Leadership
Monster's latest Workplace Experience Rankings show that finance careers rank eighth among 15 occupations with a composite score of 3.69, reflecting an overall positive work experience. Finance professionals excel in areas such as DEI and executive trust, but work-life balance, compensation, and job security are relatively weaker and still have room for improvement.
Adyen announced in a press release on Wednesday that Hwa Tsao, currently Senior Vice President of Group Finance, will serve as interim Chief Financial Officer to manage the transition period following current CFO Ethan Tandowsky's departure on August 31. Meanwhile, Global Head of Product Gayathri Rajan has been promoted to Chief Product Officer, effective immediately. These two personnel changes were announced in conjunction with the company's completion of its acquisitions of Talon.One and Orb. Tsao and Rajan will report to the co-CEOs but will not join the management committee.
American Eagle Outfitters announced on Wednesday that it has hired Ravi Thanawala, former Chief Financial Officer of Papa John's International, to succeed long-time finance chief Michael Mathias, with the appointment effective August 3. Thanawala left Papa John's abruptly after three years of service and will receive a compensation package including an annual salary of $1 million.
This article recommends a summer 2026 reading list for CFOs and financial managers, featuring ten selected books. The list spans both nonfiction and fiction, with themes covering gender data bias, corporate social responsibility, monetary history, dollar hegemony, the impact of AI, and science fiction imagination, aiming to provide busy financial decision-makers with a window for reflection and relaxation.
Porsche Financial Services (PFS) announced that long-time CFO Konrad Riedl has retired after 36 years, with his position taken over by current Board Spokesman Volker Reichhardt. Additionally, Michael Glinski has been appointed Chief Commercial Officer and joined the Board. This management change occurs as Porsche AG launches its 'Strategy 2035,' aimed at achieving sustainable profitable growth through organizational streamlining and product strategy adjustments.
CME Group, the Chicago-based derivatives exchange operator, announced that current CEO Terrence Duffy will step down after a decade in the role to become Executive Chairman, with current CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick set to take over as CEO. The executive transition takes effect on March 1 or the date the company files its 10-K, whichever is later.
According to securities filings submitted by Starbucks last week, Chief Financial Officer Cathy Smith has handed over Chief Accounting Officer responsibilities to Val Bauduin, Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance and Development. Bauduin briefly served as interim CFO in March 2025, and this change does not involve any compensation adjustments.
Dentsply Sirona announced on Thursday via securities filings and a press release the appointment of John Fortson as its new Chief Financial Officer, effective July 20. Fortson, 58, brings over 25 years of financial, operational, and strategic leadership experience, having served as CFO or CEO at multiple global manufacturing and industrial companies. Former CFO Matthew Garth abruptly left last November after only six months in the position. The company had previously undergone leadership changes and an accounting review, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently closing its investigation without recommending enforcement action.
Primark has appointed Lucy Slinger as Chief Financial Officer ahead of its planned split from Associated British Foods. Slinger has been Deputy CFO at Ingka Group since 2021, and previously spent over two decades at Shell. Primark is accelerating the formation of its leadership team while continuing its international expansion.
Apollo.io's new CFO Phil Moon compares the financial function structure to a pyramid, emphasizing the stability of underlying systems and data. He plans to support the company's 400% growth in enterprise customers over the past 12 months and rapid revenue growth by optimizing capital allocation and enhancing system scalability.