Cfo Thought Leader

When Andrea Hecht walks into a finance meeting, she’s not preparing for earnings calls or shareholder Q&A. Instead, her focus is inward—on aligning every financial decision with a mission that begins and ends with AAA members.CSAA Insurance, where Hecht serves as CFO, operates in 23 states and the District of Columbia. It’s not publicly traded. “We’re technically owned by our policyholders,” Hecht tells us, noting that CSAA distributes almost exclusively through AAA clubs to AAA members.That difference in ownership structure reshapes everything—from financial priorities to communication rhythms. “We don’t necessarily have those traditional…quarterly earnings calls,” she explains. “Part of the way I think about my communication is primarily inward…to make sure every decision we make is deeply tied to our strategy.”For CSAA, strategy is inseparable from service. “Our strategy is deeply tied to serving AAA members,” Hecht tells us. That’s especially vital in California, where Hecht says CSAA faces its greate