How Elena Gomez became one of the most powerful women in tech
Summary
- Interview with Elena Gomez, President/CFO of Toast, focused on her career journey and leadership philosophy, not a market or earnings commentary.
- Gomez's origin story: daughter of Salvadoran immigrants, instilled with a strong work ethic; her first career goal was simply to get a job to help her family.
- She never initially aimed to be a CFO; the idea was suggested by a colleague at Salesforce, which made her realize she had "under-appreciated" her own value.
- Leadership framework: compares it to coaching a team; success is about knowing how to assemble the right talent, not knowing everything yourself. Advises hiring to complement your blind spots.
- Discusses lack of women in tech leadership: only ~11% of Fortune 500 CEOs are female (as of 2025), and only ~20% of CFOs are female.
- Shares anecdotes of gender bias: e.g., being mistaken for a non-leader at a basketball game and investors initially addressing her male IR head during a roadshow.
- Career navigation principle: she leaves a role when she stops learning. Took the Toast role as it combined FinTech and SaaS, presenting a new challenge.
- Toast's AI initiative: "Toast IQ" is a conversational co-pilot for restaurant operators, designed to provide insights (e.g., sales comparisons) and trigger actions (e.g., automated inventory ordering).
- Gomez emphasizes leveraging Toast's data from over 160,000 restaurants for AI, citing a benchmarking example that can advise on menu pricing.
- Personal AI use: uses ChatGPT daily for both personal tasks (e.g., parenting advice) and work (e.g., summarizing contracts).
- Leadership evolution: key growth has been in "zooming out" to provide perspective and clarity during unexpected challenges, aiming to be a "steady, calm voice."
- She is active in mentorship and DEI initiatives, sponsoring employee resource groups at Toast and co-hosting an event for future CFOs with a 50% female attendee quota.
Speakers
Summary
- Interview focuses on Elena Gomez's career journey from immigrant family background to becoming President & CFO of Toast, emphasizing work ethic and seizing opportunities.
- Toast is a tech platform for restaurants, handling payments, operations, payroll, and tips management. It has expanded into new verticals: international markets and a retail business adjacent to restaurants.
- Gomez highlights the persistent gender gap in tech leadership: ~11% of Fortune 500 CEOs are female, and ~20% of CFOs are female as of 2025 data.
- Toast's key AI initiative is "Toast IQ," described as a co-pilot for restaurant operators. It uses conversational AI to provide insights (e.g., sales comparisons) and enable actions (e.g., automatic inventory ordering).
- The company powers over 160,000 restaurants, providing a significant data asset for AI and benchmarking products (e.g., comparing menu item pricing).
- Gomez is involved in mentoring and diversity initiatives, including co-hosting an event for future CFOs with a curated 50% female attendee list and sponsoring employee resource groups at Toast.
- Leadership philosophy centers on building the right team ("putting the right players on the field"), zooming out for perspective, and maintaining steadiness under pressure.
- Personal anecdotes illustrate challenges as a woman in finance/tech, including being mistaken for a non-leader in investor meetings.
