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When a company opts to recruit a finance leader from the \u201coutside world,\u201d it\u2019s not uncommon these days for the future CFO to first serve in a provisional role\u2014one that can provide a wide view of the business while allocating a little extra time for on-the-job learning.

So it was for Constance Minc, a veteran investment banker who logged 12 months as head of business operations for IFS before entering the ERP vendor\u2019s CFO office last May.

According to Minc, her 12-month stint in operations was as much about building bridges as it was about learning. \u201cI was able to build trust with our key business stakeholders and create a bridge between the business and finance that has enabled us to transform finance,\u201d she explains, while also noting that she used her stint in operations to develop a three-year business plan that now serves as her road map as IFS CFO.

\u201cThis helped me to understand how our customer strategy needed to evolve and allowed me to build the business model with the business,\u201d says Minc, who also spent time evaluating \u201cthe inputs\u201d being used by IFS to formulate its forecasts. \u201cWe wanted to make certain that the numbers were driven by very concrete and business-driven inputs,\u201d she adds.

Asked about her priorities as a finance leader going forward, Minc emphasized the importance of aligning the organization with a standard set of finance principles, optimizing business process efficiencies, and fostering trust with all business stakeholders.

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When a company opts to recruit a finance leader from the \u201coutside world,\u201d it\u2019s not uncommon these days for the future CFO to first serve in a provisional role\u2014one that can provide a wide view of the business while allocating a little extra time for on-the-job learning.

So it was for Constance Minc, a veteran investment banker who logged 12 months as head of business operations for IFS before entering the ERP vendor\u2019s CFO office last May.

According to Minc, her 12-month stint in operations was as much about building bridges as it was about learning. \u201cI was able to build trust with our key business stakeholders and create a bridge between the business and finance that has enabled us to transform finance,\u201d she explains, while also noting that she used her stint in operations to develop a three-year business plan that now serves as her road map as IFS CFO.

\u201cThis helped me to understand how our customer strategy needed to evolve and allowed me to build the business model with the business,\u201d says Minc, who also spent time evaluating \u201cthe inputs\u201d being used by IFS to formulate its forecasts. \u201cWe wanted to make certain that the numbers were driven by very concrete and business-driven inputs,\u201d she adds.

Asked about her priorities as a finance leader going forward, Minc emphasized the importance of aligning the organization with a standard set of finance principles, optimizing business process efficiencies, and fostering trust with all business stakeholders. - Jack Sweeney