CFO Intelligence Magazine – Fall 2025

Kevin Drost
New Era ADR CFO

In today’s competitive landscape, the most successful CFOs aren’t just stewards of capital — they’re strategic architects of growth and long-term value. They sit at the intersection of data, performance, and foresight, proactively turning ambiguity into insight and leveraging that clarity to drive better business decisions.

That’s the hallmark of a modern finance leader: someone who transforms uncertainty into action by building frameworks that enable thoughtful tradeoffs and strategic outcomes. Whether the challenge is marketing efficiency, supply chain resilience, or product expansion, top-performing CFOs don’t wait for decisions to arrive at their desks. They go out and shape those decisions with data, rigor, and a strategic lens.

The Power of Turning a Black Box Into a Growth Engine

At my previous company — an e-commerce marketplace — marketing and advertising were both our largest expenses and our greatest growth opportunities. Operating with the classic mindset: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half,” wasn’t acceptable.