Corporate finance often sits in its own silo, relegated to spreadsheets and quarterly reports while the rest of the business drives strategy. But what if finance could be the engine that powers growth and resilience? Financial leaders who integrate strategy, culture, and compliance create foundations that withstand market volatility and fuel sustainable expansion. Virginie Costa has spent two decades proving this approach works at the highest levels, managing billions in revenue across luxury, beauty, and consumer goods companies while serving as CFO and now as a board director.
Start with Finance as a Strategic Engine
Most companies treat finance as a separate function, but Virginie sees it differently. Her approach centers on integration rather than isolation. “You want to make sure that the finance strategy is aligned with your supply chain, is aligned with your operations, is aligned with your corporate and operational structures,” she explains. This alignment creates a financial structure that genuinely supports business objectives instead of constraining them.
For Virginie, financial leadership isn’t about saying no – it’s about finding ways to say yes that protect the company while enabling growth. Too many finance teams operate as gatekeepers rather than enablers. By connecting financial planning directly to operational realities, her teams build frameworks that support innovation while maintaining necessary guardrails. The results speak for themselves. Throughout her career spanning luxury brands and consumer goods, Virginie has consistently demonstrated how strategic finance drives better outcomes. By breaking down silos between finance and operations, companies gain the agility to respond to market changes without sacrificing financial discipline.
Build Cross-Functional Trust and Accountability
Many companies approach M&A primarily as financial transactions, focusing on spreadsheets and cost synergies while overlooking crucial human elements. Virginie takes a more nuanced view. “Mergers and acquisitions are not just about fit, they’re about figures and culture,” she notes, emphasizing the three pillars of successful deals. What does a successful acquisition actually look like?
Virginie breaks it down practically: “First, you want to make sure that you have a great integration plan. You understand how the two cultures will eventually merge. You need to also understand the financial discipline around how that transaction will get conducted.”
The cultural piece often gets minimized in deal-making, but Virginie places it front and center. “You want to make sure that you have a great cultural analysis to be very successful,” she emphasizes. Her focus on cultural integration reflects lessons learned through multiple acquisitions where financial projections looked promising on paper but faltered during implementation due to clashing company cultures.
Balance Innovation with Operational Discipline
Compliance often gets treated as a necessary evil – something companies do because they must, not because they want to. Virginie flips this perspective, showing how robust compliance actually creates business value. “Building compliance inside the culture,” she explains, starts with “a proactive risk management attitude.” This approach requires transparency and courage. “You want to make sure that you do without any taboo, identify all the different challenges that are about to happen,” Virginie notes. By facing potential problems head-on rather than hoping they won’t materialize, companies can develop stronger controls that prevent issues before they emerge.
Clear financial controls provide the structure that supports ethical behavior. “What are those different steps and thresholds that need to be met to be successful?” Virginie asks, highlighting how specific processes enable broader cultural alignment. But processes alone aren’t enough – leadership sets the tone. “You want to really build a culture of ethical and responsibility. And that means as leaders, you need to inspire that by your example,” she emphasizes. When executives demonstrate unwavering commitment to ethical standards, that behavior cascades throughout the organization.
Looking across her career managing billions in revenue, Virginie distills wisdom that applies regardless of company size. “Whether you’re managing billions in revenue or you’re preparing for your next phase of growth, these three areas, finance, M&A and compliance can be reactive. They need to be really designed into the company’s DNA.” Her closing advice captures the essence of strategic financial leadership: “If you lead with strategy, focus on integration and embed compliance at every level, you’ll be the business that’s not just profitable, but also resilient, building value that will last.”
Follow Virginie Costa on LinkedIn or check out her website for more insights on finance, leadership, and strategic growth.
