Taking Criticism Like a Pro: Airtable's Ambereen Toubassy on Investor Feedback and Curiosity

Ambereen Toubassy, the CFO of Airtable, has experience as an advisor, an investor, and an operator. In this episode, she joins CJ to talk about how this experience informs her role as a CFO. The two delve into the complexities of navigating investor feedback and how to take criticism without getting defensive. They also discuss how to build the right advisory network, red flags to watch for, and the importance of scaffolding your weaknesses with external expertise. The episode also highlights the value of specificity in the role of a finance leader. Ambereen shares insights from her extensive career, including her time at Quibi, explaining what she learned from this moonshot idea that didn’t work out as hoped and her approach to balancing fiduciary duties with the human side of leadership.

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Preview and Intro

(02:25) Sponsor – Brex | Vanta | Tropic

(06:55) What Ambereen Has Learned from Being an Investor

(10:53) Dealing with Investor Feedback

(18:09) Sponsor – MUFG | NetSuite | RightRev | Planful

(22:54) Tips for Not Taking Feedback Personally

(24:12) When to Bring Founders into Meetings with Investors

(25:52) Scaffolding Your Weaknesses

(30:59) Whether or Not to Pay More for Great Advisors

(34:12) How to Identify the Right Banker or Consultant

(35:13) Banker and Consultant Red Flags to Watch Out For

(39:11) “In the Particular Is Contained the Universal”

(42:42) How the Specific Plays a Role in the Job of a Finance Leader

(46:46) Quibi, the Moonshot Idea That Didn’t Land as Planned

(50:16) Fiduciary Responsibility When Things Don’t Go as Planned

(55:00) Long-Ass Lightning Round: A Career Mistake

(55:48) Advice to Younger Self

(57:14) Finance Software Stack

(58:26) Craziest Expense Story

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