Top CFOs is pleased to announce the Top 25 CFOs of New York for 2024. Perhaps most well known for the burgeoning financial industry and Wall Street, New York is home to many successful companies across all industries. From technology to healthcare to financial services to media, and beyond, in many ways New York exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit of America. In similar fashion, the honorees of this year’s top CFO award demonstrate their excellence across sectors in all things financial including but not limited to strategic planning, corporate development and financial stewardship.
Included in this year’s list are Phil Davis and Michael Levine, trailblazers in the complex world of blockchain technology at ConsenSys and Fireblocks, respectively. Meanwhile, Zahir Ibrahim, CFO at petcare company Bark, has previously steered top companies in the natural foods industry to liquidity events. Lastly, Rahul Sheth has led two companies to unicorn status and navigated multiple IPOs in his career.
During global times of change, these CFOs have leveraged their experience and acumen to enable their companies to thrive. Please join us in recognizing the accomplishments of the top CFOs for 2024.
1. Phil Davis
Chief Financial Officer, ConsenSys
Phil Davis is the Chief Financial Officer of ConsenSys, the leading blockchain and web3 software company. Since 2014, Consensys has been pioneering technological developments at the forefront of web3 innovation. Davis has an extensive, 20+ years of experience spanning CFO positions, CEO and startup founder positions, board positions, investment banking, strategy consulting, and even data science/artificial intelligence algorithm design.
Previously, Davis held the roles of CFO at Afiniti and head of corporate strategies and the capital structure advisory group at Goldman Sachs. Earlier in his career, he worked with MIT Lincoln Laboratory as a research scientist. Davis graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a MS in media lab and computer science, and from Brown University with an undergraduate degree in physics and mathematics.
2. Rahul Sheth
Chief Financial Officer, Carbyne
Rahul Sheth has more than 18 years of experience working in high-growth technology companies and Big 4 accounting firms. He is specialized in scaling early-stage technology companies and is currently CFO at Carbyne, his fourth start-up. From the other three, one successfully IPO'd (ticker "DOCN") and another became a unicorn and are listed on the NYSE. He is an accomplished highly-rated CPA and Chartered Accountant (one of the youngest CPAs in India) with an international profile.
Currently, Sheth has been CFO at Carbyne (series C funding stage) for more than two years. Carbyne is a hyper-growth, mission-critical technology company. Before that, he was working at Emerge.io as Head of Finance. Prior to Emerge, Sheth was with Socure (which became a unicorn in 2022) and DigitalOcean, high-growth tech companies based in NYC. Prior to working in tech start-ups, Sheth was with KPMG (advisor practice focusing on IPO readiness) and Ernst & Young, where he led the Shake Shack IPO among others.
3. Wa Phung
Chief Financial Officer, Odgers Berndtson US
Wa Phung is the Chief Financial Officer of Odgers Berndtson US. At the forefront of executive search and recruitment, Odgers Berndtson US works with organizations to build strong leadership teams through key hire placements, executive coaching and development, industry mapping, succession planning, and more. Phung has 22 years of experience, having begun her career in 2001. She is a motivated and detailed financial professional with over ten years of corporate finance and accounting experience spanning financial modeling, reporting, budgeting, forecasting and consolidation.
Before joining Odgers Berndtson US, Phung was a director of finance at J.S. Held LLC and before that an associate director of financial reporting at OMD USA. Earlier in her career she worked with PCS Wireless, Inc. as an office manager. Phung graduated from Baruch College with an MBA in accountancy and holds an undergraduate degree in economics from Barnard College.
4. Michael Levine
Chief Financial Officer, Fireblocks
Michael joined Fireblocks as CFO in June 2023, bringing over 30 years of experience in growing technology and financial services companies. Fireblocks is an enterprise-grade platform delivering a secure infrastructure for moving, storing, and issuing digital assets. It enables exchanges, custodians, banks, trading desks, and hedge funds to securely scale digital asset operations through patent-pending SGX & MPC technology.
Prior to Fireblocks, Levine spent over 11 years as CFO at Payoneer, a publicly traded global fintech firm. Michael’s work history includes investment banking, commercial banking, telecom, healthcare technology, and global payments. Levine received his undergraduate degree from the University of Buffalo and his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
5. Ken Brause
Chief Financial Officer, DailyPay, Inc.
Ken Brause is the Chief Financial Officer of DailyPay, Inc. Powered by its industry-leading technology platform, DailyPay is on a mission to build a new financial system for everyone. Brause brings more than 35 years of financial services and fintech experience at companies of various sizes and stages of ownership and growth and has extensive expertise overseeing companies through complicated capital markets transactions and transformations.
Prior to joining DailyPay, Brause was Senior Advisor and Chief Financial Officer of NYSE- and AIM-listed Burford Capital, a leading global finance and asset management firm. He also previously served as CFO of OnDeck Capital, a NYSE-listed fintech providing loans to small businesses in the U.S., Canada and Australia, as well as technology solutions for banks. Prior to OnDeck, Brause held a number of executive roles at CIT Group, Inc., including Treasurer, CFO of North American Banking, President of Small Business Lending and head of Investor Relations; he also led integration for the acquisition of OneWest Bank. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at American General, the Bank of New York and Bankers Trust. Brause holds a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
6. Donna Granato
Chief Financial Officer, Vivvix
Donna Granato is the Chief Financial Officer of Vivvix, which delivers winning clarity to brand marketers, advertising agencies, and media owners by providing a greater understanding of their competitive landscape. Granato is a finance and operations executive with over 20 years of experience. She is a strategist who combines keen analytical skills with thoughtful communication to work through a variety of high-level obstacles. With a strong foundation in accounting and finance, Granato brings a collaborative, well-rounded approach to a corporation or boardroom.
Before joining Vivvix, Granato was a CFO at GTT, and before that, a VP of corporate finance and investor relations at Tribune Media. Earlier in her career, she worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers as a senior of audit and transaction advisory services. Granato graduated from New York University with an MBA in finance, and from Rider University with an undergraduate degree in accounting.
7. Harris Hwang
Chief Financial Officer, 365 Retail Markets
Harris Hwang is the Chief Financial Officer of 365 Retail Markets, the global leader in unattended retail technology. Founded in 2008, 365 provides a full suite of best-in-class, self-service technologies for food service operators, including end-to-end integrated SaaS software, payment processing and point-of-sale hardware. Hwang is a finance leader with more than 20 years of experience across strategic finance, investment banking, treasury, investor relations, and M&A. He has worked closely with senior leadership and private equity teams across the media and technology industries to execute growth and turnaround plans to maximize firm value.
Hwang received his B.S. from Duke University and his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He serves on the Board of Directors at the Concordia Music Conservatory in Bronxville, NY.
8. Todd Yu
Chief Financial Officer, Talkiatry
Todd is the Chief Financial Officer of Talkiatry and is responsible for all of the company’s financial functions including accounting, strategic finance, treasury and audit. He also oversees the company’s revenue cycle management function. Talkiatry is a national mental health practice that provides in-network psychiatry and therapy.
Before joining Talkiatry, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for Upward Health, a high-growth, risk-bearing, home-based medical group, where he was responsible for the full financial management and strategic planning of the company. Prior to that, he was the VP of Finance at the Gersh organization, an education institute dedicated to serving individuals on the autism spectrum. Prior to Gersh, Yu served as VP of Finance at ArroHealth where he successfully built ArroHealth’s FP&A functions and managed financial planning and modeling, pricing, decision support, budgeting and reporting. Prior to ArroHealth, Yu spent nearly 10 years as a Director of Investment Banking at Scura Partners Securities providing both capital raising and M&A advisory services to middle market companies in a wide array of industries. Yu has an MBA degree from Pennsylvania State University and a B.S. degree from Catholic Fu Jen University in Taiwan. Yu is also a CFA charter holder.
9. Eric Daniels
Chief Financial Officer, Addepar
Eric Daniels is Addepar’s Chief Financial Officer. Addepar is a software and data platform purpose-built for professional wealth, investment and asset management firms to deliver outstanding results for their clients. Daniels brings more than 20 years of financial and operations executive leadership experience to Addepar, with a focus on SaaS and data information services.
Daniels led Addepar's finance teams to support the company's expansion beyond 650 employees on a global scale. His experience as a leader in both private and public growth-stage technology and data companies further strengthens Addepar's executive team as the company empowers investment professionals to make the most informed, data-driven decisions.
Prior to joining Addepar as CFO, Daniels was the CFO at Real Capital Analytics (acquired by MSCI) and prior to that, the COO and CFO of automotiveMastermind (acquired by IHSMarkit) and CFO of National Response Corporation. Daniels graduated from Hofstra University with an undergraduate degree in accounting.
10. Howard Nolan
Chief Financial Officer, Softheon
Nolan joined Softheon as Chief Financial Officer in July 2021 and has been part of the Company’s leadership team driving growth and profitability. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of a public company, Bridge Bancorp, Inc. and has over 35 years of experience in strategic planning, accounting, finance, operations, audit and corporate governance. Founded in 2000, Softheon’s AI - powered solutions enable health plans and government health agencies to measurably reduce their costs and serve more people, faster.
Prior to joining Softheon, Nolan served as Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Secretary for BNB Bank in Hauppauge, NY. He also previously served as CFO of the Bank. While there, he formulated strategic financial plans to deliver revenue growth and cost savings through both organic and M&A activities. Nolan is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner and is a Dowling College alumnus.
11. John Roberts
Chief Financial Officer, Allvue Systems
John Roberts is the Chief Financial Officer of Allvue Systems. Allvue Systems is a leading provider of investment management solutions for fund managers, investors, and administrators in the alternative investments industry.
Roberts has over 30 years of experience creating value for technology companies and guiding them through demanding and rapidly changing environments. He was most recently the CFO at Marketing Evolution, a leading SAAS company, where he also served as interim CEO. Prior to Marketing Evolution, he held the position of CFO at a diverse group of publicly traded and privately held high-growth technology companies including DHI Group, Right Media and Razorfish. He has built out global finance teams and led several equity and debt financings to support strategic initiatives and growth. A former PwC partner, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Boston College.
12. Mark Okean
Chief Financial Officer, ALM
Mark Okean is the Chief Financial Officer of ALM. ALM is a global leader in specialized business news and information serving the legal, commercial real estate, benefits, consulting, insurance and financial services industries. Okean has 32 years of experience, having begun his career in 1991. He is an executive with in-depth experience in the areas of finance, strategic planning, operations, and business development for media, technology, and e-commerce companies, and a proven record for success in supporting both top- and bottom-line growth from a deep understanding of key business drivers and ability to identify opportunities and inefficiencies.
Before joining ALM, Okean was a VP of financial planning and analysis/advertising finance at TVGM Holdings, LLC. and before that a senior director of finance and business operations at Conde Nast/Teen Vogue. Earlier in his career, he worked with Times Mirror Magazines as a planning analyst to new business manager. Okean graduated from Questrom School of Business, Boston University with an undergraduate degree in business administration.
13. John Rucker
Chief Financial Officer, Arcadia
John Rucker is the Chief Financial Officer of Arcadia, a climate technology company enabling a zero-carbon economy. By unlocking high-fidelity, global energy data for the first time, the Arc platform combines easy-to-use data and APIs under one roof to allow any company to act on its environmental impact and build the next generation of energy products and climate tech solutions. Rucker is an experienced finance & operations executive with over 20 years of demonstrated leadership ability, helping companies define and achieve strategic objectives through both fiscal and operational discipline.
Rucker first got his start in 1994 as a financial analyst at Bank One in Texas, NA. From there, he went on to ContiFinancial Corporation, before eventually rising to CFO at Slice, his most recent position prior to joining Arcadia. Rucker graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with an undergraduate degree in business administration.
14. Juan Carlos Puente
Chief Financial Officer, Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind
Juan Carlos Puente is the Chief Financial Officer of Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind. Atlantic Shores is comprised of purpose-driven professionals dedicated to delivering its 5+ gigawatt offshore wind portfolio, strategically positioned to meet the growing demands of multiple east coast markets including New Jersey and New York.
Puente is a Senior finance executive with over 20 years of experience in the oil, gas & chemicals industries combined with previous experience in banking and consultancy. He has a broad commercial finance grounding as a global finance manager in several businesses including Shell. Puente graduated from Universitat Pompeu Fabra with an MBA and from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador with an undergraduate degree in economics.
15. Alexander Melikian
Chief Financial Officer, Jeeves
Alexander Melikian is the Chief Financial Officer of Jeeves, a ventured-backed B2B global fintech that provides corporate cards, cross-border payments, and spend management software to global businesses. Prior to joining Jeeves in 2022, Alexander led Corporate Strategy and M&A, and Finance and Corporate Development functions at Payoneer, a global B2B payments platform, for almost a decade. At Payoneer, he led the process of taking the company public on NASDAQ in 2021.
Before Payoneer, Alexander held a number of corporate finance and consulting roles, including M&A advisory consulting at PwC, advising clients across different industries including pharmaceuticals, IT, chemical manufacturing, and at Comcast / NBCUniversal. Alexander received his Masters in Accounting, and B.S.M. in Finance and Business Legal Studies at Tulane University.
16. Christopher Gimbert
Chief Financial Officer, Star Mountain Capital
Chris Gimbert is the Chief Financial Officer of Star Mountain Capital, a multi-billion dollar specialized private investment firm focused on the lower-middle market. Gimbert helped launch the company in 2010 and has played a key role in growing the business from startup to ~$4bn in assets. Star Mountain has been recognized as one of Inc. 5000's fastest-growing private companies in America while also being named one of the Best Places to Work by Crain’s and Pensions & Investments.
Previously, Gimbert’s roles included Founder of a CFO advisory business serving small businesses, Merrill Lynch Alternative Investments, KPMG M&A Advisory and operating roles in the private equity/venture capital space. Gimbert holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and an undergrad business degree from Washington University in St. Louis.
17. Will Chen
CFO US, Ascot Group
Will Chen is the Chief Financial Officer of Ascot Group, one of the world’s pre-eminent specialty risk assumption organizations. Chen has primary authority and oversight for the finance function at Ascot’s U.S. businesses which includes Ascot Specialty Insurance and wholly owned MGU, Ethos Specialty. His role includes responsibility for the U.S. financial strategy, as well as capital management, tax, FP&A and related operational processes, systems, and controls.
With over 25 years in the insurance sector, Chen has held a number of senior financial roles including at AIG, AJG and Zurich. Most recently, Chen served as U.S. CFO at Argo Group, overseeing the finance department within their domestic U.S. specialty business. Chen holds an MBA in finance and accounting from New York University.
18. Morgan Rodd
Chief Financial Officer, Aktana
Morgan Rodd is Chief Financial Officer at Aktana, Inc., the leading provider of AI-enabled customer intelligence and engagement software to the global life sciences industry. At Aktana, Morgan is responsible for the global financial management of the business. In addition, Morgan oversees Aktana’s global human resources, legal and risk management teams.
Prior to joining Aktana, Morgan was the Chief Financial Officer of Signpost, where he successfully led both equity and debt capital raising efforts, was responsible for the Signpost’s M&A strategy and execution efforts, and played a key role in closing Signpost’s strategic acquisition to Hibu, Inc., a portfolio company backed by H.I.G. Capital.
Prior to his career as a chief financial officer, Morgan was a venture capitalist for 15 years in both Silicon Valley and New York. He was also Vice President of Corporate Development at E*Trade Corp, and he began his career as an investment banker at Alex. Brown & Sons. He holds a BA in History from Wesleyan University and a MBA in Finance from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
19. Peter Nakitare
Founder and Chief Financial Officer, Nusu Finance
Peter is the Founder and Chief Financial Officer at Nusu Finance, which offers specialized CFO services to early and mid-stage high-growth companies. His diverse experience, encompassing roles at Novastar Ventures in venture capital investing, management consulting at Boston Consulting Group, and as a CFO driving growth in multiple venture-backed companies, brings a unique strategic and investment perspective to the finance.
Nakitare has played a critical role steering organizations—including MarketForce and Victory Farms—towards financial sustainability and has helped companies close over $150M in funding across more than 35 investment deals. He guides and evolves the finance function to stay dynamic within fast-changing entrepreneurial environments. Peter holds an MBA from INSEAD and a dual degree in Economics and International Relations from Tufts University.
20. Zahir Ibrahim
Chief Financial Officer, BARK
Zahir Ibrahim is the Chief Financial Officer of BARK. BARK is the world’s most dog-centric company, devoted to making dogs happy by providing top-quality products, services and content. Ibrahim brings nearly three decades of financial leadership experience at public and private companies, including scaling high-growth, direct-to-consumer brands. He is based in New York and reports to BARK’s Co-Founder, Executive Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, Matt Meeker.
Most recently, Ibrahim served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer of Do Good Foods LLC, a startup focused on upcycling surplus grocery food into nutritious animal feed to create sustainable animal protein. Prior to that, he served as Chief Financial Officer of KIND LLC, a healthy snacks company, where he helped drive the company’s strategy and build its infrastructure, enabling significant growth and international expansion. In addition, he led KIND through M&A transactions, as well as the sale of the business to Mars in 2020.
Before KIND, Ibrahim served as Chief Financial Officer at Annie’s Inc. (NYSE: BNNY), a widely recognized natural and organic food company, where he led the business through organic and inorganic growth, and managed the sale and transition of the business to General Mills. Previously, Ibrahim held several roles at Molson Coors Brewing Company (NYSE: TAP), culminating with vice president, controller, and chief accounting officer. Earlier in his career, Ibrahim served in senior financial positions at CML Innovative Technologies, Elementis Specialties, and Pirelli Tires, and trained as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG LLP. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in financial management, economics, and accounting from the University of Sheffield and an MBA from the University of Warwick.
21. Michael Williams
Chief Financial Officer, AeroSafe Global
Michael Williams is the Chief Financial Officer of AeroSafe Global. AeroSafe Global is the leader in biopharmaceutical cold chain solutions, providing 'Cold Chain as a Service' (CCaaS) to ensure the safe, sustainable delivery of temperature-sensitive therapeutics. Its comprehensive service offering includes high-tech reusable thermal packaging, outsourced supply chain services, and temperature monitoring control tower, all part of a pay-per-turn hassle-free program.
Starting his career in 1989, Williams has 34 years of experience. He is an accomplished senior executive with industry transferable finance, marketing, general management & business development experience.
Before joining AeroSafe Global, Williams was a CFO at IEC Electronics Corp. following his time as VP of finance global vision care at Bausch + Lomb. Earlier in his career, he worked with KPMG Peat Marwick as a senior auditor. Williams graduated from the University of Rochester-Simon Business School with an MBA in marketing and from St. Bonaventure University with an undergraduate degree in accounting and computer science.
22. Josette Leslie
Chief Financial Officer, Affinity
Josette Leslie is the Chief Financial Officer of Affinity. Leslie oversees long-term financial strategy to help drive the next stage of growth for Affinity. Affinity is a relationship intelligence platform that empowers dealmakers in relationship-driven industries to find, manage, and close more deals.
Leslie brings nearly two decades of senior financial leadership to the Affinity, and most recently served as the Vice President of Finance at Squarespace. During her time there, she facilitated the company’s financial transformation, scaling the company from $100M of revenue to over $700M culminating in its May 2021 initial public offering. Prior to Squarespace, Leslie spent 11 years with E*TRADE Financial in various leadership positions within brokerage finance, earning the recognition of their internal Leadership Award and 5 years at Instinet managing the financial planning and analysis function and supporting its IPO. Leslie graduated from NYU Stern School of Business with an undergraduate degree in finance and accounting.
23. Allison Heilborn
Chief Financial Officer, Bessemer Trust
Heilborn is Chief Financial Officer at Bessemer Trust and Bessemer Securities LLC, the Phipps family private investment enterprise. Bessemer Trust is a multifamily office that has served individuals and families of substantial wealth for more than 115 years. Heilborn is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, Management Committee, Risk Management Committee, and Banking and Loan Committee.
Prior to joining Bessemer, Heilborn was Chief Financial Officer at BNY Mellon Wealth Management, where she oversaw all aspects of financial planning and analysis as well as key treasury, balance sheet, and strategic business initiatives. Before that, she held management positions at JPMorgan Chase in the Corporate & Investment Bank, where she advised corporate clients in the telecommunications, media, and technology sectors on M&A, equity, and debt capital matters. In addition, she worked in their Consumer & Community Bank, where she developed growth and market entry strategies and strategic cross-business and firm-wide initiatives for consumer and business banking. Heilborn earned an M.B.A. from Columbia University and a B.A. in anthropology from Northwestern University.
24. Patrick Seiler
President & Chief Financial Officer, Spire Orthopedic Partners
Patrick Seiler is the CFO of Greenwich, Connecticut-based Spire Orthopedic Partners. Spire Orthopedic Partners is a growing national partnership of orthopedic practices that provides the support, capital and operational resources that physicians need to grow thriving practices for the future.
Prior to joining Spire, Seiler was the chief financial officer for RestorixHealth (formerly The Center for Wound Healing), an advanced wound healing provider. During his nearly decade-long tenure with RestorixHealth, he played an instrumental role in the company’s acquisitional decisions. Before RestorixHealth, Seiler was the CFO/COO for Focus Ventures LLC, a private equity firm. Prior to that role, he spent over a decade with TransCare, a multi-state, multi-division ambulance company. His career also includes financial leadership positions with a number of other companies. Seiler graduated from State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome with an MS in accounting and from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with an undergraduate degree in business administration.
25. Avi Aronovitz
Chief Financial Officer, BigID
Avi Aronovitz is the Chief Financial Officer of BigID. BigID is a leader in data security, privacy, compliance, and governance: enabling organizations to proactively discover, manage, protect, and get more value from their data in a single platform for data visibility and control.
Aronovitz is a commercially-minded CFO and business partner, experienced at scaling high-growth cos, building high-caliber teams, and introducing best-in-class business processes, automation, discipline and financial rigor without inhibiting creativity or growth. He has taken on initiatives to lead capital deployment strategy, drive informed decisions, and lead strategic planning. Aronovitz holds deep experience in FP&A, accounting, reporting, tax, treasury, and audit fields. He graduated from Imperial College London with an MBA in finance and entrepreneurship and from Yeshiva University with an undergraduate degree in accounting.
