CFO THOUGHT LEADER In the Room Where it Happens (Part 2)
Aug 20, 2025
Inder Singh, a finance leader who collaborated with John Chambers at Cisco, shares gripping tales from his encounters with tech icons like Steve Jobs and Marc Benioff. He discusses transformative moments that shaped both his career and the financial landscape of tech. Topics include the shift to subscription models, the importance of leadership presence, and strategic shifts in finance during economic turmoil. Singh’s firsthand experiences illuminate the critical role CFOs play alongside visionary leaders in crafting the future of companies.
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Early Subscription Pivot At Salesforce
- Steve Cakebread joined Salesforce at $20M revenue and ~65 employees and helped design subscription billing.
- They moved from monthly to annual billing within three months and scaled the go-to-market model rapidly.
CFOs Bridge Vision And Scale
- CFOs translate founder vision into scalable operations, funding, and metrics.
- That balancing act makes finance leaders part translator, operator, and strategist.
FP&A Model That Ran Salesforce
- Scott Henderson built an integrated FP&A model that effectively ran Salesforce's go-to-market planning.
- The model tied leads, account exec capacity, bookings, and hiring to revenue and hiring decisions.