LevelUp: How People-First Leadership Defines Modern CFO Success With Ilana Esterrich

In this episode of Level Up, Nick Araco sits down with Ilana Esterrich, Chief Financial Officer at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, to discuss how people-first leadership defines CFO success. They explore why trust and team morale matter more than flawless spreadsheets, how bold career moves can reset your leadership trajectory, and why narrative intelligence is becoming a must-have skill for finance leaders. Ilana also shares advice on building resilient teams and leading with both head and heart.

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Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [07:08] How Ilana Esterrich landed her first CFO seat and chose impact over title

• [09:24] The Army motto “mission first, people always” and how it shaped Ilana’s leadership philosophy

• [13:00] Why the biggest mistakes in leadership come from mishandling people, not numbers

• [23:05] The toughest non-finance call Ilana made and what it taught her

• [27:59] Where CFOs are being stretched the most today and why talent is harder than technology

• [30:12] Why narrative intelligence and storytelling will define the next generation of CFOs

• [33:06] How finance leaders must evolve into “chief performance officers”

• [38:19] Ilana’s advice to aspiring leaders

In this episode…

In today’s complex business environment, technical skills alone aren’t enough for CFOs who want to drive long-term success. The real differentiator comes down to leadership, specifically, how you lead people.

According to Ilana Esterrich, a seasoned finance executive and leadership voice, people-first leadership is what defines modern CFO success. She explains that numbers can be corrected quickly, but mishandling people creates lasting scars on trust and morale. Ilana highlights the importance of building resilient teams, nurturing networks, and understanding individual motivations rather than projecting one-size-fits-all career paths. By combining strategic vision with human insight, leaders can create an environment where people thrive and organizations adapt more effectively.

In this episode of Level Up, Nick Araco sits down with Ilana Esterrich, Chief Financial Officer at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, to discuss how people-first leadership defines CFO success. They explore why trust and team morale matter more than flawless spreadsheets, how bold career moves can reset your leadership trajectory, and why narrative intelligence is becoming a must-have skill for finance leaders. Ilana also shares advice on building resilient teams and leading with both head and heart.

Resources mentioned in this episode

• Nick Araco on LinkedIn

• CFO Alliance

• Ilana Esterrich on LinkedIn

• Planned Parenthood Federation of America

• “A Financially Driven Business Strategy with Jennifer Yousem, Founder of I Heart EBITDA” on the Level Up podcast

• “The Pathway to Financial Leadership with Peter Nesbitt, Vice President of Finance at Teampay” on the Level Up podcast

• “How to Adapt in an Evolving Industry with Bryan Lapidus, Director of the FP&A Practice at the Association for Financial Professionals” on the Level Up podcast

• Oracle NetSuite

• Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't by Simon Sinek

These days, your business needs total visibility, from global shipments to tariff impacts to real-time cash flow. That’s NetSuite, by Oracle — the #1 AI Cloud ERP, trusted by over 42,000 businesses. Download the free e-book, “Navigating Global Trade: 3 Insights for Leaders” at NetSuite.com/CFOALLIANCE  

Quotable Moments:

• “You can’t do everything yourself. You kind of need a team, whether it’s internal or external.”

• “Mission first, people always, and that really stuck with me throughout my career and leadership journey.”

• “Sometimes the scariest detours end up being launch pads that completely reset your trajectory.”

• “You can fix budget errors fairly quickly, but repairing trust after a ‘people mistake’ takes longer.”

• “If you are only a CFO who knows GAAP, you are going to be as outdated as a fax machine.”

Action Steps:

1. Prioritize people over processes: Recognizing that trust and morale take longer to repair than numbers ensures leaders focus on lasting impact.

2. Build resilient support networks: Leveraging family, mentors, and colleagues creates the stability needed to navigate career challenges and bold transitions.

3. Adapt leadership to individual motivations: Understanding that not everyone aspires to the corner office helps create multiple lanes for employee success.

4. Develop narrative intelligence: Learning to shape stories around risk and growth enables finance leaders to influence hearts and minds, not just numbers.

5. Invest in talent over technology alone: While platforms can be purchased, curiosity, courage, and human judgment are what future-proof leadership and organizations.

Sponsor for this episode

Level Up is proudly brought to you by Oracle NetSuite — the #1 cloud ERP trusted by thousands of high-growth, finance-led companies around the world.

NetSuite gives CFOs and finance leaders real-time visibility, automation, and control across their financials, operations, and planning—so they can lead with confidence and scale with speed.

Oracle NetSuite is also a proud and long-time global partner to The CFO Alliance, supporting our shared mission of empowering finance leaders to drive strategy, build resilient teams, and deliver next-level impact.

If you’re serious about building a modern finance function that keeps pace with your business, NetSuite is your platform.

Learn more at www.netsuite.com.