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When Peter Walker looks back on his career, he never hesitates to highlight \u201cthe big asks,\u201d or those times when he asked a boss to \u201ctake a chance\u201d on him. One such instance occurred when he asked his CEO to sponsor his studies as he pursued an executive MBA on nights and weekends at New York University\u2019s Stern School of Business.

\u201cHe said \u2018Yes,\u2019 and the degree really flipped my brain from being that of an accountant to that of a big picture finance partner,\u201d comments Walker, who was working for Assurant, a provider of risk management products and services.

Still, an even bigger \u201cask\u201d followed\u2014one that engendered a response that even today seems to surprise Walker.

\u201cIt was only a couple of months later that I found myself on a plane to Atlanta, about to step into the CFO role at a $2 billion business unit,\u201d explains Walker, who recalls that this divisional CFO role opened up shortly after he completed his MBA\u2014which allowed him to make the pitch, \u201cHey, you made this investment in me\u2014the company needs a good ROI off this, so why not put me in that CFO role?\u201d

Today, Walker doesn\u2019t hesitate to characterize his leap upward at the company as a case of \u201cright place, right time.\u201d However, he points out that the promotion came 9 years into a 17-year tenure with Assurant\u2014a hefty investment of career years that spanned such milestones as the company\u2019s 2004 IPO, multiple acquisitions, and expansion overseas. Other promotions followed and in 2014 Walker was named Assurant's CFO, followed by a stint as chief strategy officer.

\u201cAs I sat in the chief strategy officer role, I really missed finance, as I view the CFO role today as the trifecta of finance, strategy, and leadership,\u201d remarks Walker, who notes that during his strategy chief stint he had become increasingly interested in the deal-making mechanics of the private equity realm, an area to which his career thus far had offered only limited exposure. \xa0\xa0

Comments Walker: \u201cI had had a lot of M&A experience within a public organization, but I wanted a turn at being the CFO leading the sale of a PE-owned organization so that I could gain another set of experiences\u2014which, as it has turned out, have proven critical to reaching where I sit today.\u201d \xa0\xa0

Walker was recruited to lead the successful sale of Jackson Hewitt from H.I.G. Bayside Capital to Corsair Capital and in 2017 was named CFO of Jackson Hewitt, a firm in Corsair\u2019s portfolio.

\u201cI specifically went after a private equity opportunity and was looking for something where the sponsor was going to want to sell in the next year or two,\u201d explains Walker, who would remain as CFO of Jackson Hewitt for another year (post-transaction) before stepping into the CFO office at Sterling in 2019. \xa0

Looking back, no matter how many CFO tours of duty or transaction milestones he achieves, Walker seems resolute in believing that none of them could have been achieved if not for \u201cthe big asks.\u201d\xa0\u2013Jack Sweeney