Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Administrative Officer, Designer Brands
Search every verified Jared Poff interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Jared Poff, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer at Designer Brands, discussed his approach to financial communication in two September 2023 appearances. Poff said that a former CEO advised him to stop bringing a binder of numbers to board meetings and to avoid quoting specific figures when presenting, telling him that a CFO should focus on storytelling rather than data. Poff described this as a "pivot" that distinguished an operational finance executive from a senior CFO, adding that because most of the business is not numbers-oriented, he aims to convince and move people by explaining the impact of numbers through narrative. He noted that his monthly and quarterly presentations are well-received internally and that he uses references to 1980s movies or songs to make financial stories more engaging. In a separate discussion about investor communications, Poff reflected on the challenge of providing the right level of detail at investor days. He said that what is clear to someone inside the business is often not obvious to an outside observer with fragmented attention. Poff credited Edelman Smithfield with helping him assess whether to offer more or less detail, and he emphasized the importance of acknowledging that internal clarity does not automatically translate to external understanding.
“I remember the CEO telling me, 'I never want you to bring that binder anywhere again. If you need it, find a technological solution, but I don't want to see that. You're not showing up the way that a senior CFO should.' He said, 'If a CFO is using numbers when presenting, they are not telling the story. I need a partne...”
“You want me to be a CFO and never quote a number when I'm talking? Absolutely, that's what I count as success. It was a pivot for me realizing the difference between being an operational finance executive and a senior CFO is storytelling and influencing, not just showing numbers.”
“When 90% of the business are not numbers-oriented people, you're not going to convince or move them with numbers. You have to tell a story that helps them understand the impact of the numbers on the business.”
“If you ask anyone inside Designer Brands when I give my monthly or quarterly presentations, they actually look forward to it. I tie something back to an 80s movie or song to connect, making the financial story more engaging without scaring them with numbers.”
Effective storytelling helps business leaders gain the management leeway required to execute complex strategies and ...
Designer Brands CFO Jared Poff shares how he worked with Edelman Smithfield to provide the right level of detail for analysts ...
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