Raising the Bar on Leadership for the Evolving CFO/Financial Executive

July 9, 2020 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Webinar, click "live-stream" button to view

Add to Calendar 7/9/2020 8:00:00 AM 7/9/2020 9:00:00 AM Raising the Bar on Leadership for the Evolving CFO/Financial Executive

Within the life science eco-system, the role of the CFO/financial executive continues to shift. CFOs and financial executives are assuming increasingly complex roles, from managing day-to-day responsibilities, to driving value creation across the business, to navigating the markets and volatility. As a ‘strategic partner’ to the CEO, CFOs/financial executives must master the art of balance and agility with appropriate skills, talents, experiences and support.


To start, below are five key characteristics that exemplify the evolving life science CFO/financial executive:

  • Holistic perspective encompassing the entire value chain
  • Insight and ability to communicate business drivers
  • Eye for the right kind of talent
  • Facility for cultural change
  • Integrity and interpersonal skills needed to pull all these together


How can you become a finance leader and recruit those who will support and succeed you? What should emerging finance leaders think about as they step into the CFO/financial executive role? Or for the seasoned executive who is taking on their 2nd or 3rd role, what should you keep in mind to ensure your ability to consistently lead with success?

Join us as we draw on the wisdom of our panelists to understand and discuss the art and expertise of today’s ‘successful, cross functional’ life science CFO/financial executive. Sponsored by the MassBio Business Development and Finance forum working group. MassBio makes every effort to accommodate our entire community at each of our events. Please let us know at least 3 days in advance of the event if you require special accommodations, such as captioning.

 Webinar, click "live-stream" button to view
Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals
Hunter Smith was appointed to serve as interim Chief Executive Office in March 2020. He has been our Chief Financial Officer since August 2017, and during that time he led the company in an initial public offering that netted the Company $125 million, as well as two follow-on public offerings that netted approximately $346 million. As a member of the management team, Hunter has played a critical role in charting Rhythm’s corporate strategy and managing the company’s performance. He has 20 years’ experience in global finance and management roles across multiple industries and financial disciplines, including expertise in business analysis and planning, mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and investor relations. He joined Rhythm from Celgene Corporation, where he served as Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of the Company’s Inflammation and Immunology Business Unit. In this role, Hunter provided finance leadership for the global launch of Otezla®, co-led the integration of Receptos, Inc. following its acquisition by Celgene, and led global business planning and analysis for commercial affiliates and clinical study activities in over 16 countries. Before joining Celgene, Hunter worked for fourteen years in roles of increasing responsibility at Bunge Limited, including Director of Investor Relations, Chief Financial Officer–Asia, Chief Risk Officer, Corporate Treasurer, and Chief Financial Officer of Bunge’s Sugar and Bioenergy Segment. He holds an MBA in Finance from NYU’s Stern School of Business and a BA in History, with honors, from Northwestern University. Hunter served as an Independent Director of Genessee & Wyoming Inc. and as a member of the Compensation Committee, until its acquisition by Brookfield Infrastructure Partners in December 2019.