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Manage CFO Magazine: Specials Magazine
Don Miller is a seasoned financial executive with extensive experience across beverage, manufacturing, software, telecom, financial services, consulting, and nonprofit sectors. He has led initiatives spanning firm start-ups, M&A, SaaS and ERP implementation, financial planning, cash management, regulatory oversight, and operational strategy. As CFO of Jocko Fuel, he is building the company’s financial infrastructure and funding strategy to support growth. AN UNCONVENTIONAL PATH TO CFO When people ask how I became Chief Financial Officer at Jocko Fuel, I usually tell them the story starts at a moment when most people think their careers are winding down. In 2019, I was 58 years old. I had spent more than four decades working across industries, from beverages and telecom to software, consulting, and private equity-backed companies. I had helped organizations scale, navigate complex financial transitions, and build disciplined financial operations. Yet at that point, I had stepped away from an executive role after a demanding stretch that left me burned out. I’m the kind of person who tends to go all in or not at all. At that time, I did not feel I could give 100 percent to another company. So I paused. During that period, I also discovered something about myself: I love what I do. Finance is not just a profession to me. It is a way of thinking, problem solving, and building organizations. About a year and a half later, while living on Cape Cod, I came across a short job posting for a Chief Financial Officer role at a company called Origin in Farmington, Maine. I was intrigued, though the location alone made the opportunity unusual. Farmington was a five-and-a-half-hour drive away. I applied anyway. There were more than 200 applicants for the role, and after a screening process, I was invited to speak with the founder, Pete Roberts. Midway through that conversation, I paused and made an unusual suggestion. I told him that any one of the candida
Business Valuation & Advisory Services
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CXO INSIGHTS
Managing Finances through Robust Accounting System
Jeff Banaszak, Chief Financial Officer, Creative Dining Services
The View from the Knife's Edge: a New Market Regime
Sebastien Page, Co-Head of Global Investments and Chief Investment Officer, T. Rowe Price
Navigating the Esg Maze from Standards to Data to Reporting to Regulation
Kevin M. Gleason, Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, New York Life Investments
Comparing the Housing Market in 2008 vs. Today - Are home prices about to collapse?
Jason Obradovich, Chief Investment Officer, New American Funding
4 Commonly Used Wealth Transfer Strategies
Jeanne Krigbaum, Chief Wealth Planning Officer, Old National Bank
The Continued Evolution of Wealth Management Services
Chad A. Schmookler, Vice President Business Operations, InComm Payments
Engineering Trading Systems— Challenges and Opportunities
Denis Imaev, Head of Algorithmic Trading Development, Cantor Fitzgerald
IN FOCUS
Embracing Collaboration: The Future of Finance Outsourcing Relationships
Finance outsourcing is shifting toward strategic alignment, driven by compliance pressures and demand for transparency, adaptability, and deeper integration with business priorities.
Efficiency and Innovation: How Automation and AI are Transforming Tax Preparation
Automation and AI have transformed tax preparation, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, compliance, and client experience through innovative technology solutions.
EDITORIAL
Finance Leaders Building Corporate Resiliency
Our cover story recognizes Don Miller, Chief Financial Officer of Jocko Fuel, as CFO of the Year 2026. Maintaining financial discipline, operational visibility and a strong emphasis on cash flow, his direction has helped to turn Jocko Fuel into a quickly expanding company. Under his direction, the business has seen noteworthy growth and established a scalable financial foundation without compromising simplicity, responsibility or good judgment. His juggling of competing demands and the development of trust throughout the company show how modern finance leaders are changing.
This issue also features insights from Sergio Vazquez, Transfer Pricing Director at CEMEX, who discusses the growing demands of global tax compliance. He examines the importance of transparency, well-defined policies and technology-enabled processes as transfer pricing regulations and international reporting requirements become increasingly complex.
Joining the conversation is Steve Harris, SVP and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer at Lincoln Financial. He shares his perspective on how emerging technologies are reshaping compliance programs and why effective governance still depends on the right combination of technology, people and oversight. While automation and analytics continue to expand what compliance teams can accomplish, human judgment remains essential.
Together, these leaders demonstrate how finance and compliance have evolved into strategic functions that help organizations navigate uncertainty, manage risk and pursue opportunities with confidence.
We invite you to explore the perspectives featured throughout this edition and learn how today’s finance and compliance leaders are helping shape the future of business through disciplined execution, innovation and principled leadership.
