The Modern Finance Leader: How to Balance Data, Strategy, and Influence

Finance is no longer just about numbers—it's a key driver of business strategy. Today’s finance leaders must balance data, strategy, and influence to steer organizations through uncertainty. This webinar will explore how finance teams can stay agile, drive growth, and build cross-functional influence while managing economic uncertainty and leveraging data-driven storytelling.

Why should you attend? 

Finance teams are evolving by the day to do more than just manage numbers—they must shape business strategy and proactively contribute to growth. Here’s what you’ll learn:

• The expanding role of finance – How finance leaders are balancing strategic influence with operational efficiency.
• Navigating economic uncertainty – Key strategies finance teams use to balance agility, risk, and long-term planning.
• Building influence across teams – Storytelling with data to drive collaboration and decision-making.
• Leveraging technology – Tools and frameworks for optimizing business performance without overcomplicating operations.

Who should attend? 

If you’re a CFO, controller, FP&A leader, or finance professional looking to expand your role beyond traditional finance functions, this session will provide valuable insights and strategies.

Speaker:

• Alexander J. Freeman – CFO at Wursta, with a career spanning Citigroup, Dell, HID Global, and Amex. A strategic finance leader with deep expertise in risk management, profitability, commercial operations, and finance-driven business growth.

Host:

• Priyam Sodhiya – Finance and strategy leader and entrepreneur with experience in high-growth environments, working closely with seasoned CFOs and finance leaders implementing game-changing billing and revenue recognition solutions.
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Webinar Summary

1. How do you plan for uncertainty without cutting too deep?

At American Express, I led a $1.5 billion budget process, and I made sure every single expense—from technology to advertising—was reviewed. I use zero-based budgeting, which means no category is untouchable. I break expenses into three groups: must-do, conditional, and nice-to-have. By evaluating each expense carefully, we could shift priorities quickly without needing another approval cycle, which helped us stay lean while still pushing growth.

2. How does finance drive strategic decisions like restructuring?

When I was at Dell, we had a consumer laptop business in a region where margins were declining rapidly, often to zero or negative. I proposed merging the consumer and commercial divisions, packaging laptops with high-margin servers and services. This restructuring restored profitability and allowed us to stay competitive. This decision came purely from financial insight into product margins and the need to diversify revenue streams.

3. How do you prepare for tough economic cycles?

I always prepare for economic downturns by building a “war chest” during good times. At HID Global, I set aside cash reserves to handle currency fluctuations, tariffs, and unexpected demand changes. When a downturn happens, you need to act quickly. I also stress the importance of flexible budgets and a quick ability to shift resources to the highest-value initiatives, which keeps the company resilient.

4. How do you decide which initiatives or projects to support?

I rank projects into three categories: top-priority, conditional, and optional. Only the top-priority projects get guaranteed funding. For the others, I evaluate their return on investment and impact on business outcomes. I learned this at Visa, where I made sure every request for funding was backed by a clear business case. It’s important to ensure that resources are focused on initiatives that will drive the most value for the company.

5. How do you evaluate technology tools when your manual processes are working?

When I inherited a failing sales compensation process at a previous company, my team and I spent six months fixing the Excel-based model. We avoided spending money on a tool that promised to fix everything. The result? We had accurate, timely compensation payouts and saved costs on software. The key takeaway for me: fix the internal process first before turning to a billing automation system.

6. How do you use data storytelling to influence others?

When I present data, I tailor the message to the audience. At HID, I made sure to align with key stakeholders before meetings to make sure we were all on the same page. I avoided using technical jargon like “Weighted Average Cost of Capital” unless absolutely necessary. Instead, I focused on what mattered to them—such as headcount or customer satisfaction. The goal is always to make finance insights accessible and actionable for the business.

7. How do you lead annual planning across departments?

At Wursta, our annual planning begins three months before the end of the fiscal year. When setting a $100 million revenue target, I worked closely with sales, professional services, and marketing to figure out how we could all hit that number together. We don’t just assign quotas; we get buy-in from each team, so they’re committed to the goal. The process is collaborative, not top-down, and that makes it more effective.

8. How do you assess the real cost of adopting finance software?

I believe you need to look at all internal costs, not just the license fee. When evaluating new billing software, I always consider the engineering bandwidth, professional services, and ongoing support required. If it takes too much of your internal team’s time to integrate and maintain the system, the ROI may not be worth it. At one company, I rejected a new tool even though it promised to solve our problems because the cost of implementation would outweigh the benefits.

9. How did you grow into global finance roles throughout your career?

I started as a business owner before joining Citigroup in Moscow. At Citigroup, I learned about credit risk and risk management. Then, Dell gave me full P&L responsibility in Russia. At Visa, I moved into controllership. Each role taught me new skills and prepared me for the next level. My advice to anyone looking to grow is to say yes early in your career and take on roles that stretch you. You will learn from every experience.

10. What do you think about technology adoption in finance tools?

I am cautious about consolidating an order-to-cash software unless it’s absolutely necessary. At one company, we were about to automate a process that was working well manually. I decided against it because the new tool would have added unnecessary complexity. I prefer to fix the processes first and only adopt new technology when it offers clear long-term value. Automating an already efficient process isn’t always the best choice.

11. How do you evaluate ROI from finance technology tools?

I measure ROI by considering not just the software cost but also the internal cost of implementing the tool. For instance, if a tool requires 10 engineers working half-time for six months, you must consider the opportunity cost of those resources. I also always request a demo using our real data, not a generic example. This helps me see if the tool will truly work for our specific needs and avoid unpleasant surprises later.