Digital Transformation and the Evolving Role of Finance with Gina Goetter, Hasbro CFO/COO

Speaker A: Financial leadership is changing. CFOs no longer record history. They make history. This podcast will help you become a better leader, strategic thinker, and digital visionary. Welcome to Secrets of Rockstar CFOs, the ultimate podcast for chief financial officers. Follow along as Jack McCullough engages in exciting chats with accomplished CFOs, learning how they overcame obstacles and position their companies for the future. Here's your host, Jack McCullough.

Speaker B: Hello, rockstars, and welcome to another episode of the Secrets of Rockstar CFOs. I'm your host, Jack McCullough. Before we start, a big shout out to our, uh, sponsors, Intuit and Planful. Hello, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the secrets of rockstar CFOs. I'm really excited about the guest today. I've been looking forward to talking to Gina for a while. Gina Guetta is the CFO and the CEO of Hasbro. And when I was a kid, Hasbro meant toys. Pretty simple. Mr. Potato Head, Nerf, Monopoly, Play, Doh. GI Joe. Today, things are a little different with digital gaming technology becoming more important than traditional toys. Although, as a person my age would say, the traditional toys will always have a place in my heart. And so, uh, I do want to introduce the guests. Gino, welcome to the secrets of rockstar CFOs.

Speaker C: Well, thank you, Jack. Thanks for having me. And you're right. Everyone always goes, hasbro being Hasbro toy company. That's what everyone always equates us to historically. But that is quickly, quickly changing here over the past, I'd say 18 months, definitely more of a game digital IP powerhouse. That's what we're transforming into.

Speaker B: Yeah, no, and it's an exciting transformation that I want to touch upon. So one thing I do like to ask guests, you know a little about the company, and I'm going to go on a limb. You're somewhere near 100% name recognition with the listeners.

Speaker C: We're pretty high. Yeah, well, it's Hasbro, but then some of the IPs, yeah, our IPs themselves are very, very well recognized.

Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. I'm curious, is there something you can share with the listeners about Hasbro that, you know, maybe they'd find a little bit surprising to learn?

Speaker C: Ooh, it's a good question. Well, I would say we are the 5th largest IP licensor in the world behind some big, you know, Disney, Warner, like some big powerhouses. We're number five. So our brands and our ip, the reach that we have is quite broad. We actually just completed a reach survey and we've thought we've reached about half a billion. Like, when we went into the study, we're like, okay, we, we think probably half a billion people know of Hasbro, know of our brands interact, uh, with us in some way, shape or form. We way underestimated it. And that study came and basically said one in eight consumers globally have had some interaction, purchase experience, you name it, with Hasbro, which, you know, over a billion consumers that we have, we are in the homes of in some way, shape or form. And we think that is a really cool stat and just speaks to the power of our business. And frankly, we think is a big piece of the fuel in our momentum right now.

Speaker B: Yeah, I'm shocked that you're fifth. And I, uh, feel like I had some appreciation for the IP just in preparing for this podcast, plus just living my general life, but that's shocking.

Speaker C: Yeah. And one of them is one of the top five is an apparel licenser. So not even in, uh, kind of the toys and games space.

Speaker B: Interesting. Yeah, I sort of think of Hasbro and I'm in New England or so I'm a little bit biased. But, uh, you know, I put you in the category with name recognition with, you know, McDonald's and Disney and brands like that.

Speaker C: For sure. Yeah. Everyone has their favorite game and their favorite character.

Speaker B: Indeed they do so. And, uh, mine will forever be Mr. Potato Head.

Speaker C: So you're classic.

Speaker B: Yes. Oh, I'm old school. But so I've noticed your title is CFO and CEO, and I'm warning is. I'm sorry, my bad. Uh, so. But I'm wondering, is the CFO job just not challenging enough for you, Gina? Is that the issue?

Speaker C: It is plenty challenging. I see the two roles as not being two roles. Actually, the two titles are not two roles. It is very much one and how we operate the business. Uh, this is the first job that I've had that has had both in the title. But it is not too dissimilar with how I've operated in many of my other more pure CFO titled roles. I think there's so many decisions that a CFO makes that, you know, directly link to the operation and vice versa. Every single operational decision has a linkage back into the financial statement. So I actually find it, um, it's not like I come in and Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays, I'm going to be the cfo, and Tuesdays, Thursdays, I'm going to be the CEO. It's very much blended in how we operate here, and I find it quite complementary Actually, yeah, that makes sense because,

Speaker B: like, if I were to look at just your educational background and then the positions you've held by titles, classic finance, classic cfo, then, you know, we knew each other just a little bit when you were at Harley Davidson. And I knew back then that you took on responsibilities outside the scope of traditional CFO type stuff.

Speaker C: Right. And it really, I would root it back to my beginnings at Jenner Mills. You know, I spent 20 years there. And the role of finance within that organization is very much to be the coo, the right hand of the business, and the business partner or the functional leader. Uh, we didn't have coos there, but that was kind of the role that finance played. So it was just a very natural. When I have left General Mills and gone to other companies, I frankly didn't know any other way to operate. Like, there was never a world at General Mills where I had to just stay in the kind of a finance track. Finance track there was defined more like financial operations than a pure kind of dollars and cents and just doing reporting and that type of thing.

Speaker B: So, yeah, it's interesting how it's changed. I haven't been a CFO now for 20 years or so. But like, when I look at job descriptions today for chief accounting officers or controllers, those are actually closer to the job that I held. Financial. You're sort of the prototype for the modern financial executive, I think.

Speaker C: Yeah. It's interesting is that when I came to Hasbro, you know, you're getting a lay of the land, of the team and what kind of function capabilities existed. And as I was interviewing, I kept asking, okay, do we have FP and A? Just thinking that's the way we talked at, you know, my, in my prior roles. Oh, yeah, yeah. We have FP and A everywhere and soon kind of getting in and very quickly seeing, oh, no, their definition of FP&A is accounting and controllership. And so one of the, probably the first things I did in my first six months is said, okay, there is a role and a need for really good accounting that doesn't go away. But there was a whole discipline that didn't exist at Hasbro, which is now what I call financial operations. So these are the people that are actually sitting with the businesses and the functions and helping them kind of see around corners, helping them make strategic decisions, providing them with the insights that creates kind of the different scenario analysis or decision trees that really didn't exist here. It was very firmly rooted in accounting. Again, important. But I think the role of finance, um, goes beyond the accounting realm.

Speaker B: Fantastic. So I want to return to your career path, but I always like the upgraded to get to know, uh, the guests a little bit. And so, uh, can you share? Where'd you grow up?

Speaker C: Oh, I grew up in Milwaukee, uh, Wisconsin. A small town outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But, yeah, so right there is where I'm from. I'm the oldest of seven kids, so there's a lot of love, a lot of chaos now since all of us have. Have families and lots of grandkids. Not my grandkids, my parents grandkids. But, yeah, so we, uh, we grew up there. I have about half my family is still in that area in the Milwaukee area. So when I was working for Harley, there was a nice little fun connection there. That's my background. My mom was a schoolteacher and my dad was a civil engineer.

Speaker B: Oh, okay. So. And I know you studied finance and economics at the University of Wisconsin, and then I guess your first, uh, foray into New England, perhaps was getting your MBA at BC. But it's interesting because, like, I know, uh, five years ago, I knew precisely zero CFOs who majored in economics. And I know your finance and economics. But it seems now like understanding economics is an invaluable skill for a cfo. Is that fair to say?

Speaker C: I think it's super fair to say. In fact, my oldest daughter is studying at Wesleyan in Connecticut. I have told her you have to get a degree in economics, or at least a minor, just minor in economics, because I think the way it is, obviously the theory of economics, but the strategic thinking and reasoning and judge, like, all of that becomes such a good foundation when you're sitting in any job within finance, but particularly within a CFO seat. I just think it teaches you to think critically about problems.

Speaker B: Yeah, no, that makes a lot of sense. I like to ask this question because sometimes the answers are fascinating, but what was your first job?

Speaker C: My first job? Well, besides babysitting for all my siblings. So I'll set that aside because my parents did not pay me. I did that out of love. So my first job was. I had the job basically from 8th grade all the way through. I graduated from college. I worked at a bakery, a grocery store, and in the grocery store, a bakery. And it was part deli, too, so I think I worked on both sides of it. But I really enjoyed working in the bakery. So it was the job that I, you know, during the summers, I would work there lots of hours. But it was perfect because I'd come back from every school break and they would just kind of plug me right, right into the schedule. Being the, the oldest of seven kids, you know, I basically funded my entire, you know, once I turned 18, I was completely off the payroll. So working for me and working a lot of hours young was important so that I had enough money to go to college and not exit with a ton of debt.

Speaker B: Oh, yeah, no, that's a fantastic thing to be able to do. So, uh, yeah. And it's interesting because, you know, you're early in your career, you're with some food based types of companies too.

Speaker C: Yeah. And had made that connection before him, but yes, you're right.

Speaker B: Yeah. May just be coincidental, but. And I did want to talk about your career journey because you've certainly worked with, you know, some of the best run and best brands in the game. You know, you worked at General Mills, Tyson Foods, Harley Davidson, which I still think is one of the coolest of American companies, and now Hasbro along the way. Very few people get to your position without mentors who take an interest in your career journey. And when you look back, are there any that kind of stand out? It's like, wow, that person made a really big impact on my career.

Speaker C: Oh yeah. I've had the good fortune of so many, I would say good mentors and you know, I spent 20 years at General Mills and the program that they have, uh, for frankly all functions, finance included, it was a very rotational nature. So I got the chance to work with across many disciplines, across many different leaders within the company. The few that I would call out, one of the gentlemen there really taught me. I worked for him in several different stints along the way at uh, General Mills. And he really instilled in me this, you need to be the advocate for your career and you need to be thinking about moves beyond just the next thing. Think about what the next 5, 10, 15 years need to look like. And then as I got more senior in the organization, the conversation was, uh, what position? What do you want to retire from? And then chart your moves around that. And he really helped me critically think about declaring, yep, I want to be a CFO one day. And yep, here are the experiences that I need to get to be able to be kind, uh, of qualified to be a cfo. He really then became an advocate, a champion, a pusher of like, just, are you thinking about things the right way? I credit him a lot for being in this seat because it was his push of like, declare, tell yourself that you're going to be the CFO one day. And So I learned from him, really, how to advocate, but then how to leverage a mentor or a champion to help some of those aspirations come to fruition. I've had a good fortune of a, uh, gentleman that used to be my boss 20 years ago and is now probably one of my closest friends. And he and I have seen every career pivot from leaving companies, joining companies, getting promoted, not getting promoted. We have seen each other through so many scenarios. And what I've learned from him, he started in a boss subordinate kind of relationship, and it quickly developed to one of mutual trust, respect. We know each other super well and can speak truth to each other. Sometimes the truths are hard, Sometimes the truths are when you need a boost, he can give you a boost. But I feel like having those people in your life that know you so well, that can kind of coach you through some of the life's tougher moments are invaluable. The CFO that I had at General Mills, I often wonder if he knows how often I think, what would Don do in this situation? He definitely was somebody that I wanted to emulate and aspire to be. What I always admired about him was he never, uh, was flustered. He never raised his voice. I never really saw him get angry. And trust me, there were moments where he had plenty of reason to be. And what I learned from him is just the role that the CFO and the voice and the posture that the CFO carries really can trickle down and impact the rest of the organization. And as he always projected that very calm confidence out, it really helped to, uh, set the tone for how we were approaching problems or, you know, kind of thinking through some tougher situations. So I learned from a lot of leaders at General Mills, but those are the kind of the three types of personalities that I would call out. And now today, I'm sitting at Hasbro surrounded by great people. I have a great board. We've brought on, actually, over the past year, some new board members who worked in industries that I am not familiar or had not been familiar with. Digital gaming, video gaming is a new industry for me, and I have found that these, uh, gentlemen have come in and really helped to educate, coach me, push me. You're not thinking about it the right way, here's the risk that you're not seeing. And I have really. I feel like every time I meet with them, I feel like I'm getting developed. So in any mentoring relationship, it's all, for me, it's all about that push and pull. Like, I want someone that is not going to Tell me everything is great and rosy. I want honest truths, I want tough coaching, but I also want a, uh, safe space to know, you know, where I can bring a problem and somebody is not going to judge. They're going to help you, they're going to help you think through it. And so I have found with all these individuals that has helped round me out. Hopefully I've been able to pass it on to people that I'm mentoring as well. Definitely have tried to emulate their leadership and mentorship of me to others.

Speaker B: Yeah, well that actually, that uh, sort of sets me up for a question I was going to ask anyway, but what is your philosophy about building a world class finance team? Because you've, you've worked now, your last three jobs have been in large companies but very different industries, Very different. And yet there's probably some core philosophies that you've taken to all three.

Speaker C: Yeah, as I build my teams and it's funny, even today at Hasbro I have people that are working for me that worked with me back at General Mill. So some of my philosophy is when you find good people and strong people, bring them with you. I have been, uh, my controller. I hired him from Harley after the appropriate time. I did. I didn't violate any sort of, any sort of non compete classes. When I find good people and you have that chemistry and you kind of know what their potential and their aspirations are, I like to pull them and bring them with me. I also am very clear of who I am as a leader and where my strengths and opportunities are and I hire around that. So we talked about, you know, I have come up through finance and economics. I am not accounting. I understand accounting. Obviously I uh, have a great appreciation for accountants, but I hire really good accounting people because I know that that's just a discipline that I will never be as conversant as some of the others where, you know, I just have worked and have all my career experience. And so I try to be super mindful of me as a leader. My strengths and ops, the team that is already in place, their strengths and ops and then I fill in to really create, you know, positions and roles and experiences that are bringing out the best of everyone in the team.

Speaker B: I think that's a great philosophy and I think General Mills and Hasbro are going to get flooded with resumes from finance and accounting professionals. What is it?

Speaker C: I just got to get them out of Minnesota. If I could get people to leave Minnesota. It's amazing how many people love, love living in that cold Climate.

Speaker B: I have found 22 year olds leave Minnesota, but they come back when they're 28 or 20.

Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker B: People have to get out of the cold and it's like, hey, what a great starting your family. No place better in the United States, but cool. So I wanted to chat a little about Hasbro and why you took the job. Which, um, this is an audio and listening experience for most people. But for the people who are watching on, uh, YouTube, know the answer to why Gina took the job. She's obviously very passionate about Hasbro, and we can tell from what's on her wall. But what drew you to the opportunity, if I may ask?

Speaker C: Well, I've always been drawn to big businesses, big brands. I love putting stuff out into the world that I am proud of, that my family is proud of and can recognize. You know, as you heard me now say a couple times, I worked for Jenner Mills for 20 years. I don't think the entire time I worked there, I ever bought a box of Kellogg's cereal. In fact, how I told my girls that I was leaving Jenner Mills as I put a box of Kellogg's cereal in the cupboard. And I was like, I wonder if any of them will notice. And my oldest, she's a smarty pants, and she figured it out pretty darn quick, like, why is Apple Jacks in the cupboard? So I love that connection to businesses, both as a consumer as well as, you know, somebody that, that's working on these brands. So that's the one thing I've always gravitated there. The second piece is I always gravitate towards it. Businesses that are either in need of transformation, change, redesigning of the business model, rethinking. I actually love the word transformation. I know that's a big scary word, but I love the idea of continually looking for what's next and how to continually create value. And for Hasbro, it was the intersection of both of those things. Company brands. I mean, we talked about the brand recognition. I mean, my games cupboard is all Hasbro. Even before I started working there, I should say. Uh, but it was all Hasbro. And it was a business that was absolutely in the midst, probably early days of a. Either a transformation or a turnaround. Choose your word. I think it was a little bit of both, frankly. And so that was what really kind of piqued my interest when I got the call. And then as I started learning more about where the business was, it was absolutely both of those words. We had, uh, our wizards and our magic business in particular. That was definitely in transformation mode. What do we want to be when we grow up in this gaming business? And then there was the toy and game business, like the board game business. That was absolutely in a turnaround mode. And I just thought it was a really unique opportunity of, uh, putting together all the ingredients of what gives me energy and where I think I can create the most amount of impact.

Speaker B: That makes a whole lot of sense. And earlier I referenced the wall behind Gina.

Speaker C: Oh, yeah, the wall.

Speaker B: So I see Chutes and Ladders, Monopoly, Clue. And is that the Game of Life?

Speaker C: Yeah, Game of Life, Monopoly. Scattergories is way on the end. I don't know if you can see that.

Speaker B: I can't see Scattergories.

Speaker C: Ah, all these games. So you heard me say I'm the oldest of seven. And we spent our summers. Like, we didn't have big, fancy vacations when we were growing up. We would go once a summer for a week up to a chalet in Michigan, and basically all we would do there besides hike and all the normal stuff you do in Upper Peninsula, Michigan, we played games. Lots and lots of games. And so when I started at Hasbro, we have an archive here of every game, every toy that has ever existed. I spent some time walking those archives, and then I messaged my brothers and sisters, and I said, okay, what are. Give me the memories. Like, give me the games. And so every game that you see behind me here is a game that we would play in our chalet in Michigan. I mean, we have. And the game edition is tied to the year that I. You know, so there's a lot of 80s and 90s games behind me. And what you can't see is I've got a couple of shelves full of toys all representing my brothers and sisters. So, like, my sister loved Cabbage Patch Kids, so I have Cabbage Patch Kid Dolls. I have younger brothers who loved kind of Battleships. I have a Battleship game that's in here. So my whole office is basically an ode to my childhood.

Speaker B: Wow.

Speaker C: Maybe eventually I'll gift them to my brothers and sisters, but for now, they sit in my office.

Speaker B: There you go. Well, I now really feel dumb for asking why you joined Hasbro. It seems like as a teenager that you were destined to do that. But it's funny how that's such a similar experience, because you were talking about the place in Michigan, and I basically have the same stories. Me and my sisters and my cousins next door on Lake Winisquam in New Hampshire and on, you know, uh, we played a million rainy days and nights we playing Hasbro type of games.

Speaker C: Yes. Yeah.

Speaker B: I used to cheat at Battleship something fierce.

Speaker C: Oh, yeah?

Speaker B: Yeah. Because like, you know, when I would simply move, I would track the moves that they were calling. I'd simply move the battleships.

Speaker C: Uh, you were already strategering your way out. That's funny.

Speaker B: Yeah. I was the only boy I think I was expected to be a little bit. But anyway, so one of the questions I get asked a lot from particularly my younger members and the first time CFOs is how do you build that meaningful, trusting relationship with the CEO? And I know I actually saw a video with you and Chris and you seem to have mastered that. But tell us a little about that relationship. I know he started about a year before you did, and you're doing the double T's turnaround and transformation and what's that been like? Because it feels like you've done a lot in just a couple of years.

Speaker C: We have absolutely done a lot in a few years. I think a part of it is that, I mean, Chris was the CEO about a year before I joined him. And, uh, frankly, I don't wish his first year as a CEO on any new CEO. I mean, he came into a tough situation. We had an activist investor. There was a lot that was going on, and the business wasn't doing great. And so when he and I started working together, we jumped into the fire. I mean, he was already in the fire. I joined him in the fire, I guess together. And that bonded us pretty quickly. We were able to establish trust because we were working through some pretty urgent and some big things to help stabilize the company and get it back on the trajectory. You know, Chris was looking for a business partner. He didn't want just a finance person. He wanted a strategic business partner. And so we very quickly fell into. Into a nice rhythm of trust communication. I mean, he sits right next to me and has always sat right next to me. And we officially have a weekly meeting where we have lunch together. But there is not a day that doesn't go by that I'm not talking to him multiple times a day, just on, um, you know, all things relating to the business. So he is my most trusted partner. And I think that he would say the same to me. And part of it is just our lived experience that we've had stabilizing the company. The first kind of couple years that we were working together, we then we launched Playing to Win our new Strategy last February. And while he is absolutely kind of the primary author on that document or on Our strategy, I was kind of running right alongside him with it. So the way that our partnership works, I take a lot of one pride in it, but I get a lot of energy from that as well. Like, I like that we play this role with each other, but it was really all born, um, there was urgency, there was communication, and there's a lot of trust. I also think how I approach the business, I don't approach him with dollars and cents. It's that strategic reasoning. It's the strategic kind of scenario analysis. It's, you know, he is a creative mind. So it's being able to take all of that creativity and innovation and put some structure around it and help figure out how to operationalize it. So I just think that how he and I work together and where our strengths and they're very complimentary of each other.

Speaker B: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. In the video I saw, the mutual respect was readily apparent, Right?

Speaker C: Yeah. And we have fun and we laugh. We also debate a lot. And ah, at first when we started working together, that would make people uncomfortable because we'd be in big rooms and we had no issue debating both sides and people would worry if mom and dad were fighting. It's like, no, this is actually a sign of a very healthy relationship when you can have your CEO and your CFO kind of tossing things around. We always come out aligned. We always come out with a kind of a mutual understanding of each other's points of view. But we are a team and we're going to do the right things for the company together. But, uh, when we first started working together, people didn't know quite what to do with healthy debate in a room.

Speaker B: Yeah. Hey, it's great. And yeah, you both had interesting situations. I know his situation is perhaps a little more challenging, but the CFO whom you replaced, you know, she was like iconic. Right. She'd been there for a long time. She's, you know, one of the best CFOs in the game, really. And so really big shoes to fill. So.

Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. I forget how many of the years she was the actual cfo, but yeah, it was not like, uh, you're right. I remember, uh, my first couple of weeks here, I'm like, how many good pie parties are we going to have for this woman? So, yeah, she was very, very well respected and regarded by the organization. Absolutely.

Speaker B: That makes sense. So cool. So I want to change a little bit. So, you know, you've got sort of a different kind of business, but, you know, and you're not a gap Accountant. So I like asking people this, what are the KPIs that you use to measure and report business performance? And it doesn't sound like gap is necessarily your strength and that's great. But, you know, so what are the ones you use?

Speaker C: So mine are pretty simple. Uh, is revenue growing, is operating margin improving? And what is our cash flow looking like? And those are like if there's three numbers that I want to look at every single kind of quarter, it's revenue, operating profit and it's cash flow. I mean obviously putting, you know, now leaning into the CEO, there's a gazillion KPIs that you measure on the operation itself of the business. But again, it all ladders back into the financial statements. So are you growing revenue? Are you improving your margin profile? And are you generating enough cash flow to be able to continue to invest behind the business and return cash to shareholders? That is kind of where my ultimate litmus test is.

Speaker B: Well, it's interesting, your answers are great and they're anticipating my follow on question, which is good and bad. But so I was just thinking, as the company grows from a traditional toy company to more of an IP and gaming company, has your definition of growth changed a little bit? I mean, are uh, you thinking of the same way? Is it more just about top line expansion or you're prioritizing margin quality and recurring revenue? So what are the big things in there?

Speaker C: It's the. And so to have this flywheel, you need both. You need top line to be growing and you need your margins stable or growing. And for many years that was not the case for the company. You know, the guidance that we put out here for 2026, we are into that flywheel where we think every single one of our businesses, our business segments is going to grow this year. That's the guidance that we said that we put out in February and we believe that our margin is going to continue to grow. So for me it's not one or the other, it is. And now underneath that there are absolutely areas where we're taking profit dollars or cash and putting it against businesses that have faster or bigger growth. So not every single business within Hasbro follows that same formula. But in total for the company, revenue growth and operating margin growth.

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Speaker B: So it's interesting because, you know, it occurs to me it's not like it's two different companies, but, you know, in my simple mind, looking at the outside, you've got this legacy company with beloved products and games. You and I clearly love all of the old school Hasbro stuff and you sort of get this new cutting edge, uh, company as well. And investment dollars are finite for any company. So is there any tension between those two things, growing the future companies? But you got to take care of these things that people still love.

Speaker C: Oh, absolutely. And I mean the short answer in picking up from my last one, capital allocation, that's the name of the game. And it's, it's, you're taking your dollars and I guess human capital allocation and putting it against the biggest growth drivers. And so for us, it is absolutely to your point, it absolutely has been on, you know, uh, our wizards business, including magic in our digital games. But we are also continuing to invest in our toy and game business. We're just doing it in a way that is much more focused. In, uh, our last earnings cycle, we got the question of, you know, what do you think the toy category is going to do? Or something. Everyone wants all of us toy companies to tell what we think the industry is going to do. And, you know, as we were preparing for that question during earnings prep, our cheeky answer that we wanted to give, we didn't necessarily give it in this way, is we don't know that we really care about the total industry growth. We know that the categories where we're choosing to play and where we think we have a right to win, we think those categories are going to grow. And there's a lot of our iconic brands that fall into what we're calling our gem squared kind of categorization of the, of the toy industry. And within that classification, we are investing behind those business because we think we're going to be able to grow for certain categories where we think the growth prospects are more limited. We're actively looking at different ways that we can continue to monetize or support the IP that sits within those categories. But it's not like we shifted all of our dollars and all of our resources over to wizards. We're just being more choiceful of within our very big broad portfolio that is the toy and game business, what are the ones that we know are going to have the strongest growth potential and how do we keep investing behind those?

Speaker B: Yeah, that makes sense. And one of the questions I have sort of the future. Right. Going forward. And again, as I was preparing for this, I read an article and there's some speculation that the Game of Life might become a movie on Amazon. Uh, kind of an exciting development where the old school is meeting the modern age. But what are some of the other things that we have to look forward to in the next few years out of Hasbro in terms of innovations and maybe some new products?

Speaker C: Oh, yeah. Well, I can't give you our product pipeline. I've been sworn to secrecy on that. But I mean, we've talked a bit on uh, our launch into digital games. So we'll have our first two digital games launching in 2027. One is a new, completely new to the world IP, and then another is a, uh, digital game or video game based on our D and D. So, uh, a known ip. So that's going to be super exciting just to see kind of put those out into the world. We've been working on them for many years. I know our teams are, that have been, you know, working very diligently to bring them to life, are nearing the finish lines on them and it's getting super exciting. So I think digital games, you're going to continue to see us investing there. As I said, within some of our core ip, we're constantly looking for ways to move into how do you kind of age them up? So how do you make something for play doh. That isn't just for kids? How do you take some of our more kid oriented brands and move them them up the curve? Collectibility is a big one, a big trend right now. How do we lean more into that collectibility? Consumer need. And then we're starting to experiment with how AI can come into kind of the toys and game space. I mean, we believe that there is a joyful and a playful way that we can bring AI to life. Still, early days as we're, you know, as we're working through different product iterations and what that could be. But for sure, over the next few years you'll see flavors of that showing up for Hasbro.

Speaker B: That makes sense. You know, I actually your predecessor, like you, spoke at the MIT Sloan CFO Summit.

Speaker C: Okay.

Speaker B: And I suggested to her that they should, to get back nostalgia, they should bring back Mr. M. Potato Head's pipe. Because, uh, I think there are a lot of people that would actually buy Mr. Potato Head with a pipe. I actually have my Mr. Potato Head from a child. My nephews and nieces think it's a pollen.

Speaker C: But I'll add that to the suggestion question box outside in the lobby.

Speaker B: I gotta tell you, it's a winner. So. Absolutely. Cool. So I want to chat a little about on from Hasbro. You're also on the board of another. You know what I would consider an iconic company.

Speaker C: Oh, S.C. johnson. Yes.

Speaker B: Yeah. It might be one of those companies where the products are better known than the company itself. But you know, I'm curious, you've been on the board a uh, little bit now and has being on the board affected how you approach your day job? Like do you think you're a better CFO because you're on the board?

Speaker C: So absolutely. That's a great question. In fact, I joined the board when I was at Harley and at the time my CEO and I were talking through kind of what would be the benefit of me joining? Because you know, it's a, it's a private company, it's a family run company, it's fifth generation family run company. And I said to my CEO at the time, I would love to see a company that isn't living for the quarter. You know, when you're in these public companies you're just, it's one quarter to the next. And that is absolutely one of my biggest takeaways that I have from Fisk and the management team is that they are continually looking not for things that are going to grow the business in the next six months. It's what are the right decisions, what are the right moves that we want to make that set us up for the next 10 to 15 years. They also are a family run business that the value system, how they treat employees, how they treat the communities that they are in, how they think about kind of what they're adding back in terms of the environment and like there is so much good that that company is doing. So I've really taken away the long term thinking mentality. Like there's always going to be a need to make some short term decisions when you're in a public company. But there is so much benefit to thinking beyond even just one fiscal year. I've seen the benefits of that from SCJ and I also think it's really admirable their value system, they always, always do the right thing by their people, by the communities that they're operating in. And I think that that's super admirable. It's good business.

Speaker B: That's great. And how old did you say the company was.

Speaker C: They are, uh, I don't know the exact number of years they're in the fifth generation of leaders.

Speaker B: Okay, so they may have started in the 1800s then. Right. Probably more like the 1900s.

Speaker C: If they're the fifth generation, I feel like it's 1900s. 1900s.

Speaker B: Okay. But still, there's a lot to be said for that sort of thing. Right. Just think of how different the economy is. Well, that's fantastic. And, um, do you have a good relationship with the CFO there? I'm thinking that person probably would find you to be a valuable mentor.

Speaker C: Oh, we do. Definitely some best practice sharing between the two organizations. We actually are just trying to coordinate one now on AI and how they're thinking about leveraging AI across their operations and how we're embedding it here at Hasbro. So, yeah, there's definitely learnings that both ways.

Speaker B: So makes sense. Now, you mentioned, of course, you have a, uh, large family and you're the CFO of a highly visible, publicly traded company. And plus, on the board of SC Johnson. How do you do it all? Is there any secrets you can have to work life balance?

Speaker C: Ooh, the work life balance question. I don't know that I have a secret. I think that even the phrase work life balance or the notion of it is highly personal. I actually don't think there's one can definition. For me, it has ebbed and flowed. I see it. Work life is more fluid than it is static. There are periods in, at least in my life where one side of my being needed more of me. Like when my kids were super young, there would be some moments that it was all about the kids. Obviously, as my career started growing, there were moments that it became, especially when I made the transition to cfo that took a lot of my time and focus. And so I definitely leaned into the work side. So for me, it's about. Has always been about keeping anchored to the end goal and the aspiration and having a partner in life. You know, I'm m celebrating my 25th wedding anniversary to my husband this year. And along the way, he and I have approached my career as a partnership. There is no pivot or move that I have made that has not been, you know, with his full support. And that has allowed us to create balance on both sides of the spectrum. So he's been able to help me lean out when, you know, into job more in. In those moments. And to me, that's how I've kind of stayed sane. But the advice that I always give to Individuals is that you have to define what work life balance means to you. Only you can define that. It's got to be grounded in where you want to go. Like if you want to be a, uh, public company cfo, you're not going to hear me say that you're going to be able to work 30 hours a week to be able to get to that chair. I don't think that's realistic. But if that's where you want to get to make the moves in your work life balance and how you define it to set yourselves up for success there. Once you define your definition of work life balance, put the boundaries in place and only you are the one that is going to be able to enforce those boundaries. So, you know, when my kids were young, it was six to eight, don't even bother, you know, calling me because I want to go home and be mom for a while. And that was a boundary that I established for myself when my kids were young. Now they don't want to hang out with you as much between 6 and 8pm so I'm a little looser on that boundary as my kids have gotten older. But I think it's such a personal definition for me. It's always been grounded in where I want to go.

Speaker B: Okay. No, that's great. It's interesting. You know, I like the way you put that because I've always sort of struggled to articulate it because you know, earlier in my career I was one of those, you know, super aggressive, you know, I was the CFO for venture backed startups and then I became an autism parent twice. So, you know, and that just, you know, moments.

Speaker C: Right?

Speaker B: Yeah, it's not a one person job either, you know, so it's like I couldn't work the number of hours that I was working and frankly I liked it. You know, I liked working the 60 plus hour weeks. I liked some of the, the craziness of working with a fast growing company and I just said, hey, you know, I'm just going to have a different career path than I thought I did and I still work hard and have a meaningful career, but I'm able to be there for my kids. So that's what it's about.

Speaker C: It's personal and it ebbs and flows. It's very fluid.

Speaker B: Great. So, uh, we discussed earlier you're being CFO and COO and we're seeing more and more of that. Whether or not the title is acknowledged, it's just taking up operational and cross functional type of roles. But aside from that, how do you see the nature of financial leadership evolving in the years ahead?

Speaker C: Mhm, that's a good question. You're right. I feel like it's morphing into less of the backwards looking reporting I do, the budgets, all of that will still get done. I think the role of finance is going to shift to more of a, uh, strategic business partner operator, where again, you're helping the business see around corners. You're providing the insights and the information that help inform decision making or help inform scenario analysis. I think that the role that finance is going to play is more of that kind of financial operators, COO type role. I mean our seat at the table through the lens of numbers and data and being able to leverage that into what are the insights that, that we take forward to craft the next level of business decisions. I mean that I think is going to be absolutely critical as we keep moving forward here. Some of the advancements that we're seeing with AI, the core of some of my early days as a finance analyst, that now is all going to start being done in a much more efficient manner. The value is now going to be in the judgment that we all take and bring and bring to that information and that data and how we help navigate the businesses.

Speaker B: That makes sense. And the tagline to this podcast is CFO's no longer record history, they make history. That seems kind of consistent with your vision.

Speaker C: Cool.

Speaker B: And uh, so you know, you've had a really successful career working for some great companies, building great teams, just accomplishing a lot. And I'm curious, what advice would you give to the next generation of financial leaders? And I'm thinking of those professionals who are, you know, on the cusp of getting their first CFO job or maybe even in their first CFO job. Still figuring it out a little bit.

Speaker C: Well, for early in the career, my advice would be say yes, say yes, uh, to new experiences and new opportunities. Every big career moment or trajectory change that I've had was not something I scripted. It was not in a, uh, job description. It was not in some instances a role that had existed. But stepping into things that were gray or felt a little bit off the path is frankly what provided, uh, more. It just kind of led to more opportunities. Uh, so I would say say yes more. Especially early in your career. For the new CFOs, I would suggest that you continue to keep in mind what are the strengths that you're bringing, what are the experiences that you're bringing to the table and hire really good people around you. Once you get into the CFO seat. It's less about what you did as an individual contributor or the results that you posted for your if you were a segment finance leader, if you were a corporate finance leader, your role as the CFO now takes on an enterprise view. And so you want to have the best team of lieutenants around you that are driving all of those individual functions or individual business results that you need to allow yourself to elevate at that and become really that enterprise strategic partner for the CEO.

Speaker B: I think that is wonderful advice and Gina, I know you've got a lot going on right now, so I want to thank you for being part of this podcast today. And with that I'd just like to give you the final word.

Speaker C: Well, thanks for having me. It's fun kind of going down the kind of the historical nostalgic roadmap of my youth in this session. Look, I think that the path for finance, there's lots of of fun headlines out there of the role that AI is going to play within any discipline, finance included. I think it's super exciting what is to come and what it's going to allow finance and accounting professionals to be forever we have been searching for, how do we move the value of these functions up the impact curve. And so I am super excited about the disruption and the potential that we will all have as finance individuals. Our role and the importance of our roles is only going to continue to grow as business continues to stay as complex as it is.

Speaker B: That wraps up this episode of the secrets of rockstar CFOs. A huge thank you to our sponsors Intuit and Plantful. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review@rockstarcfos.com until next time. Rock on.

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