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Dear Reader:
Inflation, supply chain issues, the COVID-19 pandemic and world events all conspire to throw obstacles at 2022 business plans in every boardroom.

CEO Optimism for the Long Term Future Is on the Rise
NEW SURVEY FOCUSES ON WORLD EVENTS, EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION AND SHIFTING WORK CULTURE

Corporate Purpose Tops C-Suite Priorities
MANY COMPANIES ARE NOW EMPLOYING – OR LOOKING TO ADD – DEDICATED PURPOSE/SUSTAINABILITY ROLES IN THEIR LEADERSHIP

CFOs Focus on the Battle Against Inflation
A RECENT SURVEY PROVIDES AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT HOW CFOS ARE NAVIGATING AN INCREASINGLY TURBULENT BUSINESS CLIMATE

Survey Reveals Significant Shifts in CEO Thinking
A RECENT SURVEY OF CEOS AND SENIOR EXECUTIVES BY GARTNER, INC. REVEALED SIGNIFICANT SHIFTS IN THEIR THINKING REGARDING PEOPLE, PURPOSE, PRICES AND PRODUCTIVITY IN 2022, SPECIFICALLY ON MATTERS OF SUSTAINABILITY, WORKFORCE ISSUES AND INFLATION

Hear from the Experts:
This panel is sponsored and led by GHJ Advisory and Transaction Advisory Services Practice Leader Anant Patel and GHJ Advisory Principal David Sutton.

CFOs Must Make Three Key Mindset Shifts
AS CFOS EMBRACE THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF THEIR FUNCTION,THEY MUST MAKE THREE KEY MINDSET SHIFTS TO ACHIEVE FULLY AUTONOMOUS FINANCE, ACCORDING TO GARTNER INC.

The Importance of a Winning ESG Strategy
SHOULD MIDDLE-MARKET COMPANIES CONSIDER INVESTING IN AN ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE (ESG) STRATEGY?

What’s Keeping CEOs Up at Night?
AT THE START OF 2021, INFLATION BARELY REGISTERED ON CEOS’ RADARS. BUT AS 2022 BEGAN, INFLATION HAS SOARED TO THE TOP TIER OF CONCERNS

The Optimism Equation: A CEO’s Perspective
Chant Vartanian is the CEO of M-Theory Group, a Los Angelesbased IT infrastructure, cloud solutions and cybersecurity firm.

University of La Verne to Prepare Graduates
A NEW ERA OF HEALTHCARE REQUIRES NEW WAYS OF LOOKING AT AND TEACHING HEALTH. THE UNIVERSITY OF LA VERNE IS RISING TO MEET THE CHALLENGE.

CFO LEADERSHIP AWARDS
The CFO Leadership Awards ceremony was held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on June 21, 2022.

CFO Leadership Awards 2022
Directly before the CFO Awards were presented, Brian Hegarty, Principal and L.A. Managing Director for Marsh McLennan Agency, moderated an engaging panel discussion that covered sweeping issues impacting CFOs both today and in the near future.

Private Company: Small
As the principal of Abacus Financial Management Group, Belva Anakwenze serves as a virtual CFO for several creatives in Los Angeles.

Private Company: Mid-size
Linh H. Le is an accomplished finance and accounting executive with extensive knowledge and expertise that he has implemented at such companies as Ambry Genetics, Medtronic, Disney, Fox, PWC and KPMG.

Private Company: Large
David Burt is the CFO of ServiceTitan, a leading cloud-based software platform built to power trade businesses.

Education/Nonprofit
Avedis “Avo” Kechichian is valued and instrumental as an integral part of the University of La Verne administration. Kechichian infuses professional knowledge, decades of experience and personal attachment into his position as chief financial officer for the University of La Verne.

Public Company: Small and Mid-size
Mark Szczepaniak has more than 30 years of industry experience in the real estate/financial services industry and held various senior positions with both publicly and privately held finance companies.

Public Company: Large
Phillip (Phil) Ahn began his tenure with B. Riley Financial in 2010 as senior vice president of strategy and corporate development of its Great American Group affiliate.

Rising Star
Since March 2019, David Meniane has served as CarParts.com’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer. Under his leadership, the company has undergone a comprehensive operational turnaround with record financial growth.

Ashley Lynn Cunningham
Ashley Cunningham founded Barks of Love in 2008 while attending law school in Orange County. Originally from Arizona, she grew up with dogs and always had a special love for all animals.

Jeanelle Lee Arias
Jeanelle Lee Arias is the CFO of Goodwill Southern California (GSC). She joined GSC in June 2021 and oversees all financial aspects of GSC in support of its mission, with proceeds generated from over 80 retail stores, over 27 boutiques, bookstores,...

Sean Cunningham
Sean Cunningham is a highly accomplished CFO with more than three decades of financial management experience in the real estate investment, development, and property management industry.

Piero Stillitano
Piero Stillitano is a finance and business development professional with over 20 years of international experience with corporations and nonprofit organizations in the U.S.A. and Europe.

Bonnie L. Forssell
Bonnie Forssell is the chief financial officer of Vitamin Angels, an international public health nonprofit focused on improving health outcomes of pregnant women and young children in low-resource settings worldwide.

Guita Sharifi
Guita Sharifi has been a CFO in the healthcare and education nonprofit sector for 17 years. She currently serves as CFO of Lifelong Learning, a national nonprofit educational service organization that partners with schools, such as Learn4Life,...

Deepak Shrivastava
Deepak Shrivastava is a seasoned operator with deep technology, early-stage growth and investment banking experience.

Wafa Kanan
As a founder, CEO and CFO of Unique Image, and with a purpose to reshape the DNA of brands to influence positive change, Wafa Kanan has supported more than 100 nonprofit organizations in California and recently received an Honorable Mention from PR...

Ali P. Firoozi
After spending years in banking and financial services where he led training classes for upcoming leaders, developed training materials and programs,...

Damian Gancman
Damian Gancman is the chief financial officer of Cityview, a firm partner and a member of Cityview’s Board of Directors and Investment Committees.

Brian Schaefgen
Brian Schaefgen has 30 years of financial experience serving as CFO of privately held and publicly traded enterprises.

Maggie Movius
Maggie Movius has successfully led the turnaround and growth of several warehousing, transportation, and logistics businesses in Greater Los Angeles.

Matthew Getty
Matthew Getty is a finance veteran with more than 30 years’ experience working with brand-leading companies.

Jim Mancuso
Jim Mancuso is currently the chief financial officer of Chosen Foods, the leader in avocado oil. Mancuso is coming off a successful sale of SmartyPants Vitamins to Unilever in December 2020.

Kapil Mehta
Kapil Mehta is CFO & COO for Allied Digital Services LLC based in California and managing Allied Digital’s international operations. He is a chartered accountant and company secretary (from India) as well as a CPA, CGMA, and MBA (from the USA).

Clare Resnick
Clare Resnick began her career in the health insurance field at Anthem/Blue Cross of California.

Ricki Reves
During Ricki Reves’ career, she has worked for leaders in their chosen fields, from the Marciano Brothers at Guess? to working independently for the two original inventors of fresh juice with natural ingredients.

Chitra Balasubramanian
With more than 20 years’ experience accelerating business growth through data analysis, Chitra Balasubramanian is best known for scaling technology start-ups.

Bradford Reynolds
Brad Reynolds joined the Blaze team in March 2021 as chief financial officer after more than seven years in the restaurant world.

Anthony Nardo
Anthony Nardo is the chief financial officer of Reborn Cabinets. He also partners in duties with brother Vince, who is the president of the company.

Francisco J. Leon
Francisco J. Leon is executive vice president and chief financial officer at California Resources Corporation (CRC), a low carbon intensity oil and natural gas producer.

Lindsey Alley
Lindsey Alley is a managing director and the chief financial officer of Houlihan Lokey. In his role as CFO, he oversees the firm’s accounting and financial reporting operations as well as acquisition business development.

Chikako Tyler
Chikako Tyler is the chief financial officer of California Bank & Trust (CB&T), responsible for the development and execution of the bank’s financial and strategic plan.

Michael Cody
Mike Cody is a multi-faceted leader in finance, operations and product. Skilled at fueling growth initiatives while driving process improvements and operational efficiencies, he is also known for his strong analytical skills with a focus on measurable results.

Arthur Ajemyan
Arthur Ajemyan became senior vice president and chief financial officer of Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. in February 2022, having been promoted from vice president and chief financial officer, a position he held since January 2021.

Dan Hart
Dan Hart has served as chief financial officer of Avid Bioservices since August 2018 and has over 20 years of financial accounting and operational experience.

Olga Shevorenkova
In August 2018, passionate green tech financial professional Olga Shevorenkova joined EVgo, a fast-charging developer and operator, as a vice president of corporate development.

Jenn Ryu
Jenn Ryu has over 20 years of progressive accounting, reporting and finance experience in public and private enterprises spanning multiple industries.

Javier Vicente Islas
Javier Islas, CPA, is responsible for all accounting and loan capital transactions of the organization and joined Accessity fka ACCION San Diego in 2010. He has over 40 years of experience in accounting, finance and auditing.

Armin Zerza
Armin Zerza has served as chief financial officer of Activision Blizzard since April 2021. Prior to the appointment, he was the company’s chief commercial officer, giving him extensive knowledge across the organization.

Ted Stalick
Ted Stalick has been the CFO of Mercury Insurance since 2002 and began his career with Mercury as a controller in 1997. Prior to joining, he was the CFO of Cumberland Surety, VP and Treasurer of American Bonding Company and a senior auditor at Disney.

Moe Aboufares
Moe Aboufares is the founding CFO of the California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM). His involvement started by developing its business case when it was just a concept to setting up its operations and achieving breakeven in 2021.

Alice P. Neuhauser
Alice P. Neuhauser is an accomplished CFO, business leader and mentor with experience across multiple industries, ranging from entertainment to tech.

Mustafa Azizi
Mustafa Azizi is the co-founder and CEO of ZUUM Transportation. He sets the strategy and vision of the company and brings more than 12 years of leadership experience in the transportation and logistics industry to this role.

Micheline Abounassar
As an artist to the stars for over 20 years, Micheline Abounassar (also known as Micha) is a descendant of the Durighello family, who enriched the Louvre museum in France.

Ed Bagdasarian
Ed Bagdasarian is the CEO and one of the founding principals of Intrepid Investment Bankers. He is responsible for setting the firm’s vision and developing the strategy to execute it.

CEO VISIONARIES
It takes a particular level of courage and fortitude to sit in the CEO’s chair. It’s where the buck stops and decisions made affect everyone involved with the organization, from shareholders and boards of directors to the fellow C-suiters, employees and customers.

Jeremy Bronfman
In 2016, Jeremy Bronfman co-founded Lincoln Avenue Capital (LAC) with Eli Bronfman with a commitment to providing individuals, seniors and families with quality, sustainable and affordable homes.

Tony Bates
Tony Bates is the chairman and chief executive officer of Genesys and the best-selling author of “Empathy in Action.” He leads the company’s strategy, direction and operations in more than 100 countries and oversees a global team of more than 5,000 employees.

Sean Breuner
With over 18 years of experience in real estate and technology, Sean Breuner is currently the CEO and founder of the short-term rental brand AvantStay.

Elizabeth Ann Barrutia
Elizabeth Barrutia founded BARÚ in 2007 to engage untapped consumer groups with a new crosscultural perspective. With a 20+ year career in general and Hispanic markets, she is an industry innovator in multicultural marketing and media.

Andrea Brenholz
Andrea Brenholz is the CEO of a large Silicon Valley company that has a national footprint. She grew up in the staffing industry.

Tim Britt
With over 32 years of experience in management consulting, Tim Britt began building Synoptek – now a full-service consulting and IT outsourcing business – in 2001.

Sean Burton
Sean Burton is the chief executive officer of Cityview and a member of its Board of Directors and Investment Committees. Cityview is a vertically integrated,...

Tom Buttgenbach
From an early age growing up in Germany, Tom Buttgenbach was fascinated with science and had a desire to build. An interest in clean and affordable energy ultimately led him to earn PhDs in physics and astronomy from Caltech, with the objective of studying nuclear fusion.

Reid Carr
With over 20 years of digital marketing experience, Reid Carr has built Red Door Interactive to be a nationally renowned, full-service marketing agency with hubs in San Diego and Denver.

Adam Carrillo
Carrillo is the CEO of Partake Collective, a ghost kitchen developer and operator who has led the launch of the innovative hospitality concept by lowering the barrier of entry to open a food-based business for diverse and underrepresented community small business owners.

Dustin Cavanaugh
Dustin Cavanaugh is one of Los Angeles' most innovative young entrepreneurs who has dedicated his career to clean energy technology and sustainability solutions for real estate owners and operators. As the co-founder and CEO of Loop Inc.

Kelly Coffey
Under Kelly Coffey’s leadership, City National is stronger and better capitalized than ever before in its 68-year history. She has grown the bank to more than 5,500 colleagues and 74 offices in more than a dozen states.

Michael Castagna
Michael Castagna, PharmD, has been a transformative force since joining MannKind Corporation in 2016. He has helmed a resurgence at the company, bringing it from near bankruptcy to a robust financial position and propelling a burgeoning product pipeline.

Michael Colonna
As president & CEO of one of California’s most iconic family diners, Mike Colonna has no shortage of inspiring stories to share on his 40-year-long career in the hospitality and restaurant industry.

Young Chang
Starting in just one local market, A-Sha Foods USA is now available at some of the most wide-reaching retailers, including Amazon, Costco, Walmart, Target, T&T, Sobey’s and H-Mart, in addition to online for national shipping.

Robert Ellin
Rob Ellin’s vision and leadership are the core to his success as an entrepreneur. He built LiveOne into a global company reaching 179+ countries while also running a hedge fund.

Stacy Durand
Since starting her career in 1990, Stacy Durand has been an industry pioneer running and founding some of the largest agencies in the performance video marketplace.

George DeVries
George DeVries co-founded American Specialty Health (ASH) in 1987 from the second bedroom of his condo in San Diego with just a few thousand dollars.

Monica Guzman Escobar
Monica Guzman Escobar has been a strategic PR and marketing advisor in Los Angeles for almost 20 years. As the CEO of Startr Co., she leads teams in the development and execution of results-driven PR campaigns for startups and emerging businesses creating products for a better future.

Paul Edalat
As a founding partner, CEO, and chairman of Vivera Pharmaceuticals, Paul Edalat is a visionary industry disruptor driven by his desire to transform the pharmaceutical industry to serve patients and consumers better.

Nick Dyner
Nicholas Dyner is CEO of Moleaer, a Carson-based nanobubble technology company with a mission to make the scarce resource of water do more with less by helping farmers grow more food,...

Ross Gerber
Ross Gerber has been a groundbreaker in the financial world. His investment ideas and advice have made him a regular in global business news as well as on many of the most popular investment podcasts.

David Alan Faye
David Faye is a lifelong entrepreneur with broad experience in building businesses and helping businesses grow primarily through the effective use of information technology.

Marina Filippelli
With roots in Mexico and Argentina, Marina Filippelli has been passionate about communicating with the Latinx community since she launched her career at Orci two-plus decades ago, ultimately returning after leading the multicultural division of Heat...

Sabina Gault
Sabina Gault started her career over 20 years ago in Romania. Having grown up in a communist country, owning a business and being an entrepreneur was definitely not something she was accustomed to, yet somehow the business acumen was there from the very beginning.

Jonathan Fitzgarrald
Jonathan Fitzgarrald looks to undervalued professionals (tapping their potential to grow revenue), market visibility and their practices. Many of the firms Fitzgarrald advises report up to 20 percent increases in revenue within the first year.

Carl Freemont
Carl Fremont is an advertising industry thought leader who has spent his 35+ year career working in leadership roles at some of the most prestigious agencies and holding companies in the country, most notably WPP and Digitas.

Erica Hidalgo
Erica Hidalgo, CEO of Evolution Beauty Bar, is an inspirational role model for many in multiple communities. She grew up in a harsh and impoverished environment.

Greg Goetzman
Greg Goetzman, CEO and founder of the Goetzman Group, has been in the personnel services industry for 40 years. In 1998, he designed a unique business model, pioneering a career consulting concept for accounting and finance professionals.

Les Hiscoe
Les Hiscoe is CEO of Shawmut, a leading $1.3-billion national construction management firm. Hiscoe drives the growth and success of the company by providing an exceptional client experience,...

Bill Johnson
Right after graduating, Johnson began his insurance career in 1987 when he founded William J. Johnson Insurance Brokers Inc. with only a desk and a phone.

David Jarrett
From a customer perspective, Rootstrap works on mission-critical technology projects whose outcomes may sometimes determine the success or failure of a client company, and often are called in after another vendor, service provider, or even an internal team has failed.

James D. Hoffman
James D. Hoffman was appointed a director of Reliance in October 2019 and became chief executive officer in January 2019.

Chris Lamontagne
Chris Lamontagne is the CEO of Spring, the world’s largest creator commerce platform, enabling creators to build businesses and create and sell products to their fans.

John Keisler
John P. Keisler is currently the CEO & managing partner for Sunstone Management Inc., a venture capital firm that invests in diverse early-stage technology startups through innovative public-private partnerships that blend unique expertise across government, education and private sectors.

Belinda Lee Lau
Belinda Lau has known, seen, and breathed entrepreneurship all her life. Before she was born, her parents arrived in North America with only $14 in their pockets.

Isaac Larian
Driven by his passion for children and toys, Isaac Larian, founder and CEO of MGA Entertainment, has a strong desire to provide toys for children since he did not have toys of his own growing up.

Chad Lefteris
As CEO of UCI Health, Chad Lefteris has led UCI Health, Orange County’s only academic medical center, and all clinical and patient-serving operations through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, whilst accomplishing and surpassing financial and operational goals.

Colin Lawlor
SleepScore Labs CEO Colin Lawlor, as a 12-plus-year veteran in the sleep medical devices industry and someone who understands the impact of sleep on every part of life,...

Andy P. Mooney
Andy Mooney brings over 35 years of experience to Fender, where he has grown and evolved Fender’s role in music and culture. He catalyzed change when he joined Fender in 2015, turning the then 70-year-old company into a consumer-first brand.

Valerie Moizel
Since founding The Woo shortly after college in the late ‘90s, Valerie Moizel has built the independent and woman-owned firm into a creative and brand powerhouse serving a who’s who of clients, including Intel, Lenovo, LA Fitness, Bosch and DeLonghi.

Aaron Ace Levant
Aaron Levant, the CEO of the leading livestream shopping app NTWRK, was born with a natural entrepreneurial drive. Capitalizing on early passions for streetwear, sneakers and graffiti, he was organizing trade shows in his teens.

Edward Mirzabegian
Edward Mirzabegian has had an impressive career within the healthcare industry, positively impacting hospitals nationwide. He returned to AV Hospital as CEO in January 2019, a position he previously held from 2007 to 2013 and was chief operating officer for two years before that.

Kevin Miller
Kevin Miller brings a wealth of marketing experience with a background working at Google and Open Listings, as well as consulting with smaller firms and startups.

Perkins Miller
Perkins Miller is the CEO of Fandom, the global platform hosting over 300 million unique visitors each month, more than 250,000 fan-powered communities, and over 40 million pages of content that get a combined 30 billion page views each year.

Brian Nickerson
Brian Nickerson is CEO and co-founder of MagicLinks, the global leader in social video commerce. MagicLinks uniquely supports creators’ authentic storytelling and inspires calls to action in social video, measuring product sales through YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

Dan Norville
Dan Norville’s career path, like his investment performance, has been a steep and steady climb upwards, each year building upon the prior year’s success.

Jeff Motske
When Jeff Motske started Trilogy Financial in 1999, his vision and purpose were to help financial advisors be better advisors. However, as time has gone on, that’s evolved into something bigger. Now, his purpose is to help everyday Americans gain financial independence.

Ash Patel
After years of working in the banking industry, Ash Patel set off to open his own bank and later became the president and CEO of Commercial Bank of California in 2013 and invested in the CBC team by teaching them to lead with an entrepreneurial mindset.

Katy Saeger
A perfect hybrid of California cool and New York City hustle, Katy Saeger has one of the more fascinating resumes on the planet.

Jay Penske
Jay Penske officially got into the media business in 2004. His deep reverence for stories and art with long-term resonance inspired him to pursue legacy brands whose content withstood the test of time.

Robert Phillips
Rob Phillips grew up in the business as the greatgrandson of H.W. Phillips, who patented the reflective signal arm for trucks.

Daniel Rosen
It all started when a bank error devastated Rosen’s credit. He became so obsessed with credit that he started a movement that disrupted the credit repair industry.

Trevor M. Saliba
Trevor Saliba is the founder, chairman, managing partner and global head of the M&A, private equity and strategy practice groups of NMS Consulting, a global management consulting firm with a global team of more than 350 professionals spread across...

John Riddle
As CEO, president, and chairman of the board of Howard’s since 2019, John Riddle is a well-known figure in the retail appliance industry.

Steven Saxton
Sir Steven Saxton is the founder/CEO of Hollywood Studios, producing content such as Lone Survivor and The Kids Are All Right, and managed talent via Artist International and Models International.

Scott Sanborn
Scott Sanborn is the CEO of LendingClub, America’s leading digital marketplace bank, which has helped more than four million Americans save billions of dollars since it was founded in 2007.

Ross Sklar
An alum of the University of Manitoba, his passion for growing and scaling companies began before graduation when he started SEI Chemical, a small anti-corrosion products and industrial coatings company. From there, he was hooked.

Lara Schmoisman
Lara Schmoisman is a digital weaver and powerhouse marketing strategist transforming brands to become profitable, innovative and sustainable. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Schmoisman is the founder & CEO of The Darl.

Mandy Shaw
As president and CEO of Blaze Pizza, Mandy Shaw is a visionary who has not only contributed greatly to the explosive growth and success the company has experienced since her joining over four years ago but has also made an impact on the fast-casual pizza category that has not gone unnoticed.

John Shen
John Shen grew up in China and came to the U.S. in 1993 as a foreign student. He earned his undergraduate degree from Peking University in 1992 and a master’s degree in Statistics and Decision Sciences from Duke University in 1996.

Rasty Turek
Imagine a world in which creators can freely mix and remix content, a world in which rights are respected and rightsholders are correctly identified and properly compensated,...

Lawrence N. Taylor
Larry Taylor grew up humbly in a coal mining town in Pennsylvania before his family moved out to Los Angeles when he was 11 years old. He earned himself an academic scholarship in accounting at USC and founded his own real estate company at a young age.

Terry Tamminen
Terry Tamminen, former California Environmental Protection Agency secretary, is the president & CEO of AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles.

Jacques Spitzer
Founder and CEO of San Diego-based creative agency, Raindrop, Jacques Spitzer is a two-time Emmy award-winning storyteller, director and published author.

Gregory P. Taylor
Greg Taylor is the Chief Executive Officer of Orion, the leading voice-first, intelligent collaboration platform that empowers deskless workers.

Nicolas Stehlé
Nicolas Stehlé has been an entrepreneur and innovator within the technology industry for over 23 years and has built five companies.

Daniel Wheeler
Dan Wheeler is founder and CEO of Sunstone Trust Company, which provides high-touch fiduciary and wealth management services to high-net-worth individuals and families.

Daniel K. Walker
As a great-grandson of a pioneer who rode a horse across the country to seek his fortune, the grandson of a man who started his career cleaning windows and washing sidewalks and the son of a man who started out operating an elevator, Daniel K. Walker learned early the value of hard work and the virtue of service above self.

Paul S. Viviano
Paul S. Viviano is a national pediatric healthcare leader and children’s healthcare advocate. For more than three decades, he has led academic healthcare systems,...

Russel Wilenkin
Rusty Wilenkin was a co-founder during the origins of Old Pal in 2018. He and co-founder Jason Osni realized that since the legalization of cannabis in California, there was a huge segment missing in the cannabis market for affordable cannabis.

Phoebe Yu
Phoebe Yu is the CEO and founder of Ettitude, an Australian-born, purpose-driven lifestyle brand offering sustainably made bedding, sleepwear, bathwear and accessories made from the world’s first CleanBamboo fabric.

James ( Jim) K. Wallace
Since becoming CEO in 2015, Jim Wallace has positioned BPM as one of the top 50 largest accounting and advisory firms nationwide, while simultaneously building a strong firm culture centered around people – both colleagues and clients alike.