WORLD FINANCE FORUM

Sezanah Taherian

Chief Financial Officer

Suzy Taherian has over 20 years of experience as a senior executive for international industrial companies. She started her career with Exxon and Chevron and transitioned to CFO of a mid-size company.

On June 1, 2021, Taherian became CFO at Xpansiv, a global online exchange for ESG-inclusive commodities. She previously served as CFO of Wrightspeed, a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer company, and continues to serve on their board of directors. She also serves on the board of directors of NewHold Investment Corp, guiding it to an IPO on July 31, 2020 (NASDAQ: NHIC).

As CFO and acting-CEO, she has shaped the strategic vision of companies and developed detailed plans to achieve turnaround and profitable growth. Her successes include over $4 billion in financing and $2 billion in M&A transactions and successful exits for venture-backed or private-equity-backed companies. As CFO of a publicly-traded company, she engineered a shareholder return of 30% in one year.

She has taught at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management for the last eight years, including courses on International Finance and International Business. She recently co-authored the book 80/20 CFO: The Guide to Making Strategic Transformations in Your Company.

Taherian holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UC Davis; an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. She serves on several boards. She enjoys living in the Bay Area with her husband and their two teenagers.

Claire Song

CFO

Claire Song is CFO at WordPress.com/Jetpack at Automattic where she is responsible for providing financial framework and structure for the marketing organization, investor relations, financial reporting and forecasting.

Previously Claire held senior finance positions at Dermalogica and Endurance International Group.

Gina Spain

Corporate Director of Financial Reporting

Innovative Global Accounting Professional with over 20 years of progressive International experience leading financial analysis, reporting, auditing and strategic planning for two Fortune 500 companies.

Proficient in extracting financial data from various reporting systems and suggesting key operational changes as well as specializing in building strong teams and resurrecting struggling businesses.

A strategic business partner that can enhance and drive profitable growth through identifying KPIs and continuous improvement activities.

Capable of aligning Lean Accounting with Lean Manufacturing to take organizations to the next level and developing talent for continued success.

Julian Scutari

Global Senior Director, Finance Digital Transformation

Seasoned, passionate, and tech savvy global executive with extensive experience leading and transforming Consumer Goods Multinational companies.
Proven track record of adding value through Finance strategies and processes by developing solutions that anticipate stakeholders needs and leveraging advanced technologies.

His experience covers developed and emerging markets, leading global initiatives, large cross-cultural teams, and business development/turnaround in complex environments.  Demonstrated ability to identify business needs, create strategies and execute plans to drive sustainable and profitable growth.

Passionate about leading transformations and developing high-performing organizations leveraging technology to capture growth opportunities and increase profits in difficult business landscapes.

Julián is currently leading Finance Digital Transformation globally for Kimberly Clark.

Raheela Majid

VP Finance

Miguel Eduardo Juarez-Mendieta

Senior Director, International Tax

Senior Director of International Tax at Marriott International, leading tax compliance for Latin America and Canada. 20+ years of experience in Finance, accounting, audit & taxes. Finance leader & professional speaker.

MBA from Florida International University; Certificate in Business Administration focused on Accounting and Finance from Georgetown University; Professional certificate in International Taxation from IBFD & Bachelor’s degree from Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), specialized in taxes.

Active Member of Tax Executive Institute (TEI), American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) & Colegio de Contadores Publicos de Mexico.

Honored to be featured in Hispanic Executive Magazine -USA, as well as speaker at Connect CFO leadership summit at Quartz Network & the World Finance Forum.

Shannon Nash

Chief Financial Officer

Shannon currently serves as Chief Financial Officer at Wing a drone delivery company and subsidiary of Alphabet, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL). She is the Lead Independent Director, Chair of the Nominating & Governance Committee, and member of the Audit Committee at UserTesting (NYSE: USER).  She is also a Board Member and member of the Audit Committee and Talent and Compensation Committee at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the largest community foundation in the world with over $16B in assets under management. Shannon was featured on Accounting Today’s 2020 list of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting and named one of 2020’s Most Powerful Women in Accounting by the AICPA and CPA Practice Advisor. She also received the 2021 Trailblazer Award from CalCPA.

Shannon is passionate about Board diversity and serves as a Board Advisor to Black Women on Boards, an Executive Board Member to How Women Lead, and a Mentor for Santa Clara University’s Black Corporate Board Readiness Program.   She is an attorney, CPA and recognized as a qualified Financial Expert by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. Shannon holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. She serves on the Board of Advisors for the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce. In her free time, Shannon is a fitness junkie and teaches Zumba and U-Jam Fitness. She’s also an award-winning documentary film producer with her film, Colored My Mind, winning best short at the 2013 American Pavilion in Cannes.

Neil Evans

Senior Director

Highly accomplished, performance-driven finance and accounting executive with two decades of progressive finance expertise in the Manufacturing, Engineering, Technology, Construction and Aviation industries

Jennifer Paul

Chief Financial Officer

Jennifer is a financial executive with over eighteen years of progressive career experience, especially in financial analysis, business strategy, and operations management, including more than eleven years of management experience. Jennifer worked full-time while attending school in the evenings. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Organizational Management, a Master of Professional Accountancy Degree, and a Juris Doctorate. One summer she clerked for a judge in the early mornings before work while attending law school at night.

By juggling this active schedule while seeking work/school/life balance, she discovered a passion for establishing strategic initiatives that result in cost-saving measures and revenue generating activities. She enjoys rock climbing, swimming, hiking, cycling, playing golf and tennis, and reading mystery fiction.

Caitlin Haberberger

Chief Financial Officer

Caitlin Haberberger is an expert in finance for the technology industry, with more than a decade of experience in executive leadership roles. She’s currently the Chief Financial Officer at Mezmo, a comprehensive platform that makes observability data consumable and actionable. At Mezmo, Caitlin leads the teams that are responsible for all aspects of finance, accounting, legal, IT and operations. Prior to joining Mezmo, Caitlin held finance, investor relations, and accounting leadership roles at enterprise technology companies including Amplitude and Hearsay Systems.

Caitlin is passionate about paving the way for women and historically underrepresented groups in the finance and tech worlds. She’s a founding member of Chief, the private network for female executives and is the executive sponsor for WiT, the women in tech employee resource group at Mezmo. She holds a BA in Economics and Urban Planning from Connecticut College.