Cfo Thought Leader

When asked to share a single career chapter that has influenced her strategic mind-set as a finance leader, Synopsys CFO Shelagh Glaser knew exactly what to cite.She described a period that had unfolded during her 29 years at Intel Corp., when—seemingly overnight—consumer appetite for tablets had begun to upend Intel's enduring PC chips business. The initial response within the company was one of denial, she explains. Certain voices could be heard saying, "This isn't really happening" or "These tablets are just toys; we build real computers."According to Glaser, the initial reaction was akin to one the five stages of grief. However, stepping back revealed the stark reality that Intel had seemingly lost about a third of its market overnight, which translated to a dramatic 100 million units. This pivotal moment demanded urgent action and set the stage for a string of days and nights that would expose to Glaser the critical alignment required between crisis management and swift strategic decision-making."We need