Our Alumni: Vanna Krantz: PwC

Ambitious but not competitive

During a recent conversation, Vanna Krantz revealed what lasting lessons she took from PwC,why she’s proud of her work launching Disney+, and what she’s up to now.

What were your early years like?
I grew up in Ottawa, Canada, the capital of Canada, but still a relatively small city. Then, after completing my math degree at University of Waterloo, I became a chartered accountant, and I went to work at a bank in Toronto. Quite frankly, I think I made that choice because financial independence was important to me, and accounting was a clearly defined profession.

What drew you to PwC?
In the mid-1990s, I moved from Canada to New York City with my husband who was going to graduate school there. So I needed to find a job. I remember looking at some speaker names on a conference flier, and I noticed someone impressive who was at PwC. So I looked up the address of the PwC office and went over and asked at the front desk if I could speak with someone in HR. I must have been very lucky because they said yes — I joined a “Super Saturday” group, and that’s how I ended up getting my first job in the US.

How was your experience at the firm?
Oh, I loved it, mostly because there was so much teamwork and human interaction. It pushed me to reach a higher level of intensity, quality, and excellence in my work. The people around me really pushed me to work hard and delight our clients.

Any lasting lessons from your time at the firm?
Boil your message down to the key points. A partner once said I didn’t have fire in my belly, so I learned to show my enthusiasm and interest in the work more outwardly.

Since leaving PwC, you’ve held impressive leadership roles. How would you describe your style?
I think I’ve always been ambitious but not competitive, and I really like to empower my teams. I think people would say I’m open and transparent. Working at the grassroots and being strategic as well as being honest about what I know and what I don’t know is my style.

In your current role as CFO at Passport, what are you focusing on?
Passport is a fintech company in the mobility space, so we earn revenue on parking and enforcement transactions via our app and payments processing. But our greater good is really the data that comes with all of this information. Now that everything is digitized, we can help cities better understand where there’s more congestion so we can add value in terms of providing that data as cities think about urban planning and smart mobility.

I know you’re also sitting on a couple of boards now. What’s that experience like?
I love it. I think it’s a great opportunity for someone to add real value and share their operational experience where they’re a specialist. So, in my case, for example, I can bring my experience in streaming video to the world of gaming, which is another direct to consumer business, hence there are a lot of the same KPIs. Growth is based on content and how that content engages your customers.

Reflecting on your career at this point, what makes you feel the most proud?
Oh gosh. That's no contest. I’m proudest of what I accomplished at Disney+. It was an extremely intense but exciting time for me, and I wasn't particularly knowledgeable in direct-to-consumer businesses when I started so it got me out of my comfort zone. I loved learning something new, building a team from scratch, and ultimately succeeding at launching a highly successful new product with an incredible team.

What are some of the most important lessons you’ve taken from the pandemic?
I think the ability to build trust and strong relationships are increasingly critical in the hybrid working environment. And I think it’s also increasingly important to bring your whole self to work, to be authentic.

Speaking of that, how do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I go to the gym. I have a dog who I love. I enjoy the outdoors and gardening. And I’ve taken up golf, which is a beautiful way to spend free time. But I’m also just going to say this, because I suspect I’m not the only one who might feel this way: For women working full-time, who have children and run the household, there's little time for hobbies. So now at this stage of life, when my kids are out of the house and I don’t have a daily commute, I feel a little disappointed not to have developed more passions outside of work and family—but that’s pretty much what I spent my life focused on until this point. So I suppose I’m still figuring out how else I like to spend my time.

If you could go back in time and tell your 18-year-old self something, what would it be?
Have patience. From both a professional and personal perspective, getting where you want to go takes time. In the meantime, try to enjoy the moment.

What helpful advice can you offer others?
Be excellent at your craft, and demonstrate your capability as well as your desire to even be better. I think part of the reason why I was successful at Disney+ is because I gave everything I had, and more. That effort was recognized, and it’s still the way I work now.