‘Always raise your hand’ for a career boost

Coworking is a weekly segment where we talk to CFOs and other leaders in the finance space about their experiences, their companies, and the larger economy. Let us know if you are—or you know—a CFO we should interview.

Devin Poch became CFO of Figure 8, which runs the Museum of Ice Cream in New York City, in December 2023. Previously, he was regional CFO at WeWork. He spoke with CFO Brew about what drew him to the role and his passion for design.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What advice would you give someone who wants to become a CFO?

I don’t think there’s any one track to become a CFO. I think it’s more about adding varied experience and skill sets to your toolbox. It's about being curious. It’s about asking questions. I do think people who want to learn as much as possible about the business, understand the drivers behind the business, can then ultimately add value to the business.

If there are projects that are surfacing within the company, always raise your hand. You never know…where that experience may take you and how it may serve you later in your career.

What brought you to work at Figure 8?

Early on, through the interview process, I got the opportunity to visit our New York City location, and I brought my one-year-old son. And it was a memory we still talk about in our family to this day: Seeing my son try ice cream for the first time, explore this space, and be in awe at everything he was seeing—being able to…almost play like a kid again while watching my son play like a kid. That’s what this company is built on.

How did you prepare for the new role?

There’s a whole bunch of things that I’ve had exposure to earlier in my career that have allowed me to hit the ground running here, whether it’s been my past experience at WeWork, and the great team that I got to work with there, or having exposure to multi-unit operations and new unit builds. A lot of my career journey has been in the FP&A realm. Those skill sets around budgeting, forecasting, [and] bringing data and insights to the business allow me to work well in an environment like this [where leadership] is looking for actionable information as they make decisions around new builds.

If you weren’t a CFO, what would you be?

I would say architect. Even back in high school, I had a mix of being interested in art and math and science. I’ve continued to maintain that passion for buildings, for intelligent design. It interests me how space can allow or prohibit people from interacting and connecting. I count myself lucky that I get to work with design and production professionals.

So, what’s your favorite ice cream flavor?

That may be the hardest question. Either mint chip, I would say, or anything in the cookie dough realm.