March 2026 Member Spotlight - Svetlana (Lana) Toohey

Title: Controller

Company: SDII Global, LLC
 
Length of time you’ve been an FEI member: I’m a returning FEI member. I took a break from 2020 to 2025 to focus on my growing family, and I’m now happily re‑engaged with the organization.
 
FEI leadership involvement (past and present): Active chapter participant
 
Work email: [email protected]
 
Work phone number: (813) 283-9741
 
Why did you join the FEI Tampa Bay Chapter? And what benefits have you realized from your membership?
 
I joined FEI Tampa Bay to stay connected with other finance leaders who are thinking ahead. As Controllers and CFOs, we carry a lot of responsibility for our organizations — and it helps to exchange perspective with peers who understand that weight. Even the people who are expected to have the answers need someone to think through them with.
 
What I appreciate most about the chapter are the honest conversations. We talk about growth, risk, capital decisions, technology, and how AI is reshaping our roles. Yes — we even touch on politics — but only as it impacts our companies and the decisions we need to make for our teams.
 
As a CPA, I’ll admit there’s also a practical bonus: earning CPE hours while visiting venues around Tampa Bay that I otherwise wouldn’t make time for. Being around finance leaders who are thinking ahead pushes me to think bigger too.
 
Tell us a little bit about your career, educational/professional background and how you got to where you are today.
 
I’m a CPA with a Master of Accounting and currently serve as Controller at SDII Global, a multi-entity forensic engineering and consulting firm operating in the U.S. and Canada.
 
I began my career in public accounting as an auditor at Deloitte, where I learned discipline, structure, and the importance of getting the details right. I then spent nine years with S&P 500 company Mettler Toledo, supporting large capital investments, factory transformations, reorganizations, and the consolidation of four business units. I was also involved in a major SAP migration that reshaped processes across the organization. Working through those large-scale changes taught me how to think about systems, efficiencies, and compliance in a very real way. That experience shaped how I approach leadership today. Strong fundamentals matter. Teamwork matters. Compliance matters — especially in a complex, modern business environment.
 
My current role builds on that foundation. I lead financial reporting, consolidation, FX translation, lease accounting, and operational finance leadership.
 
I’ve also became increasingly focused on one question: How can finance operate smarter? That question led me into automation, AI copilots, and coding. Today, I actively use tools such as Microsoft Copilot and Claude Code in my daily workflow as tools to design processes, troubleshoot reporting, automate data tasks, and accelerate analysis. Rather than relying solely on packaged software, I chose to understand the underlying language powering modern automation.
 
That’s why I invested time in learning Python — a durable skill that supports data analysis, automation, and many AI systems. I’m sharing what I’ve learned with other finance executives on my website, www.pythonmuse.com. Python Muse is a free learning hub that shares how modern technology — including Python, AI, and automation — can be used responsibly and practically in accounting and finance. Please visit my website to learn more!
 
What is one piece of information you wish someone had told you when you first started your finance career?
 
Technical skill will get you in the room — communication skill and character will keep you there.
 
Early in my career, I focused heavily on mastering accounting standards and technical precision. That foundation matters. But over time, I realized that executive-level finance requires more than technical expertise. The real differentiator is the ability to translate complexity into clarity and help others make decisions with confidence. Beyond skills, there are lessons you only learn through experience.
 
Character also matters. I’ve seen careers unravel over what looked like small missteps — oversharing, gossip, blurred personal and professional lines. As my mentor once told me: “If you can’t trust your CPA, who can you trust?” Learn to keep the vault. Integrity compounds over time.
 
It’s also important to know who you are. Understand your values and strengths. Choose organizations that align with them. Your career is long… and with today’s longer retirement timelines, it’s getting even longer. Build it intentionally.
 
What do you love most about working as a financial executive?
 
Finance sits at the intersection of data, strategy, and execution. We see the full picture of an organization — revenue, cost, risk, opportunity — and we’re uniquely positioned to influence outcomes. What excites me most right now is that finance is entering a new era. With AI and automation tools available to us, the role of Controller and CFO is expanding. We are no longer just stewards of historical numbers. We are system designers.
 
What inspired you to launch Python Muse?
 
The idea for Python Muse (www.pythonmuse.com) came from a realization that many finance professionals are quietly asking the same question: “Is AI going to replace my job?” The most grounded answer I’ve come to believe is this: AI won’t replace you — but professionals who know how to use it will redefine the role. That shift in perspective changed everything for me.
 
This is not about becoming a software engineer. It’s about building durable skills and having more control over how you adapt in an AI-driven world. And getting started doesn’t require a big investment. Python Muse was created to help finance leaders move from uncertainty to capability. The site is still under development, but I’ll soon begin publishing real-life examples of how Python, Copilot, and AI tools can be applied in everyday accounting workflows.
 
In my experience, the only real barrier right now isn’t access. It’s hesitation. And hesitation is easier to overcome when you reach out to someone willing to take that first step with you.