Editor’s note: Kris Giswold (pictured), Senior Vice President, Finance, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (AMEA), at Mondelez believes that female leaders can bring a diverse perspective and lens to the table to help companies make better decisions. The interview is part of FutureCFO's Female Leadership in Finance Series.
FutureCFO: When did you start to become interested in finance? Can you briefly describe your finance career journey and one or two highlights along that journey?
Kris Giswold (KG): My journey in finance began with my love of puzzles and numbers. I can vividly remember my first high school economics class, that was when I first realized that math wasn’t only theoretical.
Numbers could tell a story, they could explain behaviours and predict the future. This led me to pursue an MBA in finance and created a desire to understand business and consumers through analytics.
Straight out of business school in 1995, I joined Mondelez International as a senior financial analyst for Kraft Foods in the United States.
Since then, I’ve held finance roles across the business and the globe, gaining a comprehensive perspective on our business.
One of the pivotal highlights of my career was serving as the finance director for the biscuits category in Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (AMEA).
This role allowed me to drive substantial business results and foster growth across 27 diverse markets, each having a unique set of challenges. It provided an in-depth understanding of emerging markets including consumer needs across culture, languages, and economic landscape.
Another significant milestone was my stint as the chief audit and control officer based in Zurich, Switzerland. This role broadened my understanding of the intricacies of financial oversight and enterprise risk management. It was an important step in my career to work with our Board’s Audit Committee and drive process improvements at a global scale.
Throughout my journey, I have continually strived to be a strategic business leader, both in and out of my finance function, leveraging my extensive experience across developed and emerging markets.
Partnering with various functions such as marketing, sales, and supply chain has equipped me with a holistic view of how finance intertwines with the broader spectrum of business operations.
FutureCFO: What do you enjoy the most among your current responsibilities?
KG: Leading across such a diverse range of markets means we face a wide range of challenges— you never know what the day is going to bring. But that’s what makes the role interesting and ensures that I continue to learn.
The markets in AMEA come with unique economic, cultural, and regulatory landscapes—it’s important to remain agile and scan the horizon to see what could be coming. Our CEO often says it’s easy to act on a strong signal but true leadership is about acting and being prepared against a weak signal.
Finance leaders in Mondelez are co-pilots in strategic decision-making, driving growth and building sustainable processes. The ability to make a substantial difference within such a diverse region is what I find most rewarding in my current responsibilities at Mondelez.
Someone told me early on to “have a point of view” and while this seems like simple advice, it helped me force myself to share my thoughts.
FutureCFO: What are some of the biggest challenges facing you as a finance leader today? How would some of these challenges evolve in the next few years?
KG: Finance leaders will continue to face challenges over the next few years and these challenges will be things we plan for but also things we don't even expect.
So, it’s important that we build an engaged, capable team with the ability to deliver results despite any headwinds.
My management philosophy is "leading with context and coaching with content". Building a world-class finance team demands a strategic investment in nurturing talents, shaping their expertise, and adapting swiftly to the ever-changing financial landscape.
Managing a team across half of the globe is a multifaceted challenge.
Fostering flexibility and trust is important when we need to accommodate varied time zones, cultural nuances, and work preferences. My leadership team works with the talent in their markets and across the globe to invest time and effort in the team’s growth through training, job rotations, and coaching.
FutureCFO: What’s your advice to female finance & accounting professionals who aspire to become finance leaders?
KG: Aspiring female professionals can help companies by bringing a diverse perspective and lens to the table for better decision making.
Ensuring we, as female leaders, take that seat at the table and speak up will provide differing thought processes, ideas, and filters. We need to remember this when we’re thinking. Should I sit in the back and just listen or should I take a seat near the front and share my point of view?
Someone told me early on to “have a point of view” and while this seems like simple advice, it helped me force myself to share my thoughts. Often what may have seemed obvious to me wasn’t obvious to rest of the teammates.
As you rise in your level of responsibility, juggling numerous priorities become quite challenging.
Being a working mother myself, I’ve had to figure out what works best for me. I’ve set my key priorities and stick to them, this often means sacrificing something others might prioritise.
Don’t feel ashamed that you had to let certain things slip off the table. I prioritise my family, time with friends, and my work. When something else comes up which I cannot manage and it’s outside of those three, I let myself off the hook and don’t beat myself up.
In finance leadership roles, it's vital to foster a culture supporting work-life integration, delivering what’s most important while utilizing and role modelling flexibility to your team.
FutureCFO: Tell me something about yourself: What are your hobbies? How do some of these help you relax outside work? Do some of them inspire your work?
KG: As I mentioned earlier, I love puzzles. When I need a moment to relax, I look to things like Wordle, sudoku and logic puzzles.
I find myself in deep thought which takes my mind off any issues and give me a break. But at the same time, my mind stays active and I’m ready to tackle the next challenge in AMEA soon after.
