Originally posted on CFO Thought Leader
It was a puzzle that John Wilson simply couldn’t resist. Intel had long sold processors to the federal government on a commercial basis, but the rising importance of High Performance Computing (HPC) demanded a new approach. Undeterred by the maze of federal acquisition regulations, Wilson volunteered to stand up a dedicated government unit, a move that he tells us helped unlock cutting-edge HPC research. The work took him to the edges of “bleeding-edge technology,” even if it also meant navigating the detailed rigors of government compliance.
That knack for transformation would serve Wilson well when he later encountered another pivotal moment: the day the moving truck arrived at his new home in Oregon—just as Intel announced the dissolution of the very business group he was joining. Rather than panic, he thrived, moving on to master complex FP&A and business development roles. It was the same mindset that guided him in standing up an entirely separate legal entity to better serve government contracts, broadening his view of finance from purely operational tasks to strategic decision-making.
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