US Chapter of the CFO Leadership Network

Chief Financial Officer, Mars and Co-Chair of the A4S CFO Leadership Network US Chapter

Claus is Mars, Incorporated’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He was appointed CFO in 2016, with responsibility for Finance, Strategy, Corporate Development, Digital and Shared Services for the Mars group of businesses.

Claus has been with Mars for 18 years and brings to the Mars leadership team an extensive background in finance, strategic planning, and mergers and acquisitions. Beyond the numbers, Claus is widely admired for his strategic thinking and leadership qualities.

Claus has spent all of his career in finance and strategy roles and prior to his current role, served as CFO for the Petcare business from 2009-2016, where he drove many years of exceptional growth, strategic portfolio expansion, financial performance and value creation. Claus was instrumental in the acquisition of IAMS, and the expansion into pet health services.

Claus earned both a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Master Diploma degree in Finance and Accounting from the Business School in his native Herning, Denmark.

Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Levi Strauss & Co and Co-Chair of the A4S CFO Leadership Network US Chapter

Harmit is executive vice president and chief financial officer of Levi Strauss & Co. Harmit is responsible for managing the company’s finance, information technology, strategic sourcing and global business services functions globally. This includes: financial planning and analysis, strategic planning and corporate development, accounting and controls, tax, enterprise risk management, treasury, internal audit, and investor relations.

Harmit is a seasoned financial executive with almost 30 years of experience in driving growth for global consumer brands. Throughout his career, he has worked at companies that serve consumers in the hospitality, restaurant, travel and financial industries.

Prior to joining LS&Co. in January 2013, Harmit served as chief financial officer of Hyatt Hotels Corporation, where he successfully established a global financial structure, took the company public, built a strong balance sheet, and drove growth by supporting capital deployment for acquisitions and investments.

Before Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Harmit held various global leadership roles at Yum! Brand foods, the world’s largest restaurant company, (including CFO of Pizza Hut U.S. and CFO of Yum restaurants International). Early in his career, Harmit also worked at American Express India and Price Waterhouse in India.

Harmit holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University, and is a chartered accountant from India. He is also a proud member of the CNBC Global CFO Council and Wall Street Journal CFO Network. In 2018, Harmit was named to the board of OpenText, a global enterprise information management software company.

Vice Chairman, Bank of America

Paul M. Donofrio is vice chairman of Bank of America and a member of the company’s executive management team.

As vice chairman, he oversees the company’s sustainability activities and co-chairs the ESG Committee. He stewards the company’s efforts in support of their $1.5 trillion sustainable finance commitment, including oversight of investments in Minority Depository Institutions and private equity funds through their $1.25 billion commitment to racial equality and economic opportunity, as well as investments made through their $1 trillion Environmental Business Initiative. He also has responsibility for the investment function of the company’s pension, which totals over $22 billion. In addition, the BofA Global Research department reports to him.

Paul joined the company in 1999. He most recently served as Bank of America’s chief financial officer for more than six years from 2015 to 2021. Before then, he held a number of key roles across the company, based in New York City and London. He served as co-head of Global Corporate and Investment Banking, head of Global Corporate Banking, head of Global Corporate Credit and Transaction Banking, co-head of Investment Banking, head of all Global Industry Groups and co-head of the Global Healthcare Group. His product experience includes M&A, global capital markets, including debt, equity, foreign exchange and derivative capital markets, as well as traditional banking products, such as loans, leases, global payments and deposits.

Prior to joining Bank of America, Paul worked at UBS, where he was a senior member of the healthcare group from 1994 to 1999, focusing on biotech, specialty pharmaceuticals, and large cap pharmaceutical companies. Previously, he worked at Kidder, Peabody & Co. in the health care, technology and debt restructuring groups.

A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Paul served in the U.S. Navy from 1982 to 1988 as a naval flight officer.

Chief Financial Officer, California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS)

Julie Underwood is the chief financial officer of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS), the largest educator-only pension fund in the world. Ms. Underwood is responsible for the accounting, financial reporting, enterprise risk management, enterprise compliance services and actuarial operations of a $309 billion hybrid retirement system that serves over one million members.

Ms. Underwood was the former CFO for the San Bernardino County Employees’ Retirement Association, and held various and progressively responsible accounting and tax positions with the Superior Court of California County of San Bernardino and public accounting firms, including Ernst & Young. Ms. Underwood earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from California State University, San Bernardino, and is licensed by the State of California as a Certified Public Accountant.

Chief Financial Officer, Caterpillar

Andrew has responsibility for Finance Services, Financial Products and Global Information Services.

Andrew joined Caterpillar on 1st September 2018 and brings more than three decades of financial expertise to the role, most recently serving as Group CFO and board member of National Grid plc, a British multinational electricity and gas utility company. Prior to National Grid, Andrew held the position of Chief Financial Officer at Cadbury plc and also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Bristol Myers Squibb.

Andrew is a chartered accountant and holds a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Natal in Durban, South Africa.

He serves as a non-executive director and Chairman of the Audit Committee at Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, a British multinational consumer goods company.

Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer Cisco

R. Scott Herren is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Cisco, managing the financial strategy, global finance organization, procurement, and mergers/ acquisitions and integrations for the company with total revenue for fiscal year 2020 of $49.3 billion and 77,500 employees. Herren is focused on accelerating Cisco’s shift towards a more software-based business model, maximizing long-term shareholder value, and maintaining the high level of integrity and transparency for which Cisco is known.

Prior to joining Cisco in 2020, Herren spent over six years as CFO at Autodesk where he was responsible for global financial strategy including operations, corporate development, financial systems, tax and treasury as well as the company’s procurement organizations. Herren was instrumental in orchestrating Autodesk’s business-model transformation – shifting from selling perpetual licenses to selling subscriptions. Before Autodesk, he held senior level strategy and financial positions at Citrix Systems, FedEx and IBM.

Herren is a member of the Georgia Tech Industrial and Systems Engineering Advisory Board. He holds a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from Columbia University.

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Ingredion

Jim Gray is the executive vice president and chief financial officer at Ingredion, a position he has held since March 2017. Gray sets the financial direction for the company by developing strategies to drive sustained, profitable growth to maximize shareholder value. In this role, Gray has oversight for Ingredion’s global accounting, finance, internal audit, treasury, investor relations and tax functions. 

Prior to his current role, Gray served in senior financial positions within Ingredion as vice president of corporate finance and chief financial officer of North America. Before joining Ingredion in 2014, Gray had a 12-year tenure with PepsiCo Inc. where he served in executive leadership functions as chief financial officer, Gatorade and Propel, and vice president of finance, PepsiCo Beverages North America. Before PepsiCo Inc., Gray worked at Bain & Company for 10 years leading strategic growth projects with assignments in both the U.S. and Europe. Gray also held senior finance positions at Texas Pacific Group and PRA Securities Advisors.

Gray serves as president of the board of directors for the Ingredion Foundation and is on the board of Rafhan Maize Products Company. Gray also is the lead director for PureCircle Ltd.

Gray earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley and graduated with distinction with a master’s degree from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Nasdaq

With more than 25 years of leadership experience in corporate finance, financial reporting, and investor relations, Sarah leads a global team responsible for Corporate Finance, Treasury, Financial Planning & Analysis, Investor Relations, ESG Reporting, Procurement, Real Estate, Facilities, and Security.

Sarah joined Nasdaq from UBS Group, where she served as Chief Financial Officer and Group Executive Board member. In her role, Sarah led a global team of 3,500 people across Finance, Treasury and M&A, and played a key role in modernizing the bank’s infrastructure as well as the acquisition of Credit Suisse.

Prior to UBS, Sarah spent more than two decades at JPMorgan Chase in a number of executive roles, including Chief Financial Officer for the Consumer and Community Banking and Global Technology businesses, Head of Investor Relations, and Managing Director in the Financial Institutions Group.

Sarah holds a combined undergraduate and Master’s Degree in Finance and Business from ESCP Business School. Since 2018, she has also served as an Advisory Board Member of Wall Street Women’s Alliance.

Chief Financial Officer, Pure Storage

Kevan Krysler joined Pure in 2019 as Chief Financial Officer, responsible for Finance, Investor Relations, Procurement, and Facilities. He brings more than 25 years of experience in finance, global growth strategy, and business transformation.

Before joining Pure, Kevan served as Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Accounting Officer at VMware, leading the global finance, accounting, treasury, strategic sourcing, and business transformation teams.

Kevan has significant experience developing and optimizing business models, leading cross-functional business transformation, and scaling organizations. He was an integral part of the executive leadership team which saw VMware more than double its bookings revenues, including substantial multibillion dollar growth in recurring revenues.

Prior to VMware, Kevan spent almost 20 years at KPMG including as partner for the last 9 years serving both multi-national and emerging software and technology companies.

Kevan holds a bachelor’s degree in Accountancy and Business Administration from the University of Oklahoma.

President and Chief Financial Officer, Salesforce

As President and Chief Financial Officer at Salesforce, Amy Weaver is responsible for leading the company’s global finance organization and is a member of the company’s executive committee reporting directly to Chairman and CEO Marc Benioff.

Amy is an experienced public company leader with significant technology industry expertise and deep knowledge of Salesforce’s business and culture. Amy previously served as President and Chief Legal Officer, playing an integral role in building the global legal and corporate affairs organizations, as well as driving many of the company’s most important strategic and operational initiatives – from advancing Salesforce’s technology leadership and deepening customer and government relationships to executing complex financial transactions.

Prior to joining Salesforce in 2013, Amy was Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Univar Solutions Inc. Previously, she was Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Expedia Inc. Amy also practiced law at Cravath, Swaine & Moore and at Perkins Coie LLP, where she focused on project finance, credit agreements, securities offerings, acquisitions, and joint ventures. Prior to entering private practice, she served as a legislative aide to a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council and as a clerk on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Amy currently serves on the board of directors of BSA (The Software Alliance), the Board of Trustees of Lehigh University, the Board of Trusteed for Habitat for Humanity International and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She has a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. from Wellesley College.

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Starbucks

Rachel Ruggeri was named executive vice president and chief financial officer in 2021. In this leadership role, Rachel is responsible for the global finance function for Starbucks which includes developing and executing the financial strategies that enable the long-term growth of the company.

Rachel joined Starbucks in 2001 as a member of the accounting team and had the responsibility in her first year of helping to launch the Starbucks Stored Value Card which has since become a significant vehicle of growth for the company. During her tenure, she has held a variety of finance positions, largely within the US Business, and was promoted to vice president of Corporate Finance and Planning in 2010. From 2014 to 2016, she was vice president of Finance in support of the US Business and from there, she was promoted to senior vice president of Global Retail in 2016. Most recently, she served as the senior vice president of Americas with responsibility for the retail portfolio across the segment including company-operated and licensed/franchised stores. Her proudest moments, however, come from the many opportunities she has had to grow and develop talent within the organization. Though numbers are her business, her passion is in working alongside the talented and inspiring partners within the Starbucks organization.

Rachel began her career in 1992 as a community college instructor and later took a role as an accountant in the public sector supporting a local municipality. She worked in a variety of sectors prior to joining Starbucks and over the years including leadership roles in finance supporting social service organizations and within the food industry processing Idaho’s famous potatoes and supporting a well-loved, local pancake and bake mix brand. She holds a B.A from University of Puget Sound and an MBA from Washington State University. When she is not at work, Rachel can be found spending time with her husband and her dogs (Vizslas) enjoying running, hiking, and the many outdoor activities that the great Northwest has to offer. She is passionate about animal rescue and supports the Utah/Idaho Vizsla Rescue and the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, as well as many other great rescues in the area and across the country.

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Verizon

Tony Skiadas is responsible for Verizon’s finance operations. Prior to becoming CFO on May 1, 2023, he was the Senior Vice President and Controller of Verizon where he was responsible for corporate wide accounting, finance operations, compliance, financial policies and SEC financial reporting. His responsibilities also included the review and analysis of various corporate acquisition and divestiture projects. In addition, Tony served as the principal accounting officer for Verizon and also provided oversight for the company’s Finance Transformation, a multi-year strategic initiative focused on transforming Verizon's finance processes, systems and talent.

Prior to his role as Controller, Tony was the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Verizon Finance Operations.

Tony began his career with Bell Atlantic Mobile, a Verizon legacy company, in 1996. During his tenure, he’s held various accounting, financial management and executive roles of increasing responsibility, including the implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley 404 compliance and participating in the merger integration activities surrounding the formation of Verizon Wireless.

A licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of New Jersey, Tony is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants. He holds an MBA in Finance from Seton Hall University and a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Delaware.

Chief Financial Officer, Workday

Zane Rowe is chief financial officer at Workday, responsible for accounting, business finance, investor relations, tax, and treasury, in addition to advising on Workday business strategy and product development.

Prior to joining Workday, Zane was executive vice president and CFO of VMware, where he oversaw the company's finance and accounting functions, and led the strategy and development team. He also served as interim CEO of VMware from February to May 2021. Prior to his time at VMware, Zane was CFO at EMC, CFO at United Airlines, and led North America sales for Apple.

Zane holds a bachelor’s degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and an MBA from San Diego State University.