In this episode of CFO Weekly, Niki Heim, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer at LogicSource, joins Megan Weis to share her journey to becoming an under-40 female CFO, the experiences she has gained, and the challenges she had to overcome along the way.
Before starting her career at LogicSource, Niki was a Controller at Title Nine and had experience working as a Public Accountant, Auditor, and Senior Analyst at Stevens Group and Umpqua Bank. After joining LogicSource as a Controller, she was promoted to the role of Executive Vice President of Finance within a year.
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Megan - 00:00:18: Today, my guest is Niki Heim. Niki joined LogicSource in July of 2014 and holds the role of Chief Financial Officer, where she is responsible for the accounting operations of the company. Prior to joining LogicSource, Niki was the controller at Title Nine Sports, a women's activewear company. She began her career by gaining four years of experience in public accounting, where she worked on various industries, including small business, government entities, and financial institutions. Additionally, as a senior analyst in the risk management team at a financial institution, Niki was responsible for leading the Sarbanes-Oxley audit, performing risk assessments, and she provided consultation on risk mitigation strategies and controls. Niki received a BS in accounting from Siena College. Niki, thank you very much for joining me on today's episode of CFO Weekly.
Niki - 00:01:40: Thank you. Thanks for having me.
Megan - 00:01:42: Yeah, today our discussion focuses on your journey to becoming an under-40 female CFO, and the experiences you've gained and the challenges you've had to overcome along the way. And I'm excited to hear your story, so let's get started.
Niki - 00:01:55: Awesome.
Megan - 00:01:55: So reflecting on your career journey, let's talk about its path to date, and is there a particular moment or event early on that significantly shaped your outlook on leadership or finance or maybe both?
Niki - 00:02:09: Yes. So I'll go back to a time when I worked at a retail company in California, and it was one of the first real projects that I had there, and it was a forensic review of multiple systems, including inventory management and order management, because the accounting system was getting a direct feed, and the balance in that GL account just kept growing, and we couldn't find a clear path to it ever clearing out. So I took that project on and quickly realized that the executives lacked an understanding not just of this failed accounting process, but the ground-level operations and IT system management. So what really excited me was that if I could figure out the issue and develop a solution, I would not only be fixing the books, but I would also gain a credibility and trust with leadership. Along the way, I also really discovered that I enjoyed solving real business problems, not just closing the books and the reputation that goes with it. And it was the moment that I acknowledged the influence accounting and finance has on a business besides just the numbers. I think looking back... At that, and how it maybe influenced my approach in how I do things today, what I learned during that project was that presenting the numbers is one thing, but having a deep understanding to formulate the story around why the numbers are what they are is paramount. At LogicSource, I did a significant, I got to revamp all of the foundation building, I'll call it, kind of putting the process in place. But a part of my personal journey has always been to become that broader utility player, where I'm less rear focused and more of a forward looking business partner. So pulling from this initial experience, that forensic review, I strive still to make sure I really understand the process and workflow and the needs and goals of my colleagues before I make a recommendation. And now I feel like I'm at that place where I'm constantly thinking about how our operators operate. And I'm knowledgeable enough to have that operational and technical side of the business understanding to be having informed conversations that provide influence to make sure we're on track with the long range plan. I've moved from controllership to strategic advisor and thought partner. So it's always been since that one project that I finally understood the impact that I could make. It's always been about that tangible impact beyond the specific role that I was working within. That's been the most rewarding. And I think ultimately, that's probably what led me to the opportunities that have been afforded to me.
Megan - 00:04:47: And you today are the CFO and CAO at LogicSource, correct?
Niki - 00:04:51: That's correct. Yep.
Megan - 00:04:52: And you've been there since?
Niki - 00:04:55: 10 years now.
Megan - 00:04:55: Wow. So let's talk a second about, you mentioned process and workflow and understanding the two. Is there any way for a CFO to be able to understand those two things without rolling up their sleeves and really getting in to the details?
Niki - 00:05:11: No. From my perspective, I think absolutely not. It's critical that regardless of your level within finance and administration, you have to roll up your sleeves and get in there. I think in the beginning, my financial leadership was, my own perception, I was probably seen very much as a gatekeeper. And I think I had to be. To really drive the transformation that we needed culturally at LogicSource. We had to put all sorts of new policies in place, and I really needed to grab control of our spending. And to do that, I did have to be that cheap no officer for an event that nobody in finance likes to be. But truthfully, at the time, and while that was all happening, it was okay because I was learning and developing the necessary process. While being very much burdened with the repetition of the monthly close, payroll, ad hoc reporting requests, I kind of never said no to anything. My leadership style was to just do everything for everyone because first, it gave me comfort that the data that was informing my decisions, I was comfortable with that data and those decisions. And then two, I mean, to be really candid and honest, everybody was more experienced than me. So it was super intimidating. And I thought if I could make their lives easier, I was doing my job. And it was just all very stressful. But over time, I realized that even though the team was more experienced in the business and their fields, they were looking to me for that financial viewpoint. And I was the expert in the room. So it was a real mind shift for me. I never stopped rolling up my sleeves. I still very much today am a doer. But I've grown self-confidence to be able to start speaking my mind, to be able to leverage the data, to make a point, to guide us in a commercially and fiscally responsible way. You know, the team, I probably wish. I would go back to being heads down and not speaking my mind so much, hitting for the most part. But I really do think you're spot on. You can't be in this role without really understanding all of the business. What are the goals and aspirations of each of your peers? What are the departments aiming to go at so that you can find ways to help and support them along the way?
Megan - 00:07:20: And again, looking back on your career, but can you share an anecdote about someone who had significant personal or professional impact on you? Especially during your early formative years in finance and how their influence shaped your aspirations and your own leadership style?
Niki - 00:07:38: Sure. I'm going to maybe take this one a little bit differently where I go back to my childhood. My dad has coached high school football my entire life. We, as a family went to every game, both home and away. And I was on the field for as long as I can remember. I was the water girl giving the guys the water bottles. And then when I got a little bit older, I was in the stands and I took stats and presented those back at the end of the games. And I baked cookies on Sunday mornings with my mom for when the coaches came over. I was exposed to what it took to be a great athlete and smart athlete from a very young age. And so hard work, resilience, teamwork, it all has been very natural to me because of this. And there isn't that one specific moment I remember, but rather the entire family and the way my entire family embraced my dad's passion and lived with this healthy dose of competition. I was running sprints for time and power cleaning in the basement from the time I was 10 years old. It was just the way I was brought up that I think really shaped who I am in terms of the aspirations for my career, the decisions I made to put in the extra work to go the extra step. It all just comes very natural. And while there's days today that I still feel like I'm doing sprints up a hill, I now try to focus more on the journey than the individual task at hand. Because one of the things with my dad coaching football is as I've grown, I've seen that he's materially changed the direction of many inner city kids lives by instilling this work ethic and value. And people still come up to him and say with the credibility he gained from winning state championships was one thing, but changing their life was another. And so as I think about my leadership style, in the beginning, as I mentioned before, it was very much about doing everything for everybody. And I think that's okay, because the early part of people's careers are very focused on the individual. You're more of a coach than a player later on. And I think that's where I'm getting to now in my career, where I have different styles of coaching and people on the team, some of them need more support cheerleading than others. And some I can trust they're going to put the work in when nobody is watching. And I hope to be seen as that person who is championing them for the business and adapting my style to always fit what they need.
Megan - 00:09:56: I love that story. My dad also played a very significant part in shaping me. So, I love the story. So as a female CFO who's achieved significant milestones at a relatively young age, what were the most pivotal moments in your career that helped you overcome challenges and advance to the role of CFO and CAO so early in your career? And second, part of that question, did you encounter any barriers specific to gender or age? And if so, how did you navigate them?
Niki - 00:10:27: Sure. You know, I credit a lot of my early career success to hard work and luck, honestly. In the last two companies, both Title Nine and LogicSource, that I worked at, there became a vacancy in the CFO position. At Title Nine, both the founder and the president had known me for a period of time before this vacancy took place. And I was surprised that they didn't immediately start a search, but they brought me into areas of the business that I had not yet been privy to, lending, vendor rate negotiations, inventory planning, as a couple examples. And for me, it was loving these women that I admired and respected so much, providing me guidance and support, in addition to advocating on my behalf, was really eye-opening for me. And it was the first time that I really started to understand the inner workings of the business and how to think about the financials from that broader perspective. And then at LogicSource, I secured the role as controller, but there was very quickly a CFO vacancy there as well. And based on necessity for the business, I was very, very quickly immersed in work that was beyond controllership. Things like investor relationship, cap table management, recapitalization. Strategic planning, work reporting, all of the things. And I was completely in over my head. I will be very honest about that. So I went around and found anybody and everybody who would offer me support and help. I truly have general counsel from outside counsel on speed dial. And yeah, I just absorbed everything I possibly could. And I think the good thing was that, especially at Title, at LogicSource, sorry, at LogicSource, I was really focused on one area of the business. So while I was in over my head with a lot of the higher level financial and investor relations type of stuff, I was able to focus on accounting and finance. And it had other tenants into other areas of the business, but I was putting process in place and executing. And then it was before I could get too comfortable that some event at the company or some change in staffing led me to having a broader span of influence. And it was almost as if each experience was a building block and I was able to grow with the organization, which I recognize that goes back to luck. I recognize it was a very unique opportunity and I totally took advantage of it and just ran with it. In terms of barriers related to gender or age, from a gender standpoint, Title Nine was 95% women, and it was women who really supported other women. So there wasn't any of the catty kind of gossipy stuff. So I definitely didn't feel it there. Joining LogicSource, it was very much the opposite from a gender standpoint. When I joined, there were very few females at LogicSource. And I think that's because procurement was and still is very male dominant. However, today we're 50-50, male, female at LogicSource. And to be honest, I've never felt that there was a barrier there. I would join the guys on runs after work or set up a happy hour with some of the ladies and we would go do our own thing. And maybe it's the way I was brought up, but that stuff never bothered me. And I just kind of took things into my own hands there.
Megan - 00:13:42: I love how you mentioned that Title Nine, the women were supportive of each other, because I feel a lot of times women can be their own worst enemy when it comes to supporting each other.
Niki - 00:13:53: I agree. I know it's really shocking. And I was worried about that joining Title Nine. But as soon as I walked through the door, you realize everyone's ultimate goal was to do better for the business. And it really was a dream job for me because it was, I could walk from my house. It was centered around a gym. So there were workouts going on all day long. There were people who really just pushed and challenged one another, but offered opportunity. So if you saw a meeting that was going on and you were interested and felt like it could help your career, you were able to sit in on it. It was really a powerful company. One of the biggest meetings of the year was the biggest mistake. So you could raise your hand if you wanted, you didn't have to participate and you could win an award by explaining that you made the biggest mistake in the company that year and what you learned from it. It was just a very cool culture.
Megan - 00:14:45: Yeah, that's definitely different. And what unique perspectives do you believe younger female CFO brings to leadership and finance. And are there any specific examples where your perspective made a distinct impact that you couldn't think?
Niki - 00:15:01: Yeah. Younger leaders, male or female, I think that they can be more adaptable to change and open to new ideas. I think it's in the financial world, very valuable because it's such a fast paced area of work and you have to be agile. So that's really crucial to me. And I believe that female leaders have a high level of emotional intelligence and know when it's a pay to have a courage to push somebody versus when someone might just need you to show some compassion and give them a hug, right? Where sometimes I think that being the female in the room, if you're the only one, it can be a little bit scary, but I just always treat it as if they're all my friends and we're trying to get to the common ending. And it's okay to be that one to say, you know what, let's just take a quick break and everybody comes back. So I think over the years been at LogicSource, I think that I've had a lot of impact and there's been a lot of strategic projects that have led to transformation in the company. One of the main ones that I always go back to that I still think has the most impact at LogicSource has been time tracking and utilization. And the reason I bring that one up is that it was such a cultural shift, and the strategy there was not to monitor what everybody was doing. So, that we could truly just say, okay, you were doing this at this point, you were doing that, but it was to develop project cost accounting. So we had accurate P&L and financial data by client and by department. Also to look at utilization in terms of who was working too many hours and we needed to hire another person or who maybe was getting a little bit bored because they didn't have a whole day's work. Okay. Sales team, go sell some more in our packaging department, for example. So that was the intent, but there was a big culture shift to that. And at the end of the day, the strategy there was only as good as the team's ability to articulate it. And so I always aim to be super clear on the communication for why we're doing something, because I find that people tend to step up to the standards when they understand the broader perspective. I've also found over time that change management is a lot of helping people understand how this new thing or new process will make their lives easier, kind of focusing on the what's in it for me or how is this ultimately going to make my life easier? And I think that that leads to better adoption on the time tracking utilization. Once the team started to see how we were leveraging the data to show that client profitability, to show them that we were hiring more people in their areas. They really started to adopt it and to buy into it. And so. I think that transformation was so pivotal on the company. And over time, since I think we put it in 2015, almost 10 years ago now, since that time, we've continued to advance it. So we've continued to automate it and bring in new systems to further leverage it across the business. And now at this point, we're able to tie it directly into our project-based procurement technology so that we can tie hours to projects. It's really cool to see something kind of evolve over the years.
Megan - 00:18:14: And let's talk about mentors and sponsors, because that can be such a significant part of advancing your career. But what advice would you give to other young female professionals seeking mentorship or sponsorship and finance? And then how can organizations better support emerging female leaders?
Niki - 00:18:33: I would advise females to seek out a few influential leaders in the business to advocate on your behalf. And you have to be proactive to do that. You have to seek out not only those leaders that you can help and support that will gain your trust so that they advocate on your behalf, but you've got to seek out the high visibility projects and embrace the challenges that come with it. So sometimes that means stepping out of your comfort zone. You have to be able to put in the work. You have to be able to deliver on those projects. And then that's how you essentially get somebody to advocate on your behalf. And I recognize that I was very fortunate to have people at all levels of the organization, as well as some of our external partners from whether it was the board, some investors, our lender partners over the years who provided opportunities for me for continuous learning and development while also advocating on my behalf. But I also recognize that I was given the constant support to have the authority that I needed to make many of the transformative changes within the company. So without that support, many of my goals would not have been accomplished. So I think it's a mix of seeking out those people that can help you along the way, having them give you that support and authority when you know you're right to make some changes, and then also seeking out the additional work to get your name out there and embrace all of the challenges that go with it. In terms of how organizations can better support emerging female leaders, I think, you know, peer-to-peer partners are always helpful. I try to do that across LogicSource today, where there's some up and coming strong females in various departments of our business. And I try to just meet with them from time to time, because I can teach them a bit about what's going on at the business, or maybe give them some history about why we do certain things, where we do it. But I also selfishly learn a lot from them. If they're out in the field doing things and seeing things that I don't get to on a day-to-day basis, I find it really informative. And it's important for both me and for them. I just go back to at the end of the day, I think females need to be accountable for their own career journey and seek their own opportunities and not assume that somebody else is going to do it for them.
Megan - 00:20:51: And as women, we tend to take on a lot and oftentimes too much. So how do you personally manage work-life balance? And what strategies have you found effective in maintaining this balance while still excelling in your career?
Niki - 00:21:06: It's a very good question. And for many years, I didn't have any balance. I was in over my head in the last two companies. And I go back to that competition that's in me. I never wanted to let anybody down, including myself. At LogicSource, I was often turning the lights on very early in the morning and off late at night. I was in the office on weekends. I didn't really take vacations. I mean, it sounds horrible now that I'm saying all of this out loud, but I was also at a point in my life where I was able to do that. I had a lot to prove and I saw the opportunity that was at my fingertips and I was either going to make it or I wasn't. And in my mind, it was, I didn't want to not get the opportunity for a failure trying. So I really made the company my life. I found it was very stressful and chaotic and frustrating, but also tremendously rewarding. And I was able to really invest my time and put everything in place, get the teams around me that are incredibly strong. And now I have much clearer boundaries. I also am a mother, to wonderfully young girls, and I have to do that for my life. I really do have confidence in the people that are surrounding me, that I can take a day or a week and things aren't going to slip. I prioritize my days based on what's the most critical. And I set myself up for success by, you know, I'm still a frequent night and weekend warrior, but I do it quietly as a way to set myself up for a productive morning or productive next week versus my mindset before was thinking everything needed to move at the same pace 24-7. And in terms of effective strategy, I've always used the gym to detach and clear my mind. And I found pretty early in my professional career that the same habits and routine building from sports and exercise translate to maintaining that discipline at work. So all the years that I pushed myself out of bed for early morning workouts created that discipline, mental toughness, and that's been extremely important in the business environment. I think it also helps with patience, persistence, and all that. I mean, just the other day, my kids were begging me, you know, I don't want to go to camp today. Can we please have a day off? And I looked at my Calendar. I texted Dave Pennino, our CEO, and I said, I'm going to take the day. And, you know, if you need anything, call me, but I'm going to take the day off with my kids. And I never would have thought that would have been me, but it was important. I needed that. They needed that. And, you know, everyone on the team was actually really happy for me.
Megan - 00:23:41: I'm curious, is LogicSource remote or onsite or hybrid?
Niki - 00:23:46: So we are very much a hybrid. We, our culture has turned from being in the office every day to do what's best for you and your family. So we actually downsized our office. We used to have 24,000 square feet. We downsized to 6,000 square feet and a hoteling environment, very airport lounge kind of cafe feel where it's super collaborative. We have enough room for everybody to come into the office if they choose, but you don't have to. So people like myself, I live three hours door to door. I tend to go every other week for a couple of days. And we also have what we call moments that matter that if a big group of us are going to the office and we want to do something from a culture standpoint, bring in a food truck or go to the park for the day, we do that stuff and we invite everybody to come in. But at the end of the day, it's up to, what you want to do.
Megan - 00:24:40: Yeah, that's awesome. I think that flexibility is so important in everybody's life.
Niki - 00:24:45: Totally. And honestly, I think it's especially important to working parents, working mothers, right? Because I think it would be very difficult to have this job without that level of flexibility. And I really struggle to understand people who say that they can be just as productive with their kids at home or work successfully with their kids at home. And at least for me in this job, that is not an option. And so the remote work has leveled the playing field where I feel like I now have the flexibility to walk my kids to the bus stop instead of commuting to the office. And I know for a fact, there's no physical separation with work now from office to the house. So I know for a fact with me, I'm getting more work hours in being remote, but I also know I'm getting more hours in where I'm focused on being a mom and it's the right hours. And that's super important to me. So I agree. I think that work-life balance, and that flexibility has been something I think that's going to do wonders for women in finance, women in all areas of business.
Megan - 00:25:44: And switching gears a bit, but what do you see as the most significant innovations in finance and procurement today? And how do you see these changes impacting the role of CFOs in the future?
Niki - 00:25:56: Sure. I think that CFOs are increasingly relying on data analytics to drive their business decisions and optimize their financial performance. Amount and level of those informed decision-making calls for an advanced analytic tool, automation to really help to drive those decisions. I find that the days of Excel and stagnant reports are over, that we need to use enhanced predictive analytics and automation. I think it also goes without saying that, the inflationary environment. That we're in today, cost control and capital efficiency is paramount. And CFOs need to know what they buy. Who they buy it from, and what the price is. For me, how do I stay ahead of all of these things that are going on? I... At LogicSource and very uniquely positioned. And I have access to some of the smartest people in their field. So our company has about $100 billion of data that runs to our organization. So I have access to that data, but I also have access to tap into our subject matter experts for any of my needs. And they make me feel really smart. There was a time a couple of years ago when I was negotiating a new payroll vendor contract with our head of HR. And we were trying to figure out, how do we make sure we get the best price? And it clicked. That's what our company does. So why don't we leverage our center of excellence category experts? And we had someone from our corporate services team help us out. And from then on, any contract that comes across my desk, I make sure that there's that meaningful collaboration with our center of excellence team to make sure that we're getting the best terms, we're getting the best price, and that we're ultimately able to better counteract inflation.
Megan - 00:27:36: Yeah, so important, like you said, especially during these inflationary times. So let's talk about diversity and inclusion, because there's no doubt that it plays a large part in driving business success. So how is it that you've championed these values within LogicSource? And what have been the outcomes?
Niki - 00:27:55: Sure. I'm a believer that diverse points of view are important. And I don't just think about diversity in terms of race, gender, and age. I'm still very much a sponge when it comes to problem solving. And I find it incredibly helpful to hear different perspectives, different points of view, what one person thought was important versus another, because it has made me more well-rounded. And I start looking at things from different perspectives. So I look at all decisions that I make today as the administration side of the business, whether it be legal and compliance, HR, finance, nobody should roll out a new way of working or thinking without having a business end user supporting that journey to make sure it works. I do that all the time when we have meetings, making sure we pull in the right people from across the business. But like I mentioned before, as it relates to gender and age and all that, I just try to champion, by getting my story out there across our company, pulling in those people to have one-on-one meetings, being their advocate and mentor to help them navigate through the business. And I think so far as I've watched several of those be promoted through the ranks and take on broader roles, I think that the outcomes have been promising.
Megan - 00:29:09: And you've touched on this a little bit before, but building influence can be really challenging for younger leaders. So how have you successfully managed corporate dynamics and built strong relationships with key stakeholders across your organization?
Niki - 00:29:26: It's really quite simple for me. I have always really cared about the success of the company and the people that I work with. And so in all aspects of my life, I've tried to stay away from drama and act with the highest level of integrity. And the role that I'm in as other finance leaders can relate to, we have this unique perspective and a really good sense of what's going on at the business at all times. And so it can be tough to navigate certain conversations with colleagues who are aware that I know certain things, but I don't disclose them. I can't disclose them. I set very clear boundaries with people and they respect me for that because they know that by me withholding information from somebody else, I'm also going to withhold information that they tell me that also shouldn't get out there. Candidly, in the beginning, I got the sense that people were confused by me because I was so young that culturally and socially. I gravitated to those closer in my age, yet my days were spent with those at the executive level. But again, I just go back to, I built those strong relationships across the organization and I never kind of blurred the lines between what was more of a water cooler talk, a friend talk than what was business. Today, I credit the ability to build influence through my work. I put in the time to really understand what other leaders are dealing with, what are they trying to solve for? And then it's up to me as CFO to really align the teams on the best, most efficient path forward. So there really is no time for politics and games. And I think it is tough, but it's certainly possible. And I would just urge younger leaders to just stay away from the gossip and the drama.
Megan - 00:31:08: And you've also touched on this, but being open and transparent, I think is such an important part to being a good leader. So how do you do that? And how do you deliver tough messages to your team? While still letting them know that it's in the best interest of the business.
Niki - 00:31:27: Yeah, I try to separate emotion. You know, again, that mental toughness. I think we're all in this for the same outcome. We want the business to be successful. It's not personal. I try to deliver messages in a way that I'm not going to break the person. But yet at the same time, there is a responsibility of each and every one of us. And our jobs are very specific for that reason. And we have to get it done. So I try to be very open, honest, transparent. And I also try to advocate for my people. So if I don't agree with some of the feedback that I hear, I try to bring a different point of view and tell them maybe this is why we're doing it one way. Or another example would be our recruiting team is wonderful. They close roles in like 35 days, which is so much better than the market. And if they have a job that's boobing, for example, for more than 35 days, and people start to come to me and say, we really need to get this closed. They're not doing this. They're not doing that. Well, I feel confident going back then and saying, but did you look at the data? Here, here, and here, your people didn't respond or missed an interview on this day. So I also try to advocate for my teams because I think that's equally as important in the providing feedback stage.
Megan - 00:32:39: And as you look ahead, what do you foresee as major challenges and opportunities for young female CFOs or those aspiring to be a CFO?
Niki - 00:32:49: I go back to the conversation we were just having about the work-life balance as a young female, especially working mothers. Again, I think leveling the playing field is remote work, but I think that there's always going to be that burden of, am I doing enough for work? Am I doing enough for kids? And you have to find a way, it's going to sound harsh, but you have to find a way to detach during the day and prioritize the job and execute the job. And then when your kids are there at night and in the mornings and on the weekends, that's your time for them. But to try to do both at the same time, it's not possible. And I think that is a challenge that I see both sides of it every day from friends, colleagues, and there's ways to make it all work. And I hope that I am somebody who can root that. And I also think that young CFOs, one of the most important things to do is to cultivate a really deep understanding of your CEO's vision, understand that vision and have them rooted in everything that you do and find ways to execute against that strategy. Because that at the end of the day is the most important thing. And if you can have that, standing across everything that you do. Not only are you pushing that vision, but you're gaining alignment across the teams. That's critical. And then, you know, always be relentless and be resilient. It doesn't tend to be a glamorous job at all times, but it's super rewarding.
Megan - 00:34:13: And what kind of legacy do you hope to leave as a CFO? How do you hope to impact both your organization and the finance industry at large?
Niki - 00:34:22: I hope to eventually become a CFO for our CFOs. We have information from all of our clients in terms of what these multi-billion dollar companies are doing in terms of spend and indirect procurement. So we have information and insights on spend and terms by vendor. And I think that at some point, it would be really cool if I could gather that in a way to be able to publish out in actionable ways what that data says and how other CFOs can take a look at their indirect cost without reducing cost in their main areas of business. That would be really interesting to me.
Megan - 00:35:00: Niki, thank you so much for being my guest today.
Niki - 00:35:03: Thank you. And this was great.
Megan - 00:35:04: Yeah, I really enjoyed speaking with you. And thanks for finding the time to be here with us today to share your experience and knowledge. And I wish you and LogicSource all the best.
Niki - 00:35:13: Thank you so much. Thanks for having me.
Megan - 00:35:15: And to all of our listeners, please tune in next week. And until then, take care.
In this episode, we discuss:
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What it takes to become an effective CFO
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How organizations can better support emerging female leaders
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What unique perspectives do younger female CFOs bring to financial leadership
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How to master work-life balance
Key Takeaways:
From Gatekeeper to Confident Leader
As a CFO, there's no substitute for rolling up your sleeves and diving into the details. Initially, Niki was seen as the gatekeeper, putting policies in place and controlling spending. However, that hands-on approach helped her truly understand the business. Over time, Niki gained the confidence to speak up, using data to guide decisions and support the team.
As Heim said, “It's critical that regardless of your level within finance and administration, you have to roll up your sleeves and get in there.” - 04:56 - 07:21
Niki's Journey to CFO
As a young female CFO, Niki attributes her early career success to a mix of hard work, seizing opportunities, and the support of mentors. In both Title Nine and LogicSource, unexpected vacancies moved her into challenging roles that grew her skills beyond initial responsibilities. Niki embraced them, leaned heavily on the guidance of others, and continuously sought to learn and grow.
“I credit a lot of my early career success to hard work and luck, honestly.” According to Heim. - 10:04 - 14:46
How a Young Female CFO Drives Innovation and Empathy
A younger female CFO can bring fresh perspectives and adaptability to financial leadership. Their high emotional intelligence allows them to balance the courage to push for results with the compassion to support their team. For example, implementing time tracking and utilization at LogicSource was a project that faced resistance due to the cultural shift. However, Niki openly communicated the benefits and showed how it improved client profitability and workload distribution, which made the team embrace the change.
“I believe that female leaders have a high level of emotional intelligence and know when it's time to have the courage to push somebody versus when someone might need you to show some compassion and give them a hug.” Heim said. - 14:49 - 18:14
Mastering Work-Life Balance as a Young Female CFO
Finding work-life balance as a woman often means juggling many responsibilities, but it's possible with the right approach. Initially, Niki struggled with balance, immersing herself in work at the expense of personal time. Over time, she learned to set clear boundaries, trust her strong team, and prioritize what truly matters. Regular exercise became Niki's key to mental clarity and discipline, and now she makes time for family without guilt.
“All the years that I pushed myself out of bed for early morning workouts, created that discipline and mental toughness, and that's been extremely important in the business environment. I think it also helps with patience and persistence.” Heim claimed. - 20:52 - 23:41
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