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
Biotech Executive, Board Member Axovant Gene Therapies, and Entrepreneur
Mr. Sundaram has served as a member of the Axovant Gene Therapies board since June 2019. He was most recently the Chief Financial Officer at Nightstar Therapeutics, until its acquisition by Biogen in June 2019. While at Nightstar, he was responsible for corporate finance and operations, business development, and strategy. He helped lead the execution of multiple equity offerings, as well as licensing and M&A transactions. Prior to joining Nightstar, Mr. Sundaram was the Vice President and Head of Business and Corporate Development at Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Previously, Mr. Sundaram spent 13 years in the healthcare investment banking groups at Lehman Brothers/Barclays, Citigroup and Lazard. Mr. Sundaram holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering and a B.A. in Economics from Brown University.