Kickstarter’s new finance chief is ultra-extroverted—and she credits that trait to her success as a ‘people-centric CFO’

“I’ve never met a stranger. Not on a plane or in a rideshare.”

That’s what Sindy Wilson, the new CFO at Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform, tells me. Wilson is described as a “‘people-centric CFO,'” or as her husband calls it an “empathetic finance leader,” she says. About two months into her role, she’s getting a grasp of Kickstarter’s numbers, vision, strategy, and value creation, but getting to know the people is also at the top of her list, Wilson says.

“I want to know all of my team members,” Wilson emphasizes. “I’ll meet with everyone on my team. I want to know all of our leaders in the organization. I want to know our creators and our backers. I also want to know our investors and meet with our key vendors.”

Kickstarter, a company that currently has a remote workforce, was founded in 2009. Since then, backers have pledged more than $7.5 billion to over 600,000 creative projects on the platform in categories such as art, design, fashion, film, and more.

Wilson joined the tech company from Lyft where she was the VP of finance transformation and analytics. She was responsible for advancing the company’s financial processes, systems, and analytics capabilities. Before Lyft, she held leadership roles at brands like Oldcastle Infrastructure, EY, Cox Automotive, and IHG Hotels & Resorts.

Becoming a finance chief was on her radar since her time as an MBA student at Emory University. “I remember saying, I’m going to be a CFO or a chief transformation officer, or both,” says the exec who has a finance and accounting background.

But Wilson’s sense of collaboration and knowing how the business operates is part of being a modern CFO, she says. “I love transformation and strategy work,” she says. 

“A lot of times finance folks are missing the transformation part,” she explains. You know the data and numbers, “but how do you actually implement business change?” she says. “Traditional CFOs are sometimes performative,” Wilson explains. For example, they understand the financials, KPIs, and business objectives, she says. “I think the modern CFO really gets connected to how the work gets done,” Wilson explains, “and it gets done through your people.”

For example in strategy discussions, “I’ll always say, let’s pause for a second and talk about how do we create something sustainable?” she says. “How will the people be impacted in these endeavors that we’re actually going to be standing up?” Regarding a people perspective, McKinsey experts have pointed to how finance leaders can help promote talent development within their organizations. 

In her first 90 days, Wilson plans to continue “doing some deep learning and deep listening,” she says. “One of the things that I look at when creating wins is building trust,” she explains. “If I’m coming into your organization, and you’re the head of technology, we have to have a trust-based relationship. I have to have a mechanism for talking with you and understanding what your challenges are.”

Collaborative partnership

Another aspect of Wilson’s role is being the strategic partner to Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor, who was appointed to the role in September 2022. On Fortune’s Leadership Next podcast in March, Taylor talked with Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt about the lack of Black leadership in the C-suites of most technology companies, as well as what he wants for Kickstarter’s future, such as more inclusion and huge growth. 

“Everette always has a clear vision of where we’re going and what’s important,” Wilson says. “But how he brings you to the table to be a part of that process is, to me, what makes him special. And we do truly have a collaborative partnership.”

In her career, Wilson says she has never worked for a finance leader who is Black, and has worked with some women, but mostly men. However, she’s had a lot of advocates. “The approach to building trusting relationships has worked well for me in a way that builds an authentic connection where people will ultimately advocate for you,” Wilson explains. And she adds, “You must be an advocate for yourself as well.” Be clear about where you want to go in your career, Wilson says. She’s also looking forward to growing mentorship in order to build an inclusive finance talent pipeline. 

When Wilson’s not wearing her CFO hat, she enjoys time with her family, sometimes wearing costumes. “This weekend I’m going to Dragon Con with my nine-year-old and seven-year-old sons,” she told me last week. “I don’t even know what they’ve gotten me to wear. They have been working on a costume for me.”

It’s certain Wilson will emerge with a plenty of new connections.

Sheryl Estrada
sheryl.estrada@fortune.com

Leaderboard

Dave Loretta was named CFO at The Honest Company (Nasdaq: HNST), a consumer products company, effective Sept. 25. Loretta succeeds Kelly Kennedy, who stepped down from her role as CFO after two and a half years. Kennedy helped steward the company’s IPO and now intends to focus on board service. With more than 25 years of experience, Loretta most recently served as SVP and CFO of Duluth Trading. Before his role at Duluth Trading, Loretta spent more than 14 years in a series of roles at Nordstrom and Restoration Hardware, where he developed deep retail and consumer product knowledge.

Kendra Adams was named CFO at C4 Therapeutics, Inc. (C4T) (Nasdaq: CCCC), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, effective Sept. 18. Adams will succeed Lauren White, who will be leaving C4T to pursue a new role with a commercial-stage pharmaceutical company. Adams joined C4T in November 2020 as SVP of investor relations and corporate communications and a member of the company’s management team. For nearly 20 years, she has worked in the biotechnology sector where she has developed investor relations programs. Adams joined C4T from Agios Pharmaceuticals, where she held investor relations roles of increasing responsibility during her tenure. She previously led investor relations at ARIAD Pharmaceuticals and began her investor relations career at Amgen.

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Big deal

A new Pew Research Center survey finds that many Americans haven’t yet used the generative A.I. technology ChatGPT. Among those who have heard of ChatGPT, overall, 24% say they have ever used it. That amounts to 18% of U.S. adults overall, according to Pew. However, use varies by generation. Among those who have heard about ChatGPT, 41% of adults under 30 have used it; that share drops to 19% when looking at 50- to 64-year-olds and just 5% for those 65 and older.

The survey also found that college-educated Americans stand out—32% of adults who have a college degree or more education and have heard of ChatGPT have used it, according to Pew. The findings are based on a survey of 5,057 U.S. adults conducted July 17–23, 2023.

Courtesy of Pew Research Center

Going deeper

"Surviving the Attention Economy: How to Keep Audiences Engaged," the latest episode of podcast Knowledge at Wharton, explores new research from Wharton’s Jonah Berger on how the right words can help captivate audiences and hold their attention. Berger's latest study offers important takeaways for anyone who wants to craft more compelling written communication.

Overheard

"The continued positive inflation and labor market news has led us to cut our estimated 12-month U.S. recession probability further."

—Goldman Sachs chief economist Jan Hatzius wrote in a note to clients on Monday. Hatzius has been rethinking the odds of the U.S. economy falling into recession this year. He now believes there is just a 15% chance of a U.S. recession within the next year, down from the 35% possibility he forecasted in January, Fortune reported.