Ask the Expert: What Can Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Do Right Now to Help Their Organizations Recover from the Pandemic?

In this exclusive interview, Zebra Technologies CFO Nathan Winters explains how diversification – of people, processes and the portfolio – has helped the company sustain profitability in the past year.

by Your Edge Blog Team

March 23, 2021

Nate Winters is no stranger to economic instability. He was with GE for 17 years and had helped the company successfully navigate tumultuous markets many times before joining Zebra in 2018 as Vice President of Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis and Business Operations. So, when the pandemic hit, he was ready to hit the ground running – even if that meant running through many different contingency planning scenarios in a few weeks’ time and working hard every day to maintain Zebra’s financial flexibility.

After nine months of what seemed like a simultaneous sprint and marathon, no one would have blamed Nate for wanting a break. Yet, rather than stepping back, Nathan assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) earlier this year. He also continues his commitment to fostering a culture of inclusion and diversity within the company and local communities. Nathan’s experience over the past several months has inspired him to work even harder for Zebra, its customers and stakeholders and the next generation of doers, thinkers and innovators.

Listen to this podcast episode now to get the inside scoop on:

what it was really like to help Zebra navigate the COVID-19 pandemic from a financial perspective.
the impact that Zebra’s contingency planning efforts had on its ability to maintain profitability and cash in the past year.
the one thing that makes it difficult to plan in a volatile environment.
the role that he believes technology could play in the broader economic recovery.
diversification strategies that could enable companies to better absorb the impact of economic downturns, even when spend capacity is limited.
the correlation between a company’s culture and financials.
the broader strokes impact of the pandemic on future business professionals and why today’s leaders (Nate included) are expanding outreach to local youth.
Nate’s interesting career path.
his new approach to work-life balance.