Denis Ranke

My First 90 Days as CFO – And the Mistakes I’ll Never Make Again I was 30 years old. Becoming CFO was a wake-up call. I thought I had to prove myself immediately - optimize cash flow, drive digital transformation, strengthen investor relations, and improve reporting. I was everywhere, involved in everything. But here’s the hard truth: Trying to do everything at once means delivering nothing of real impact. ▶️ The Trap of Overcommitment Like many new CFOs, I jumped into execution mode without a structured plan. I focused on tasks, not strategy, and spread myself too thin. The result? I was busy but not effective. ▶️ What I Would Do Differently Today 1. Set a Clear Vision Before Taking Action ↳ The first weeks are not about fixing problems but about understanding the business and its people. A CFO needs a Target Operating Model (TOM) to align finance with strategy from day one. 2. Build Relationships Before Making Decisions ↳ If I had spent more time early on with the CEO, audit committee, and key stakeholders, I would have made better, faster decisions. 3. Focus on Quick Wins That Create Immediate Value ↳ Instead of tackling everything, I should have prioritized three key initiatives that would deliver measurable impact within the first 90 days. ▶️ The CFO’s Most Powerful Tool: A Target Operating Model (TOM) A well-structured TOM ensures that finance is not just reacting but driving strategic value. It defines: -How finance supports business goals -The right structure, processes, and technology -Clear roles, responsibilities, and KPIs Without a TOM, a CFO is just putting out fires instead of shaping the future. ▶️ Your First 90 Days Define Your Legacy I’ve learned that a CFO isn’t just a financial steward but a value creator, strategist, and enabler. So, what was your biggest challenge in the first months as CFO? You want to be a BLACK BELT in FINANCE? Ring the bell and follow me for more content. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 🔔 Follow my profile for valuable content 🤝 We help implement Business Partnering in Finance 🚀 We implement Target Operating Models for sustainable success 💟 We support Change with effective Change Management 👑 Empower Managers with Financial and Leadership Skills 📢 Listen to experts on the "Mendel talks Finance" podcast

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After running a bunch of workshops with our portfolio companies and giving multiple keynotes on "how to get the most out of AI", I'm now 100% convinced of two truths: 1️⃣ 𝗔𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 + 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗟𝗢𝗧 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘄/ 𝗔𝗜. Everyone is playing with these tools - but hardly 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 has embedded them into their everyday work. Most people are only scratching the surface. And the teams willing to spend the time to play around with AI and find what works for them are going to lap their competitors. (Also, this isn't about replacing people. It's about making your entire team more productive. It's about giving everyone on your team a robot sidekick who can't wait to help and never gets sick of your feedback.) 2️⃣ 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜) 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸. From what I've seen, sharing/mutual experimentation is as important as teaching people how to use this stuff. So as you and your team are experimenting with AI, find time to screenshare and cross-pollinate. Sharing what's working might be the most critical part of building an AI-enabled team. And most companies aren't doing nearly enough of it. (Want a simple way to start doing this? Just create an "AI Ideas" slack channel and start sharing prompts, workflows, and articles with your team. It's a no-brainer way to start making AI a thing for your business.) I created a dedicated "AI 101" page for my newsletter (5k+ subscribers and growing) with all my best stuff on this topic: ✅ Prompt libraries ✅ Keynote materials ✅ Workshop ideas Check it out at the link in the "Featured" section of my profile. It's free. 👍

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🚀 Not only the world's top tech companies are coming to Zurich (see map). Since 2014, 900 startups have been founded in the canton. An insightful study shows strengths and weaknesses. Zurich’s financial sector plays a crucial role in driving innovation and economic growth. A newly released study, “Financial Center Zurich 2025/2026”, highlights the vital contributions of Private Equity and Venture Capital firms, Family Offices, and Foundations in funding startups and shaping the region’s innovation ecosystem. 🔹 Key insights from the study: ✅ 208 Private Equity & Venture Capital firms, employing 3,800 professionals ✅ Over 900 startups founded in Zurich between 2014-2024 ✅ CHF 9.6 billion raised—half of all startup funding in Switzerland ✅ One-third of startup funding comes from regional investors 💡 Bridging the Growth-Stage Funding Gap: While Zurich is a stronghold for startup financing, the study identifies a critical funding gap in the growth phase - posing a risk of startups relocating abroad. Expanding investment opportunities at this stage is crucial to keeping high-potential companies in the region. 🏆 New Initiative to Strengthen Zurich as an Investment Hub: In response, the Canton of Zurich has launched the "Innovation Hub 2030" initiative to enhance conditions for venture capital investors and further boost startup financing. Through targeted measures and stakeholder collaboration, Zurich aims to solidify its position as a top-tier global innovation hub. However, we have to be careful. To remain a global innovation leader, we have to close the financing gap from Series A rounds upwards. I am trying to do my part to make the Canton of Zurich and thus Switzerland fit for the future. I empower leaders and entrepreneurs to tell their stories more boldly. There are so many hidden champions and even more than 50 unicorns in Switzerland. We should not hide them, we must tell their stories.  Carmen Walker Späh, Innovation Zurich, Greater Zurich Area, Deep Tech Nation Switzerland, ETH Zürich, ETH AI Center, TECHNOPARK® Zürich, Büro Züri, ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, Rahel Kindermann Leuthard, FRZ Flughafenregion Zürich - Wirtschaftsnetzwerk & Standortentwicklung, Technopark Winterthur AG, Home of Innovation, Raphael Tobler, Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich #Zurich #Innovation #Startups #VentureCapital #PrivateEquity #Investment #EconomicGrowth

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