Revisiting: Wall Street to SaaS CFO with Carla Cooper (CFO @ Contentful)

What does it take to be a truly great CFO today?

It’s not just about balancing the books—it’s about driving strategy, managing risks, and telling the financial story in a way that inspires confidence.

In this re-released episode, first published in March 2025, Carla Cooper, CFO of Contentful, shares her journey from Wall Street equity analyst to CFO, discussing her role in scaling Contentful, navigating IPOs and acquisitions, and offering valuable tips on transitioning into a CFO position.

She emphasizes the importance of networking, continual learning, and telling a compelling financial story.

Carla also provides practical advice for finance professionals contemplating job changes and reflects on the evolving responsibilities of a CFO.

Connect with Carla on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-newmeyer-cooper-843a591/

Connect with Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexlouisy/

Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenepearl/

The Growth-Minded CFO podcast aims to challenge the status-quo and explore how the best CFOs approach their work and lives. Hosts Lauren Pearl (Fractional CFO, 3-time Founder and Startup Finance Instructor at NYU) and Alex Louisy (FinTech CEO and Y Combinator graduate) speak with inspiring finance and business leaders who’ll share what great CFOs are doing to support high-performing organizations.

Find all our episodes, in both video and audio format with written summaries, on our news website: https://growthmindedcfo.com/