Economic headwinds have continued to impact the way businesses think about technology investments, digital transformation and expenses — putting more responsibility on the shoulders of finance chiefs, tasked with managing the effective use of their companies’ resources.

However, it’s also important for finance chiefs not to let macroeconomic shifts impact how they are structuring their plans for long-term, sustainable growth.

“I’m sort of a believer that business fundamentals don't change, regardless of the macroeconomic environment,” said Christopher Nagy, CFO of B2B revenue orchestration platform.   Salesloft. “And…when you're joining a company, one of the questions you ask is, how do you envision the future?”

Building sound fundamentals  

Nagy joined the Atlanta, Georgia-based business last month as its finance chief, with one of his top goals being to help drive continued, “sustainable” growth at the company, according to a press release. When it comes to enabling growth, “the business fundamentals should endure any macroeconomic cycles you go through,” Nagy said in an interview.  

“Macroeconomic conditions, they cycle in and they cycle out,” he said. “At the end of the day, you really have to try to build a company that's got sound fundamentals and is built for a generational type of lifecycle.”

Before joining Salesloft, Nagy’s previous roles included serving as CFO for SaaS company IPC Systems and as global president and finance chief for CX platform Forsta, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has played a key role in several mergers and initial public offerings throughout his 25-year career, with past experiences also including roles at the NYSE and BlackRock, according to the company press release.  

Nagy’s appointment comes as Salesloft looks to establish itself as a leader for revenue orchestration, with the company’s platform “delivering the first AI-powered durable revenue engagement model” for clients, according to its website. The company has taken steps to cement itself as a key player in the field; in February, it acquired acquired conversational AI and buyer experience platform Drift, with the combined entity having almost 6,000 customers globally according to a press release at the time.  

At this point, the company’s goal is to build a service that remains enticing to customers “that generates durable, profitable revenue, and that we can take advantage of the leadership position we have in this market,” Nagy said.

Salesloft is looking to foster such growth by “really being in lockstep with understanding clients, understanding their needs, understanding what they value, and working very closely on the go-to-market motion,” Nagy said.

That includes a focus on product and balancing the next innovation “with the right kind of sales activity to ensure that you continue to have the growth, but, in a very thoughtful and measured way,” he said. As a CFO, that means focusing on deploying capital in a meaningful way, which continues to deliver the best results to one’s clients in order to continue to grow the business, he said.

Preparing for the strategic shift

Nagy’s first priority in his first few months as Salesloft’s CFO — much like any incoming executive — is to listen, engage with and understand the company, he said.

“I really want to get completely imbued in the culture, in the approach, and certainly become part of that fabric, the team that helps the company scale to the next level,” he said, highlighting the need especially for cohesion within the executive team.

Still, while fundamentals should hold firm regardless of economic shifts, the current economic environment has impacted the role of the modern finance chief — with high interest rates, a tight labor market and other challenges elevating the role of the CFO. With money being less available than in previous years, the attention paid to the CFO’s remit has been increasing, a spotlight that comes at a time when finance chiefs are also becoming more and more responsible for strategy.

“I think of it sometimes as being the core structure that underpins the strategy the company and the financials, and the financial strategy, and the financial model,” Nagy said of the role of the strategic CFO.

“As we talk about the role of the strategic CFO, or the modern CFO, it really is a mandate that spans the entire breadth of the organization, from understanding how product operates and your ROI and your product launches, to how things are moving through the sales motion, the go to market motion,” he said.