Cfo Thought Leader

Twenty-seven years ago, while in his late twenties, Mark Partin arrived inside the C-suite largely unprepared for the flood of challenges that would quickly breach his desk. Or so Partin tells us as he recounts the circumstances surrounding the first of five CFO appointments that have thus far punctuated his finance leadership career.“I can and do love to suffer,” Partin comments, describing the experience as being “over my head” and demanding him to “level up,” or constantly “reach to the next level” to succeed.For Partin, who had been named CFO of a publicly traded company despite his young age and lack of prior CFO experience, success in the role can be attributed to his unique partnership with the CEO. “He allowed me to have that role and the Board did because he was to be my mentor, and he would help me along the way,” explains Partin. Still, there’s no question the CEO got something valuable in return, given Partin’s “level up” mindset and his willingness to work harder than anyone else.This first CFO r