Chief Financial Officer

Finance built for
scale.

Two decades leading finance across global, PE-backed, and multi-entity companies. I build the financial visibility and operating discipline that let complex businesses grow with confidence.

Thomas DeFabrizio speaking
20+
Years in Finance
$2B+
Revenue Overseen
CPA
MBA · CGMA
Experience Includes
Global Workforce Solutions
·
Technology
·
Professional Services
·
Distribution
About

A finance leader built for
complexity and scale.

Thomas DeFabrizio

I grew up in New York, in a large Italian family full of entrepreneurs. Grandparents, uncles, cousins, family friends, all building businesses from nothing. Some thrived. Some went under. What separated them wasn't talent or effort. It was financial acumen. Whether they understood their own numbers well enough to run the business, or were run by it.

That pattern is why I went into finance. Sound financial management is the difference between a business that lasts and one that doesn't, and I wanted to be the person who could make that difference.

Over two decades I've carried that conviction from institutional finance at the Bank of New York through CFO and senior finance roles across technology, professional services, workforce solutions, and distribution, in businesses ranging into the billions in revenue. The same failure mode shows up everywhere: plenty of reports, not enough command of the numbers that actually drive the business. The fix was rarely more data. It was sharper financial judgment, clearer priorities, and the discipline to act on both.

Today I serve as Americas CFO for a PE-backed global workforce solutions company. I'm also a recognized voice on financial leadership and decision-making, named a 2025 Atlanta CFO of the Year finalist and a 2026 Titan 100 honoree.

Scaled Operator
Led finance for global, multi-entity, PE-backed businesses ranging into the billions in revenue.
Multi-Industry CFO
Finance leadership across technology, professional services, workforce solutions, and distribution.
CPA · MBA · CGMA
Technical credentials backed by applied experience. Not theory, but tested financial architecture.
Recognized Voice
2025 Atlanta CFO of the Year finalist. 2026 Titan 100 honoree. A finance leader who communicates.
How I Operate

Five lines that decide
whether a company thrives or bleeds.

Every business runs on the same five signals. Most companies watch one or two. The ones they don't watch are where the surprises come from.

01
Growth
Revenue is the last thing to tell you the truth. This line shows where growth actually comes from, and where it's already slowing.
02
Profit
Where the money actually goes. This line shows where margin lives and where it quietly leaks out before anyone names it.
03
Cash
Why profitable companies run out of options. This line shows what's liquid today, and what only looks liquid on a report.
04
Efficiency
Why working harder stops working. This line shows where effort produces a return, and where it just produces motion.
05
Value
Why bigger is not the same as more valuable. This line shows whether you're building a business worth what you think it is.
The Discipline
Two metrics per line, reviewed weekly. It's how I run finance, and the subject of my forthcoming book The Reaction Tax.
Track Record

Built in the seat, not
on the sidelines.

Two decades of finance leadership in businesses where complexity is the norm: global operations, multiple entities, private-equity ownership, and revenue measured in the hundreds of millions to billions.

20+
Years leading corporate finance
$2B+
Revenue overseen across roles
Multi
Led across multiple industries
Scale
Mid-market and enterprise, private and public companies
Enterprise Finance Leadership
Full ownership of accounting, FP&A, treasury, and controllership for a global, PE-backed workforce solutions business. Financial steward for the North America region of a UK-parent group.
Scaling & Transformation
Built the reporting systems, operating rhythms, and financial architecture that let complex businesses grow without losing visibility. Turned scattered data into decisions leadership can act on.
Investor & Board Partnership
Trusted partner to CEOs, owners, and private-equity stakeholders. Translate financial complexity into the clear picture boards need to allocate capital and manage risk.
Recognized Leadership
2025 Atlanta CFO of the Year finalist. 2026 Titan 100 honoree. CPA, MBA, MSA, and CGMA. A finance leader who operates at scale and communicates with clarity.
Thought Leadership
The
Reaction
Tax
See Problems Earlier. Decide Faster. Act Before Surprises Get Expensive.
Thomas DeFabrizio

A framework, and a
forthcoming book.

Over the years I developed a way of thinking about financial visibility that I now call the Reaction Tax: the cost a business pays when it finds out too late. It's the through-line of how I operate as a CFO, and the subject of my forthcoming book.

The idea is simple. Five lines, two metrics each, reviewed weekly, so leadership sees problems earlier and acts before surprises get expensive. It's the same discipline I bring to the businesses I run.

The Five Lines of Sight
The CLEAR Method
The Weekly Operating Rhythm
The 90-Day Playbook
Insights

Latest thinking on finance,
leadership, and what CEOs miss.

View All Articles →
Financial Health
Financial Health
The Hidden Cost of Growth
Why fast-growing companies often destroy value instead of creating it, and how to spot it before your next raise.
ArticleRead →
Financial Performance
Financial Performance
The Rule of 40 in Today's Economy
How to achieve the perfect growth-profitability balance for maximum business value.
ArticleRead →
Financial Infrastructure
Financial Infrastructure
Data-Driven Decision-Making
The modern CFO's strategic superpower. Turning financial data into decisions you can act on.
ArticleRead →

Watch on YouTube

Video essays on finance, leadership, and building companies that see clearly.

Subscribe on YouTube →
Speaking

Keynotes, panels, and
conversations that move the room.

The Reaction Tax: What You Can't See Is Costing You

The hidden cost of poor financial visibility, and a framework for eliminating it at any scale.

Financial Architecture for Complex, Scaling Companies

How global and multi-entity businesses build the financial infrastructure their next chapter requires.

The CFO as Strategic Partner

Redefining the finance function from backward-looking scorekeeper to forward-looking architect.

AI in the Finance Function: A Practitioner's View

A working CFO's honest assessment of where AI adds value, where it doesn't, and what's next.

A working CFO who speaks. I take on a small number of engagements each year, sharing what I'm learning from the seat rather than from the sidelines. Topics are tailored to finance, operating, and leadership audiences.

Conference Keynotes
Executive Panel Sessions
Podcast Guest Appearances
Private Leadership Workshops
Virtual & Hybrid Events
Inquire About Availability →
Connect

Let's start a conversation.

Speaking engagement, podcast invitation, or a question about financial clarity. I'd like to hear from you.

🎤

Speaking & Podcast

Interested in having me speak at your event or join your podcast? Share the details and I'll review personally.

General Contact

Have a question, want to collaborate, or just want to connect? Drop me a note.

Newsletter

Get the signal,
skip the noise.

Periodic insights on financial visibility, leadership, and building companies that see clearly. No fluff, no spam. Just perspective.