Stay True to Yourself E14
In this engaging episode of “Financial Footsteps,” host Chad Dean sits down with Claire Janssen, CFO of Ensemble Investments, to explore her dynamic journey from aspiring marketer to accomplished financial executive. Claire shares candid reflections on her career, from her start in public accounting to navigating industry roles, and underscores the importance of demonstrating leadership potential and transferable skills, even when lacking direct experience. She also emphasizes that leadership is a blend of innate traits and continuous learning, and recounts her path to senior management roles, including a pivotal move to Phoenix as a CFO. She also offers advice for aspiring executives, highlighting the need to align one’s skills with company culture and strategic goals. Her insights provide a valuable roadmap for professionals looking to climb the corporate ladder while staying true to their personal values.
As the conversation unfolds, Claire reflects on her decision to start her own consulting firm after experiencing burnout and how it eventually led her to her current role at Ensemble. Together with Chad, Claire tackles pressing topics like the importance of cultural fit in job selection, the challenges of leadership, and the evolving trends in finance and accounting. They explore the impact of AI, the dwindling number of accounting graduates, and the changing landscape of public accounting firms. Claire shares her views on the enduring value of obtaining a CPA, despite the increasing appeal of non-traditional finance roles. Throughout, Claire’s practical advice for younger professionals—embracing resilience, staying open to feedback, and the strategic importance of the CPA credential—resonates as a powerful message for anyone navigating the complexities of a finance career.
In her career, Claire Janssen has demonstrated how it’s possible to continually attain promotions through 1) merit and 2) being stretched to grow into the added responsibilities of the new title. She wasn’t afraid to take the next step.
Ensemble is a real developer, owner and operator in 12 markets, two coasts and a team of 1,100 employees. Our properties include master development, hospitality, multi-family, life science, and corporate office.
Claire Janssen is a CPA with over 30 years of accounting and finance experience in the real estate industry. She has worked for both public and privately held real estate companies serving both institutional and individual investors. She spent the first five years of her career in public accounting in Washington, D.C. and subsequently has served leading real estate industry companies in both Atlanta and Phoenix metropolitan areas.
Claire has a knack for identifying, hiring and developing high performing talent to serve in a role as business partners as well as identifying and overseeing process improvements in the Accounting/Finance departments.. These accomplishments earned her the FEI first Arizona Controller of the Year Award in 2018.
Claire is currently the CFO of Ensemble Real Estate in Phoenix, Arizona.
Connect with Claire on LinkedIn and Facebook.
About Financial Footsteps
Financial Footsteps is dedicated to providing insider access to successful accounting and finance leaders thereby providing ideas, insights, and ‘secrets to success’ to those aspiring to be leaders themselves.
Interactive conversations with guests will reveal the genesis for a career in accounting and finance, the great (and not so great) decisions that were made along the way, and the advice that these leaders would give to their younger selves.
About Your Host
Chad Dean has been an executive recruiter since 1996. He currently is owner and CEO of a top-ranked national recruiting firm with a 33 year history servicing the Finance disciplines.
Chad Dean’s relaxed and authentic recruiting style combined with a relentless work ethic and dedication to ethical recruiting has propelled him to the highest levels of success in recruitment and career counseling. He has been sought after by CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, and numerous other publications for his expertise.
Chad Dean is a proud Arizona native, married for 21 years, with two second-generation native teenage sons. He has an MBA from Arizona State University and a BS in Biology from FHSU.
About Our Sponsor
Integrated Management Resources was founded in 1990 in Tempe Arizona. Starting with clients like Goldman Sachs (first client and still a client today) and top Wall Street hedge funds, IMR built a robust recruiting process that digs out the most desirable ‘passive’ candidates from our client’s competitors.
IMR’s Phoenix Accounting and Finance practice services large and medium sized organizations for mid-senior level full-time placement and interim staffing.
