36
2nd QUARTER 2014
I
t’s not every day that CFOs get a chance
to sit in the seats where NFL players
hold their strategy meetings. And it’s
not every day they can enjoy a reception
while gazing out at the field where one of
the area’s biggest sports franchises practices.
On March 27, about 150 New Jersey–area
finance execs had both those experiences
when
CFO Studio
held a reception at
Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in
Florham Park, NJ, honoring the CFO of
the Jets, Brian Friedman, featured in the Q1
2014 issue of
CFO Studio
magazine.
Andrew Zezas, publisher of CFO Studio,
introduced the “very accomplished” CFO
of the Jets and noted that Friedman joins
a distinguished group of cover subjects at
the magazine, including Harald Henn of
Mercedes-Benz, who was in the audience.
“With on-camera interviews (111 of which
are ready to view at CFOStudio.com), and the
magazine, CFOStudio provides CFOs with the
opportunity to position themselves as thought-
leaders and to promote their companies,” Zezas
told the finance execs in attendance. “On behalf
of my staff, please accept my sincerest thanks
for permitting us to serve you in this way!”
Friedman, in his remarks, focused on how
CFO jobs have changed in recent years.
Strategy, once the smallest part of the job,
fills substantial hours now, while numbers
and accounting are no longer the basic CFO
responsibility they once were. He said,
“Strategy, operational focus, things that were
outside of the CFO oversight historically are
not only part of the daily routine, but they are
critical functions driving the organization that
the CFO is directly responsible for, especially
at a midsized company.”
He went on to say that “the amount of data
available to analyze is greater than ever before
in every area, and these areas are all requesting
millions andmillions of dollars. So somewhere
between shooting from the hip and overana-
lyzing is where the CFO has to live.”
In his own world, he said, the “undebatable
goal of the organization is improving the fan
experience,” so from many competing
priorities, these will get the biggest invest-
ments: 1) technology, 2) security, and 3)
digital ticketing. In the area of security, high-
megapixel cameras will show every seat in
the stands, allowing facial recognition, “even
after the fact, without losing any coverage.”
Tying together his themes, Friedman said,
“Fan satisfaction drives interest in the sport
and keeps fans watching on TV and buying
merchandise. That being said, it certainly does
not have the clean, direct connection we learn
about in school: Investment A drives Revenue
B and then the return works or doesn’t work.
At the Jets, the biggest part of my role is
understanding what is truly an investment in
the fan or just an unnecessary expense in the
fan experience.” All CFOs face similarly dif-
ficult choices of strategy and prioritizing.
C
B
C
D
A Jet All the Way
Brian Friedman honored at CFO Studio Reception
Photography: Jibran Aslam
A
FOR THE FULL TEXT OF FRIEDMAN’S REMARKS,
GO TO CFOSTUDIO.COM
A
Andrew Zezas, Brian Friedman
B
Brian Friedman
C
With members of the Jets Flight Crew, Andrea Citranglo, second from left; Joanne Ferris, right
D
L. to R., Ronald Tassello, Michael Losch, Steve Ford
THIS EVENT SPONSORED BY:
CFO STUDIO
RECEPTION
