We are proud to announce this year’s winners of the Office of the CFO Awards 2024. We received nominations from titans like Amazon and Google, as well as from fledgling startups and local businesses. The caliber of talent and innovation displayed across industries – from consumer manufacturing to digital imaging, healthcare tech to cybersecurity – showcases how modern finance leaders can be essential business partners in any field.
The Office of the CFO Awards (or OCFOs, as they’ve become known) celebrate the unsung heroes who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in financial transformation throughout 2024. Whether pioneering AI implementation in financial operations to spearheading ESG initiatives, these leaders have not just improved their companies’ financial health but also brought their own perspectives and unique talents to their work.
A Peer-Recognized Testament to Excellence
Winners were chosen based on glowing recommendations from colleagues across all organizational functions – from operations to product development, marketing to human resources. The overwhelming response we received tells a powerful story of finance leaders who have transcended traditional boundaries to become true business partners.
Again and again we heard stories of professionals who had boldly stepped in to overhaul disorganized or mismanaged finance operations, those who went above and beyond to proactively solve problems outside their official purview, and those who reimagined how financial processes could be done.
This year’s winners have shattered the outdated stereotype of finance as mere budget gatekeepers. Instead, they exemplify the modern finance leader: strategic advisors who enable growth, drive innovation, and champion sustainable business practices while maintaining fiscal responsibility.
Their achievements span:
- Navigating pandemic and post-pandemic swings of demand and other market conditions
- Transforming reporting and forecasting processes through technological innovation
- Improving pipeline health and quality of opportunities
- Dedicated mentorship of colleagues and subordinates
- Building trust and communication with board members
- Cutting month-end turn in half
- Mastering new programming languages to innovate AI implementation
- And more!
These outstanding individuals represent the future of finance leadership – where technical expertise meets business acumen, and where financial stewardship goes hand in hand with driving organizational growth.
A heartfelt congratulations to all our 2024 winners! Your achievements not only inspire the finance community but set new standards for excellence in financial leadership.
The Winners
CFO of the Year
Accounting: Cynthia Hemingway, CFO of Fourlane – “Cynthia Hemingway is more than our CFO; she’s a cornerstone of our organization. […] For me, true leadership isn’t about dictating tasks but about working alongside your team, and Cynthia embodies every quality of an exemplary leader.”
–Kate Parkes, Internal Communications Coordinator, Fourlane
Beverage Manufacturing: Brent McClean, CFO & COO of Chattanooga Whiskey – “Faced with dramatic swings of input and output during the pandemic years Brent has done a tremendous job simplifying the complexities and setting Chattanooga Whiskey up for success and sustained growth.”
–Chuck Lyle, VP, Marketing, Chattanooga Whiskey
Biotechnology: Martin Iliev, CFO of GlycanAge – “Martin’s exceptional leadership and strategic vision have been instrumental in guiding our organization through challenging times.”
–Zorrie Dimitrova, COO, GlycanAge
Computer & Network Security: Laurynas Zabulis, CFO of Nord Security – “Laurynas’s visionary leadership, coupled with strategic financial acumen, rocketed the company from startup to unicorn status.”
–Gediminas Guobužas, Team Lead of Financial Analytics, Nord Security
Computer & Network Security: Jennifer Littlefield, CFO of Securin, Inc – “Our CFO at Securin has consistently demonstrated exceptional financial leadership, guiding the company to $25M in organic growth without the need for any outside funding over the past 3.5 years of operations.”
–Self-nominated
Furniture: Christine Murphy, Director of Finance & Accounting at Our Country Home Enterprises – “Christine provides financial clarity that we have not had in years – and she makes it look easy.”
–Self-nominated
Financial Services: Molly James, CFO of Caliber Financial Services – “Her ability to navigate complex financial landscapes and make sound decisions has been instrumental in our company’s success.”
–Gene Hermreck, Vice President, FP&A, Caliber Financial Services
Financial Services: Alfred Novas, Wolfe LLC – “His vision for Datarails has transformed Wolfe’s financial reporting process, enabling for real time data to populate their financial and operational reports, their forecast, and their budget.”
–Daniel Ference, CSM, Datarails
FP&A Pro of the Year
Software Development: Kavin Nikhil Soni, Financial Analyst at Google – “Kavin spearheaded an initiative to enhance small businesses competitiveness on Google’s Shopping platform (GMC feed) by refining pre- and post-click optimization strategies.”
–Self-nominated
Veterinary Services: Vinesh Patel, FP&A Director at Petfolk – “Single handedly reported very complex financial and operating results throughout the organization in the fast-paced start up environment; Provided data transparency used for critical decision-taking by top management at Petfolk at the crucial stage of fundraising. A tech and Datarails wizard!”
–David Bavel, CSM, Datarails
Gaming: Ankit Nahar, Senior Manager, FP&A at Play Games24x7– “Contributed to a significant reduction in yearly budget costs by showcasing region-wise contribution margins and identifying under-performing markets.”
–Self-nominated
Manufacturing: Tereza Sahakian, Director of FP&A at Alasko – “She consistently delivers precise insights, driving key financial decisions, and has had a concrete impact on our finance team’s efficiency and accuracy, particularly in streamlining processes and enhancing data-driven forecasting.”
–Gerry Perlinghis, CFO, Alasko
Facilities Services: Moshe Feldman, Senior FP&A Manager at Fire Safety and Protection – “He is a pro in everything forecast related, understands the big picture, but also the small pieces that can affect the company’s performance.”
–Julia Sigal, CSM, Datarails
Software Development: Alex Singleton, Director of Commercial Finance & FP&A at Redsift Limited – “Alex has created a revenue operations structure in our business from scratch. He has worked tirelessly to create a new deal contracting processes to ensure that our deal pipeline contains better quality opportunities.”
–Lizzie Bevan, Finance Manager, Redsift Limited
Entertainment: Brice Longnos, FP&A Manager at NBCUniversal – “Developed a data-driven approach to inform and advise on marketing, commercial and programming strategy for DTC, leveraging all sources and tools available, fostering adoption of data visualization software and educating finance team towards automation and forward-thinking solutions.”
–Self-nominated
Software Development: Tripti Nashier, Finance Manager at Amazon – “Their work has resulted in millions of dollars in cost savings, substantial improvements in operational efficiency, and measurable enhancements in strategic decision-making processes.”
–Aditya Kumar, Software Development Engineer, Amazon
Controller of the Year
Business Consulting: Andrew Santiago, Controller at BFY Group – “What is most impressive though, is that he has also managed to absorb most of the Group FD’s responsibilities since his exit from the business, without letting any of his current work slip.”
–Zander Cleves, Head of Commercial & Partnerships, UniHomes
Education Administration Programs: Ilce Garcia, Controller at International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) –”Her innovation allowed us to view true bad debt percentages, providing a clearer understanding of our financial health. This reporting method has been instrumental in making informed strategic decisions regarding credit policies and financial planning.”
–Tami Nealy, VP Communications, International Sports Sciences Association
Manufacturing: Allison Tackaberry, Accounting Manager & Controller at Caframo Ltd – “She was integral in leveraging her aptitude and understanding of our financials to reconcile Datarails when we were implementing and launching. She brings financial insights every day to the forefront for us to examine at the senior level. She is the best Controller I have ever had and I have trained many.”
–Tammy Sherman, VP Corp Services, Caframo Limited
Apparel & Fashion: Amy Jung, Controller at Dooney & Burke – “Amy’s strategic thinking and adept change management have been instrumental in modernizing our accounting function. She meticulously evaluated and revamped our people, processes, and technology, resulting in more efficient and effective operations.”
–Peter Beaugard, SVP, Dooney & Bourke
Telecommunications: Pedro Nunes. Financial Controller at KETS Quantum Security Ltd – “The bigger impact is the value delivered in terms of accuracy and timeliness of financial data, allowing much more precise planning, reporting, and decision making to happen within the business. When we have had to make cost saving measures, these have been kept to a minimum, as we have confidence in projections and don’t have to hold large contingencies. We’ve had our first operating profitable month, which we could celebrate with confidence.”
–Lisa Matthews, COO, KETS Quantum Security
Financial Services: Ting Song, Executive Director at JPMorganChase – “Her strong leadership and ability to collaborate effectively across teams, fostering a culture of excellence that drives both individual and collective success, really make her stand out.”
–Seth Bermel, VP Operations, JPMorganChase
Wellness & Fitness Services: Bhavesh Maharaj, Corporate Controller at Trace Minerals – “He has embedded himself into the core of our operations, driving efficiencies, reducing costs, and providing invaluable insights that are helping to shape the future of the company. His leadership has brought clarity and structure to our financial and operational practices, positioning us for sustained growth.”
–Melanie Salmonsen, VP Finance, Trace Minerals
Leaders in AI for Finance
Financial Services: Wallace R Nichols, MBA, JD, CFP, Founder & Principal at Asset Guidance Group, LLC – “65-year-old professional learned the Anaconda Distribution platform and how to code in Python over the summer to build apps for the firm and streamline billing fee upload calculations for Assets Under Management”
–Self-nominated
Financial Services: Edwin Jongsma, VP, AI and Integrations at Financial Finesse – “Edwin leads our AI Tech Team, stewarding Financial Finesse’s expansion into AI-powered financial coaching and transforming how our team of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® financial coaches carry out their roles by rapidly scaling their ability to change financial lives.”
–Maggie Weinberg, Senior Director of Marketing, Financial Finesse
Financial Services: Manoj Kumar Vandanapu, Finance Controller at UBS – “The AI-driven solution resulted in a 90% reduction in reporting time, allowing the team to produce more accurate reports and enabling faster decision-making. The accuracy of profitability forecasts improved, reducing the margin of error in financial projections.“
–Self-nominated
Market Research: Elizabeth Pittelkow Kittner, CFO at GigaOm – “Elizabeth introduced the GenAI policy to the organization as she recognized both the opportunity and the risks of AI and wanted to be thoughtful about the ethical use of AI. Elizabeth also has used AI as part of reviewing financial data to identify trends in customer payments, subscription activity, revenue, and expenses to assess where attention needs to be.”
–Dina Navarro, Finance & People Ops Manager, GigaOm
Congratulations to all our winners and to the hundreds of people who were nominated for this prestigious award. We will see you again next year!
