In this episode of Controllers Classified, Erik Zhou speaks with Jessica Peng, Controller at Invoca, about mastering change management. Jessica shares her experiences transitioning from a Big Four to client side, offering insights into SOX compliance and the nuances of internal controls. She then uses Invoca’s recent revenue recognition system overhaul to highlight best practices and considerations for managing complex change.

When Mark Partin first became CFO at BlackLine nearly a decade ago, the concept of Sales Ops was still rather new within the company, and he was tasked with building it from scratch. Over time, Sales Ops evolved into Revenue Ops, integrating finance, sales, and customer success functions to support BlackLine’s rapid growth. In this discussion, Partin shares critical milestones, including consolidating over 100 systems to achieve a "single source of truth," aligning departments around the customer journey, and leveraging data to drive productivity and efficiency—a transformative journey that enabled sustainable growth.

From day one of his professional life, Derek Warnick knew his career would be driven by a purpose greater than mere career advancement. As an undergraduate studying finance and international business, he contemplated how his professional life could make a meaningful impact. Upon graduation, he joined the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation, focusing on empowering small businesses in developing countries. “I was excited by the opportunity to help people and have an international focus,” he recalls.

However, Warnick soon realized he wanted to do more to address climate change. “I started to become much more interested in learning about how we could avert the worst effects of climate change,” he says. This passion led him to pursue an MBA at MIT Sloan, concentrating on clean energy finance. “I believe in utilizing a financial focus to further technology and business innovation,” Derek explains. “I don’t think that the role of a CFO or a finance department should be an afterthought.”

After his MBA, he joined a commodities trading firm but soon took on the role of CFO at a small power development startup. There, he gained hands-on experience in all aspects of finance and operations. “I had to do absolutely every single thing in a finance organization,” he says. “I enjoy walking that tightrope and being an operator.”

His dedication to sustainable energy culminated in co-founding Electric Hydrogen, where he serves as CFO. “At Electric Hydrogen, we are singularly focused on bringing down the cost of industrial-scale decarbonization,” Derek states. He believes that providing cost-effective, scalable solutions is key to making a real impact on climate change. “I can’t imagine doing something where I worked for a company that made widgets,” he reflects. “For me, there has to be that business purpose so that I’m excited about what I do.”

Throughout his career, Derek has consistently chosen roles that align with his commitment to sustainable energy. “I firmly believe that if you have a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life,” he says.