1089: Reinventing Operations for Lasting Impact | Brian McClintock, CFO, Fusion Connect

t was sixty days into his new role when Brian McClintock tells us he realized the company’s monthly “profit” was actually a million-dollar loss. As the CFO reviewed the financials, he discovered that each rosy figure concealed a troubling truth. For many executives, panic might have followed. Instead, McClintock’s response underscored a key principle: remain calm and stay focused on data-driven solutions.

As he dug deeper, a misalignment of actual costs and revenue assumptions emerged, revealing the precarious financial situation that demanded immediate action. Determined to right the ship, he mapped a bold course, recommending a strategic acquisition that would fortify cash flow and support operational improvements. “We had to leverage operational insights along with our existing relationships,” McClintock explains, adding that his experience in complex telecom environments allowed him to see beyond the numbers. The result was rapid transformation. Within a year, the company went from losing seven figures each month to generating a million dollars in monthly EBITDA—proof of the CFO’s insistence on purposeful change.

Now at Fusion Connect, McClintock embodies the philosophy behind “Transforming Telecom: From Monthly Loss to Growth Engine.” He regards telecom as more than a collection of data pipelines, emphasizing the customer experience metrics that “drive business health in a saturated market,” he tells us. Drawing on his private equity partnerships and operational background, he zeroes in on vital KPIs—like churn and bookings—to galvanize cross-department collaboration.