However, my journey at Emergn took an abrupt turn when I was unexpectedly asked to leave. Neither my direct manager nor any colleagues had any inkling of this. It came suddenly, within a single day. I proposed a phased exit to ensure a smooth transition. Still, the decision-maker, impatient to see me go, hastily disconnected me from all company systems, sidelining my ongoing projects and disregarding the people I led or the customer relationships I had. This decision came from our CFO, who also serves as the COO. Post my exit, there were attempts to justify the decision with baseless accusations by her. Sadly, this isn't the first time such an incident has occurred under her leadership. Due to this history, resulting exhaustion, and the pressure I was put under, I accepted the agreement to leave despite that by law I could have refused. The dozens of messages I received in support from people of Emergn of various levels after the fact is evidence that I was doing a good people management job, that it was easy to work with me and that this isn't just my personal experience. Since the CFO took her position four years ago, a significant number of business setbacks trace back to her. Her decision-making pattern seems consistent whether it's business losses, good employees resigning, or jeopardized customer relationships. Key decisions are often hasty, even when presented with meticulously outlined risks. There are a number of examples evidencing this in emails between her reports and herself which never get revealed to CEO because most people of Emergn are professional and won't escalate. Many managers hesitate to approach CFO out of fear, and it's concerning that most avoid discussing her manipulative behavior, feeling it's futile and that it will paint a target on their back. This is evidenced by nearly every manager's and VP's role being rotated, often forcibly, several times even during my short two years. During my tenure, I managed to achieve certain milestones; however, it seems my success might have drawn unnecessary attention. While the company has immense potential and is brimming with talent, the constant friction between the CEO's optimistic messages and the CFO's actions in reality renders many aspirations unattainable. This dynamic unfortunately tarnishes the CEO's credibility as well. To anyone considering a management role at Emergn: I'd advise caution, even if you're strong in presenting data-driven arguments - for our current CFO, she will make false accusations if she has to, as evidenced by my sudden release and justifications. She has shown that she will sacrifice business, trust, and reputation for the sake of keeping control and building a false narrative to keep the CEO under the illusion that what she does makes sense. To highlight my experience as evidence again: I was released in a couple of hours, without a reason given, cut off from systems while I had an existing impact on more than 60 people and some customer relationships - no business can operate on such hasty decisions. In summary, my time at Emergn was enriched with growth and collaboration, but the atmosphere became increasingly stifling under the CFO's leadership. It's a concern when one individual's impulsive decisions override the collective's well-being, trust, and potential growth. I hope that one day, my and other negative reviews can be overshadowed by positive ones but that day is not today.
