CFO Focus Live! Video Podcast Features — The Second Check: What CFOs Really Pay for Talent

Featuring Adam Townsend, former CFO and CPO of Vizio, the Smart TV soundbar company, andVan Lai-DuMone, TEDx speaker, author, CEO of worksmart Advantage

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, July 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- CFO Focus Live!, the video podcast series for finance executives, will hold its next episode on Wednesday, July 29, 2026 at 4:30 PM ET / 1:30 PM PT, taking on a cost every CFO knows well but few talk about publicly: the “second check” written every month — payroll — and everything that goes into finding, recruiting, and retaining the talent behind it.

The episode features a conversation with Adam Townsend, the former Chief Financial Officer and Chief People Officer of Vizio, the Smart TV and soundbar company, interviewed by Van Lai-DuMone, TEDx speaker, author, and CEO of worksmart Advantage, an expert on building teams that work well together.
Townsend and Lai-DuMone will discuss how CFOs and Chief People Officers can think about payroll not just as a fixed cost, but as a strategic lever for attracting, developing, and keeping the people who drive a company’s performance — drawing on Townsend’s experience leading both finance and people functions at a public company through an IPO, a pandemic, and a multibillion-dollar acquisition.

Open to all — CFOs and Chief People Officers (CPOs) are especially encouraged to attend. The session will run as an interactive roundtable on Zoom, with attendees invited to join on camera and participate in the discussion. Those who can’t attend live are welcome to watch or listen to the video podcast afterward, at their convenience.

Event Details
What: CFO Focus Live! Video Podcast — “The Second Check: What CFOs Really Pay for Talent”

When: Wednesday, July 29, 2026, 4:30 PM ET / 1:30 PM PT

Format: Live, interactive Zoom roundtable (cameras on encouraged); video podcast available on demand afterward

Featured Guest: Adam Townsend, former CFO & Chief People Officer, Vizio

Host: Van Lai-DuMone, TEDx speaker, author, and CEO, worksmart Advantage

Who Should Attend: Open to all —CFOs and Chief People Officers (CPOs) encouraged to attend

Registration: www.cfofocus.org

About Adam Townsend
Adam Townsend built his finance career at CBS and Showtime before joining Vizio, the television and soundbar company, as Chief Financial Officer and Chief People Officer. In that dual role, he led Vizio through its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange during the COVID-19 pandemic, and later helped guide the company through its multibillion-dollar sale to Walmart. After completing the post-acquisition integration and declining a relocation to Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, Townsend is now exploring his next opportunity.

About Van Lai-DuMone
Van Lai-DuMone is a TEDx speaker, author, and the CEO of worksmart Advantage, where she helps executive teams learn to collaborate and perform well together through her signature framework, Creative Integration™. She is the host of the “Second Check” conversation series on CFO Focus Live!, interviewing finance and people leaders about the human side of running a company.

About CFO Focus
CFO Focus produces intimate gatherings and engaging conversations with CFOs in most major cities in the US and Canada. Led by leading business journalists like former CNBC correspondents Jane Wells, Bertha Coombs and Aditi Roy, CFO Focus features CFOs from large public companies, M&A companies and “hot growth” companiesfueling their growth with excellent finance leaders.

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