Her Story
About Bonnie
Bonnie Tomei is a seasoned finance executive, board member, and mentor whose career reflects more than two decades of leadership across public companies, startups, IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, and global operations. Originally from Hong Kong, Bonnie immigrated to the United States during high school and quickly developed a determination to succeed despite cultural and language barriers. While she initially considered engineering, her experience working in retail and her growing interest in business led her to pursue accounting and finance at San Francisco State University. She earned her CPA certification on her first attempt and launched a career in public accounting that became the foundation for an impressive journey through Silicon Valley’s fast-paced technology and finance sectors.
Throughout her career, Bonnie has built a reputation as a hands-on and strategic CFO with expertise in scaling organizations, driving operational excellence, and leading companies through transformational growth. She has successfully guided two IPOs, supported multiple deSPAC transactions, managed nearly 2,000 M&A transactions, and overseen global finance teams ranging from startup environments to large international operations. In 2026, she joined International Battery Company as Chief Financial Officer, where she focuses on aligning strategy, strengthening infrastructure, and positioning the company for future growth. Her leadership experience also includes serving as CFO of Salience Labs, board service with Cassia.ai, and teaching accounting ethics as an adjunct professor at Menlo College.
Beyond her technical expertise, Bonnie is deeply committed to mentorship, ethical leadership, and helping others grow professionally. She is actively involved in executive leadership communities throughout Silicon Valley and frequently participates in discussions surrounding AI strategy, governance, capital markets, and leadership development. Known for her collaborative style and belief in lifelong learning, Bonnie emphasizes the importance of trust, influence, and people-centered leadership. Her career reflects a combination of resilience, adaptability, and vision, as she continues to help organizations navigate innovation, scale responsibly, and prepare for the future.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Bonnie
01What do you attribute your success to?
I'm going to attribute it all to my mentors, who've been so great in supporting me. The mentors could be a teacher, in high school, Ms. Hunter, who had always believed in me, even though she knows I was an eager little beaver turning in my exam. She would make me do it 3 times, just in case I missed anything. There's been other people in life who've been thoughtful in giving me quite a few opportunities. I try to mentor as many people as I can and provide my time as much as I could. This is what I do nowadays as well.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Be the best you can be, because you can do it. I think there are a lot of naysayers, but the one who says you can do it is perfect. That belief that you can do it has been the most important advice I've received.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
First of all, don't be scared of it. Second, it's a life of excitement if you let it. And third, be good at what you can do, but then don't lose sight about the human factor, and that sometimes is even more rewarding. Actually, most of the time it's more rewarding. I think folks today, the younger generation, may not see this to be rewarding work, but maybe they're not able to connect what we do to the end result, which is sometimes we're changing lives, and if nothing else, we could be a good member of the world.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is having more people joining in. There's not enough people coming into the accounting profession, and it's a really rewarding profession, so hopefully people will find their way. I think there has been such a scare of AI. People have long been saying that we won't have a job because all of the jobs are going to China, or India, or AI, but we've been hearing this for decades now and we're still looking for great people. So don't be scared. Come and be the best you can be, and if nothing else, you can always pivot. There's such vast opportunities in various areas like systems, governance, and transactions. Somebody has to understand what AI is doing and qualify it, and AI is really making it a better, more fun thing to do. The biggest opportunity is really to get in. Anybody who puts in their time, gets the degree, understands the basic accounting, goes in and learns as much as they can, and understands how to make the AI work for them will have a leg up and will have a very rewarding career where, instead of doing all of the grunt work, they can be thoughtful and contribute even faster than what we had when we were growing up in our career.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is the most important. Your integrity is everything. That's one thing about golfing, that's one thing about being a CPA, that's one thing about being a good human being. What you do when people are not looking defines who you are. I think that's most important in no matter what we do. My mom instilled this in all of us. We came to America from Hong Kong, and she would be so upset finding out that someone who has sufficient amount of money to support their family is still claiming food stamps. She said that is cheating the system, taking advantage of the system, and taking away from others. That's what has been instilled in all of us from her perspective.
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