CFO Leadership at a Global Tech Major

Amartya: Hello everyone! I'm your host, Amartya Singh, Co-founder and CEO of FinFloh, a product built by and for modern finance teams. Welcome to the ninth episode of Inside the CFO Office, an exclusive platform where finance professionals dive deep into the journeys of finance leaders—their biggest challenges, lessons learned, and vision for the future of finance.

In today's episode, we're exploring CFO leadership at a global tech major with none other than Marc Steifman, CFO of InMobi. With a career spanning two decades across investment banking and CFO roles, Marc has played a pivotal role in shaping financial strategy for some of the most innovative tech companies in the world.

Currently, Marc leads finance at InMobi, a global generative AI-driven consumer technology platform unlocking digital experiences worldwide. He brings extensive expertise in scaling global technology businesses from a finance perspective. Before this, he led global technology investment banking at Piper Jaffray and held leadership positions at Jefferies, Bear Stearns, and Prudential Securities.

In today's episode, we’re exploring CFO leadership at a global tech major with none other than Marc Steifman, CFO of InMobi. With a career spanning two decades across investment banking and CFO roles, Marc has played a pivotal role in shaping financial strategy for some of the most innovative tech companies in the world.

On a personal note, I've had some great discussions with Marc on multiple aspects of financial leadership. I'm excited for him to share his insights with all of you. So, welcome, Marc!

His deep expertise in financial strategy, M&A, and market dynamics has fueled growth and transformation in every company he has been a part of. Today, we’ll explore Marc’s journey, the evolving role of CFOs in global tech, and the leadership principles that have driven his success. We’ll also get his views on the evolution and adoption of AI/ML in finance, and the unique challenges of handling global finance operations, particularly across the U.S. and India.

On a personal note, I’ve had some great discussions with Marc on multiple aspects of financial leadership. I’m excited for him to share his insights with all of you. So, welcome, Marc!

Marc: It's been quite a journey! I started in the 90s as a young banker in New York, covering the real estate industry. I had a great run there and never imagined leaving. But in the late 90s, during the dot-com boom, I was working on a deal in San Francisco, and the energy of the tech community was infectious. I realized I was deeply familiar with traditional businesses but missing out on the tech revolution. So, in 2000, I took a leap and moved to San Francisco—a turning point that reshaped my career.

Amartya: Let’s kick off your career journey. You’ve had a fascinating transition—from investment banking to leading finance at a global tech company. What were the key moments that shaped your path?

Marc: It’s been quite a journey! I started in the 90s as a young banker in New York, covering the real estate industry. I had a great run there and never imagined leaving. But in the late 90s, during the dot-com boom, I was working on a deal in San Francisco, and the energy of the tech community was infectious. I realized I was deeply familiar with traditional businesses but missing out on the tech revolution. So, in 2000, I took a leap and moved to San Francisco—a turning point that reshaped my career.

At the same time, we started scaling our B2C business, Glance, a Gen AI-powered platform embedded in 400+ million mobile phones and smart TVs globally. Today, InMobi is a top 10 internet platform by audience reach—a remarkable journey that has been both challenging and rewarding.

That’s when I joined InMobi in 2018 at a critical inflection point. The company had already built a scaled B2B mobile advertising business, and over the next few years, we platformized our advertising business, making it more predictable. Today, our software is embedded in 50,000+ apps, reaching over 2 billion users globally.

Marc: One defining moment came during my first week on the job. I was in Bangalore, speaking with the CEO of a business we had just acquired, and he said, "We thought you were setting up payroll. You thought we were setting up payroll. Now, you own it, and you have a day to get our employees paid." That moment shifted my mindset completely—I wasn't just an advisor anymore. I had thousands of employees and their families depending on me.

That weight of responsibility has never left me. Being a CFO isn’t just about numbers—it’s about people. At InMobi, we run a global business across 19 offices, solving different problems every day, across different time zones. It’s a 24/7 role, but it has been incredibly fulfilling.

Amartya: That’s a great perspective. The human side of finance leadership is often overlooked, but it’s one of the most critical aspects. Speaking of leadership, you’ve handled finance functions in both the U.S. and India. What key differences have you observed?

Marc: India’s growth story is remarkable. Before joining InMobi, I didn’t fully grasp the scale of tech innovation happening in India. With a rapidly growing middle class, strong education system, and deep tech talent pool, India today reminds me of early-2000s China, when its tech ecosystem was on the verge of global breakout.

One big difference I noticed was meeting culture—U.S. meetings are often short and agenda-driven, while Indian meetings tend to be longer and highly in-depth. At InMobi, we balance both approaches—we send pre-reads to maximize efficiency but also allow deep problem-solving discussions. This approach has been key to solving complex challenges and driving innovation.

Amartya: That’s a great insight! Now, let’s talk about AI in finance—a major topic of discussion lately. How is InMobi leveraging AI in finance operations?

Marc: AI is at the core of everything we do—not just in our products but also in internal finance operations. We’ve automated most of our core finance processes, cleaned legacy databases, and built a centralized data lake on Databricks. This allows us to run real-time analytics and predictive insights for decision-making.

The next big leap? Agentic AI—AI that autonomously interacts with external systems to handle collections, reconciliations, and anomaly detection. Right now, finance professionals spend a disproportionate amount of time on edge cases. If AI can automate 80–95% of repetitive work, it will allow teams to focus on high-impact, strategic decisions.

Amartya: Completely agree! We at FinFloh believe Agentic AI is the future of CFO tech. AI won’t replace finance professionals, but it will augment their capabilities, helping them make faster, smarter decisions.

As we wrap up, what advice would you give to aspiring finance professionals looking to grow in this evolving landscape?

Marc: The finance profession is changing rapidly. The days of succeeding as just a technical finance practitioner are over. Future finance leaders must develop business context, AI skills, and embrace change. Finance teams are uniquely positioned to lead transformation because they touch every part of the business.

Amartya: That’s great advice! Marc, it’s been a pleasure having you on the podcast. Thanks for sharing your journey and insights!

Marc: Thanks, Amartya! I’ve enjoyed this conversation and hope the listeners do too.

Amartya: Thanks, everyone, for tuning in! Stay tuned for our next episode. Until then, take care and stay curious!