls a sleepless night in Houston, speaking at 3 a.m. with someone from Blackstone about a purchase-and-sale agreement and transition-service agreements. It concerned a power-plant p...

23 Elo 46min