The Essential Shift: Leadership Before Numbers in Finance

Stacy Tumarkin unexpectedly found herself stepping into the CFO seat—twice—earning the moniker “The Accidental CFO.” Early in her career, she worked at a hedge fund, diving headfirst into uncharted responsibilities when a mentor urged her to stretch beyond strict accounting roles. “I was only 26 when I first became CFO,” Tumarkin tells us, recalling how imposter syndrome quickly followed. Despite her misgivings, she soon realized the best way to grow was to embrace discomfort and learn on the fly.

A second twist came when she joined Kubecost as Chief of Staff, overseeing everything from support to finance. When the CEO asked her to serve as CFO yet again, she hesitated—still viewing herself as more of a people-first leader. But Tumarkin tells us that ownership of the finance function gave her a strategic seat at the table, allowing her to shape the company’s trajectory while drawing on her passion for operations and culture.