Meet the Morrow Sodali Team: Nataliya Strugatskaya, Global CFO

1. What has been your professional path?

I started my career at PwC in the Moscow office, advising  clients on corporate finance, company valuations and M&A, supported by an incredible network of mentors and colleagues. From there, I transferred to New York.

While in New York, I was lucky to have served some of PwC’s top corporate and private equity accounts and ultimately went to work for one of them. After PwC, I held two operational CFO jobs, Sodali & Co being the third. 

2. What attracted you to Sodali & Co?

Sodali & Co offers clients a unique opportunity  to gain a complete understanding of shareholders and a subsequent 360 engagement strategy. Delivering global expertise in strategic communications, shareholder advisory and ESG under the same umbrella is revolutionary and highly relevant. We are the first to find a winning formula to deliver holistic stakeholder advice to  key global corporate decision makers. Once I understood the mission, I wanted to be a part of it.

3. What has surprised or impressed you most since joining Sodali & Co?

The depth of our local knowledge we have in the markets we serve. It’s truly humbling to be part of a global network that has experts that speak languages of their markets, literally and metaphorically, yet also works as one unified Sodali & Co team.

4. What are your main objectives as Sodali & Co’s Global CFO?

Remember, I grew up as a practitioner, serving my clients for almost 15 years before switching to the CFO path. I know the demands of  client service, its totally unique rewards, and the joy of  seeing your client succeed.

My job as the CFO is to support our practitioners so that they can, in turn, do their best for our clients. 

I must understand our clients' evolving needs, identify the areas where we want to invest, strategically build capabilities, and drive integration across service offerings and geographies so that our clients get the expertise they need.

5. What are your defining qualities as a leader?

I am defined by the strength of my team and my partnership with the business partners I am here to serve.

I think it’s a misconception that leaders choose their team members as a one-way street. I have very high standards when it comes to talent selection, but the question I am asking myself every day is what I need to do for these incredibly talented people to continue to choose me as their partner.

6. What should be top of mind for clients at this moment in time?

Investors and wider stakeholders are discerning. With the increasingly heterogenous investor universe, communication is key to serving your existing investors and to attract new ones. Understanding, and being understood by your stakeholder base directly impacts business outcomes. In a challenging capital markets environment, it can make a difference between the business receiving or not receiving funding for a critical initiative.

Given our geographical breadth and expertise, Sodali & Co is uniquely positioned to serve as a trusted advisor to our clients as they navigate these crucial questions of effective communication in the market.