Class of 2026
When Cynthia Chu, Chief Financial and Growth Officer at Audible, visited the Wisconsin School of Business on April 24, she brought with her not only an impressive career journey, from General Electric’s leadership development program to the C-suite at NBCUniversal, and now at a tech-forward company, but also a clear message: growth comes from cross-functional fluency, a willingness to learn, and the courage to go beyond your job description.
As a Strategic Human Resource Management MBA student, I left the event with one central takeaway: today’s most effective leaders, including human resources (HR) professionals, must think beyond their own department. Chu’s experience leading both finance and marketing at Audible demonstrates that siloed leadership is outdated. Instead, the future lies in collaboration, data-informed strategy, and a relentless focus on talent, whether you’re acquiring customers or recruiting employees.
Chu’s title: Chief Financial and Growth Officer, is more than a new, semantic twist. It reflects a changing business reality: successful companies require leaders who can be subject matter experts and shape culture. At Audible, this is especially critical. With no physical product to sell, human capital is the company’s most vital asset. Chu reminded us that Audible does not make anything a consumer can hold, yet their product is created, delivered, and consumed people, so investing in talent is investing in growth.
This insight directly connects to HR’s evolving role as a strategic partner. Talent acquisition, for example, shouldn’t be treated as an administrative function. Rather, it should mirror customer acquisition. Chu shared that her team refers to it as “Talent Acquisition,” not “recruiting,” intentionally aligning it with growth functions like marketing. In a world of tight labor markets and evolving employee expectations, HR teams must embrace this lens.
Chu also emphasized the increasingly data-driven nature of marketing, and by extension, of all business functions. Her transition into marketing leadership at Audible was grounded in the reality that finance and marketing now share a common language: data.
HR professionals can (and should!) take the same approach. From compensation strategy to employee engagement, we have more access to people analytics than ever before. If CFOs are leaning into functions traditionally considered “soft” like brand storytelling and “customer obsession”, HR leaders must equally lean into analytics and business outcomes.
Still, Chu was clear: data doesn’t replace human connection. No matter what or who you are managing, listening is key. “Don’t let your job description define you,” she urged us. “Focus on listening and learning- people want to help you succeed.”
Chu’s own career journey hasn’t followed a straight line, and that’s by design. She began in GE’s leadership development program and moved through a series of diverse roles, gaining exposure to different functions and industries. At NBCUniversal, she started as a Director of Financial Operations and ultimately rose to become CFO of USA Network. Her curiosity and openness to change propelled her to senior leadership.
She quoted her Chief People Officer at Audible: “It’s OK to have a squiggly career path.” For MBA students, especially those pivoting into HR from other industries, this was deeply affirming. Many of us bring varied experiences in other industries and roles. Rather than viewing these as detours, Chu reminds us to view them as valuable learning opportunities that help build the kind of cross-functional perspective that modern companies need. She encouraged us to stop seeing ourselves as members of departments and start seeing ourselves as contributors to a shared enterprise. As she reminds her staff: “We all work for Audible, not for individual teams.”
Perhaps the most compelling insight for aspiring HR leaders came when Chu explained the role of finance in capital allocation. As CFO, she helps determine where to invest, and that includes investing in talent. This struck me as a call to action for HR professionals. Too often, we shy away from the financial side of business, positioning ourselves as people-first but numbers-averse. But understanding capital allocation and making the case for talent as a driver of ROI should be central to the HR agenda.
We must be able to answer: How does our compensation strategy support retention? Which investments in learning and development yield the greatest performance gains? How can we partner with finance to prioritize culture as a business strategy?
As MBA students in the Strategic Human Resource specialization, we’re uniquely positioned to carry these lessons forward. Our curriculum challenges us to think beyond compliance and administration, to engage deeply with business strategy and analytics. But just as importantly, it challenges us to embrace a growth mindset.
Cynthia Chu’s story is a reminder that leadership isn’t about fitting a mold: it’s about stretching it. Whether you’re an HR professional learning finance, a marketer diving into operations, or a CFO stepping into brand strategy, the key is to stay curious, adaptable, and collaborative.
Her closing advice echoed this sentiment: “If there’s no seat at the table, go find your own folding chair.” For HR leaders of the future, that means stepping up, speaking data, and driving strategy. We don’t need permission to lead. We just need to be ready when the moment comes.