Editor's note: While travel—an important part of many business leaders' typical work routines—has allowed Florian Winterstein (pictured), CEO of Jedox, to learn how to succeed in other cultural settings, he shares with FutureCFO audiences in today's A Day in the Life interview how his experiences and interests outside work also inspire his professional growth.
FutureCFO: What does a typical day look like for you?
Florian Winterstein (FW): Let me first introduce myself briefly. My name is Florian, and I live with my family and three kids in Munich.
I have been working in the technology industry for over 30 years, and I am grateful for the fantastic journey and digital acceleration that I have seen during my career.
When I'm not taking care of my family and company, I enjoy cycling—both mountain biking and road biking—and photography.
I have two types of days: those where I travel and those where I work in the office or from home.
I enjoy both days as I connect with my teammates, customers, partners, and network. The majority of my time is spent on three main areas: market and customer-facing activities, company leadership and strategy, and maintaining our financial stability, shareholder management, and market position.
I operate on a structured meeting schedule, which includes quarterly strategy sessions, various team and leadership check-ins, and weekly one-to-one meetings with my direct reports. Regarding goals, targets, quarterly roadmaps, achievement, and performance cycles, I lead the company on a 100-day slice, meaning quarterly cadence.
FutureCFO: What excites you the most when you work with CFOs and finance functions?
FW: I am pleased to share that the work I do in collaboration with my colleagues aligns with the solutions provided by Jedox. In partnership with my CFO, Dr. Björn Schmidt, we work on rolling forecasts and a driver-based business model, making decisions based on scenarios derived from our Jedox model for recurring software and service businesses.
These methods are similar to those I use when talking to customers and partners about shaping the future of the office of finance, with Jedox as the digital business partner.
This approach not only enhances strategic planning and decision-making but also fosters cross-functional collaboration, adding significant value and meaning to our work. Through this synergy, we shape our future more confidently and create a positive impact on the business and beyond.
FutureCFO: Can you share an experience which was key to your professional growth?
FW: I am grateful for the different experiences I have had in life that have taught me valuable lessons.
When I was younger, I used to play competitive sports like cycling, which helped me understand the importance of working with others, perseverance, and planning for long-term goals.
My travel to countries and regions such as Switzerland, Asia, and the US taught me how to succeed in other cultural settings.
I like to apply consulting-type thinking that allows product strategies to meet the needs of the customer value creation process at the core of start-ups, scale-ups, and leading mature companies with rounded leadership skills and people management.
It sounds like a lot, but there is always more to learn, and one of my principles is to stay humble and even improve great achievements the next time.
FutureCFO: Is there anything outside work—such as a travel experience, a book, participation in a sport event or any volunteering experience—that serves as an important inspiration to your work or life? Can you tell us more about it?
FW: I already mentioned competitive sports, but photography adds that there are different perspectives on everything and that the flexibility to choose what works best is essential; stay creative and thoughtful, experiment, take the shot, and decide—with confidence.
