Read Part I: Cosimo Pantaleo, CA, on Pumping Gas and Being the Head of Finance
How much time did you take off and where did you end up next?
I took the summer off and then somehow landed in front of you. Fortunately, you had me in front of clients within a couple of days and ultimately placed me in a fantastic contract financial analyst job within a week. The contract was at The Globe & Mail, a newspaper company going through an incredible transition from a traditional media organization to a digital one.. I used many of the business skills that I learned at the ESSO to help me succeed in my role and responsibilities at The Globe.
I started out as a financial analyst but evolved into a senior project manager and a leader in the finance group over my 2.5 years with the organization. I established some great relationships as we worked through what The Globe called ‘Re-imagination’. This allowed me to ‘re-imagine’ my own career and define my strengths, while building some lifelong friendships along the way. To sub in as a Sr. Financial Analyst, and to have been involved with the projects that I was and to build relationships with senior people within the organization was a great personal accomplishment.
I established some great relationships as we worked through what The Globe called ‘Re-imagination’. This allowed me to ‘re-imagine’ my own career and define my strengths…..
What were the key skills you acquired or deepened at The Globe?
There were a number of skills I developed during my time at The Globe:
- Budgeting and Planning
- Business Case Skills
- Project Management
- Financial Modeling
- Team leadership
- Performance management
Who did you work for after The Globe?
Because of my digital media experience at The Globe, I was recruited to join a digital medial company called Kaboose. The goal there was to rebuild the finance team, and in doing so, rebuild the company. I followed someone I knew and trusted and we built an incredible finance team. I was the Senior Director of Finance of North America and after rebuilding the company, the founders decided to sell the business to Disney. I stayed on as a consultant to wind up the public shell for a year afterwards. I have been consulting ever since as it allows me the flexibility and variety I need. Being a consultant allows me to feel connected to whatever it is I am working on and I really invest in the process completely. It also allows me to maintain the work/life balance that I crave and I avoid labeling myself.
Being a consultant allows me to feel connected to whatever it is I am working on and I really invest in the process completely.
How did working contract restart your finance career?
The reason I went to contract work was to see what was out there and get a taste of the corporate world again. KPMG gave me corporate, professional experience. Imperial Oil/Esso gave me hands-on operational experience and my time at The Globe allowed me to marry the two and work on projects that overlap operations and finance. Contract work gave me the breadth of experience and the network that I needed to be a successful consultant.
…my time at The Globe allowed me to marry the two and work on projects that overlap operations and finance.
Cosimo Pantaleo will laughingly tell you that he defies labels. He will wax poetically about his kids’ soccer prowess and his wife’s cooking. Do not be fooled, however. He is sharp, very sharp and misses little. His wide range of experiences, entrepreneurial mindset and diverse network allow him to commit himself to a project or company wholeheartedly, embracing change, rebuilding teams and achieving objectives. And yes, he doesn’t mind kicking around a soccer ball himself every once in a while.
