INERSEC
They say to be successful, pick a lane. In 2025, I decided to drive the whole highway. It was a masterclass in the “Portfolio Career”, balancing three distinct identities.
1. The Operator: I spent most of 2025 in the trenches serving as an Interim CFO for high-stakes organizations.
At a SaaS portfolio company, “strategy” wasn’t a deck. It was survival. It was architecting a 13-week cash flow model to navigate a critical liquidity crunch. It was leading a forensic audit of contracts to uncover—and recover—$4.5 million in uncaptured revenue.
At a growth-oriented private equity firm, the work was equally gritty. It involved navigating the maze of SEC compliance, pushing audits across two dozen funds, and preparing the operational runway to launch a new $250M FinTech fund.
The Lesson: You cannot lead finance effectively if you are afraid to get your hands dirty. The best insights don’t come from the boardroom; they come from the reconciliation.
2. The Advisor: While the Operator was fixing the engine, the Advisor had to explain how to drive the car.
Taking on a role at a global research and advisory firm will challenge me to shift from “doing” to “guiding.” This role involves acting as a trusted advisor to over 25 CFOs and senior leaders.
It’s a different kind of pressure. It requires taking the scars I earned as an operator: the missed forecasts, the difficult turnarounds, the cash crunches and turning them into a roadmap for others.
The Lesson: Knowledge is a depreciating asset unless you share it. Helping a peer avoid a pothole I stepped in years ago is the highest ROI work I do.
3. The Storyteller: And then, there was this: The Accidental CFO.
I started this blog not because I have all the answers, but because I wanted to process the questions. Writing forced me to be honest about the gap between the textbook and reality.
The Lesson: We often think leaders need to be impenetrable. I found that being vulnerable, admitting what I got wrong and what I’m still learning, actually built more trust than being “right.”
The Verdict on 2025 The “Operator” gave me the credibility. The “Advisor” gave me the perspective. The “Storyteller” gave me the connection.
As we head into 2026, I’m doubling down on the intersection of all three. Because the best leaders aren’t just the ones who can run the numbers—they are the ones who can teach them, share them, and live them.
Question: As you review your year, did you spend more time “doing,” “teaching,” or “learning”? Which one gets the focus in 2026?
#TheAccidentalCFO #FinanceLeaders #InterimCFO #Leadership #2025Reflections #inersec