Lu Hur is convinced that organizational relationships are just as important as a finance leader’s technical knowledge. It was a lesson she learned early through a range of finance positions at major corporations.
Today, 20 years into her financial career, it’s even more evident as Hur manages a remote finance team as a first-time CFO at Meet The People. The New York City-based company serves as an umbrella organization, enabling nearly a dozen specialized marketing agencies to collaborate. There, she oversees member agency finance leaders that include one agency CFO and four finance vice presidents located in Canada and across the U.S.
Hur’s career began at Washington Mutual as a vendor credit analyst, followed by senior analyst roles at Microsoft and United Airlines before moving to media company IAC as senior finance manager. She later took on increasingly responsible finance positions at Publicis Media and 160over90 before joining Meet The People in January 2024.
Lu Hur
Group CFO, Meet The People
First CFO position: 2024
Notable previous employers:
- IAC
- United Airlines
- Microsoft
- Washington Mutual
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
SANDRA BECKWITH: Meet The People is the umbrella organization for an international group of independent agencies. What’s the CFO’s role in that situation?
LU HUR: Combined, Meet The People’s member agencies employ around 750 people. Meet the People, though, is a small organization with about a half dozen staffers focused on growth and member agency support.
As CFO, I partner with our CEO and COO — the co-founders — to oversee individual agency finance and accounting activities and translate data into strategic insights to drive growth. This involves working with agency leads and finance teams across the agencies.
You spent your early career in large, well-known corporations before moving into media and advertising. What prompted that industry shift, and how did you translate skills from, for example, airline revenue management, into the marketing agency world, where the product is creative talent?
Early in my career, I changed employers to broaden my perspective and acquire more skills. My move to New York City in 2013 was a turning point. That’s when I joined IAC, which owns a range of media and internet brands, to advance my career. As it turns out, my work with IAC’s digital and marketing portfolio became my gateway into the agency world.
And yes, traditional corporate and agency environments are very different. My background had given me a certain toolkit for evaluating ROI and performance, so I had the technical skills. But because my earlier employers are huge, complex, multi-layered companies, I also gained a certain degree of emotional intelligence.
That large-organization experience working across different groups taught me to tailor my communication skills to suit the audience.
You were drawn to Meet The People because of its "people-centric" approach. As CFO, how do you see the finance function supporting, influencing or advancing that cultural mission?
When I took over the finance function, the team was fragmented. Spread across several cities, agency finance staffers operated in silos. I have transformed them into a collaborative global team by implementing a structured communication framework with weekly calls and biweekly catch-ups, by trying to travel to one of the sites every month, and by hosting annual budget and offsite meetings.
By connecting our finance teams, we've also transformed them into strategic partners for their agency CEOs and leads. That internal alignment has a ripple effect across this entire organization.
"Don’t underestimate the power of the human element in finance."
Lu Hur
CFO, Meet The People
Looking back on your career, what do you think was the most pivotal moment?
When I joined marketing agency 160over90, it was just a few months before the pandemic shut everything down. I had to integrate into a new organization in a vacuum, which quickly dispelled the myth that finance is just about spreadsheets. In reality, the role is deeply human.
I realized that to be effective and successful in my role, I had to be very, very intentional about outreach. I established consistent communication so I could bridge the physical gap.
That experience reinforced my belief that in the finance function, numbers are our language, but the strength of our relationships is what actually drives the business forward.
What are you most proud of in your career?
What I'm doing right now. I'm leading a large, very distributed team, and serving as a partner to some of the smartest people I know at a diverse group of agencies. And I'm learning every day. It’s incredibly rewarding.
What advice would you give to others in finance hoping to become CFOs?
To underscore something I said earlier, don't underestimate the power of the human element in finance. A lot of people think the path to the CFO position is based purely on spreadsheets. The role is actually defined by cross-functional collaboration.
You do need the fundamental and technical background, but just as importantly, you need the ability to listen, empathize and communicate with leaders outside the finance bubble.
