“Anything new needs to have AI core to its offering”: Amy Butte on How Navan Is Redefining Finance Ops

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Jul 10, 2025

In this insightful discussion, Amy Butte, the CFO of Navan, shares her extensive background in finance, stretching from her days at the New York Stock Exchange to her current AI-driven role. She highlights how Navan integrates AI not just for document management, but for enhancing financial workflows. Amy also explores the challenges of building effective teams, the crucial debate of building versus buying tech solutions, and the significance of mentorship in leadership roles. Her anecdotes blend humor and experience, making for a captivating conversation.

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ANECDOTE

NYSE Expense Chaos

Expenses at the New York Stock Exchange were historically untracked with no submissions required.
Employees simply used Amex cards and the finance team paid without controls, exposing risks.

ANECDOTE

Gender Gap in Business Networking

Amy Butte recalled a senior exec highlighting gender dynamics in business networking.
Men continued conversations after meetings in restrooms, but women lacked critical mass to do so.

INSIGHT

Navan's AI Native Foundation

Navan was AI native from its founding, embedding machine learning to handle travel complexity.
This AI-first strategy addresses overwhelming supplier choices by engaging users with curated options.

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In the current tech landscape, everyone is experimenting with AI, but when it comes to finance, we tread more carefully. In this episode, CJ is joined by Amy Butte, the CFO of Navan, one of the most AI-forward travel and expense platforms in operation. Amy highlights how the company is weaving AI into its operating system, not just to summarize documents, but to manage financial workflows with real impact. With a career spanning Wall Street and Silicon Valley, Amy also discusses her journey from being the CFO of the New York Stock Exchange to her current role. She delves into her experiences as an audit chair and touches on the challenges and opportunities in building teams and navigating change. She also breaks down the dynamics of the build versus buy debate in the current tech space before sharing anecdotes about her unique experiences at the New York Stock Exchange and her perspectives on being a woman in leadership.

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LINKS:

Amy Butte on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybutte/

Navan: navan.com/Runthenumbers

Extraordinary Women on Boards:

https://www.ewobnetwork.com/

CJ on X (@cjgustafson222): https://x.com/cjgustafson222

Mostly metrics:

http://mostlymetrics.com

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Preview and Intro02:59 Sponsor – MUFG | NetSuite | Pulley06:52 Conferences and Networking09:09 How Navan Has Implemented AI12:17 Whose Responsibility Is It To Drive AI Adoption14:50 The Risks Involved in Using AI in Finance15:50 Navan’s New Bot “Miles”17:00 Sponsor – Brex | Aleph | RightRev | Navan22:31 The Operational and Financial Impact of Using AI at Navan23:36 CSAT Scores: Humans Versus Bots24:46 AI Within the Finance Department27:37 What an Audit Chair Does32:04 Using the Audit Chair Seat To Influence Business Outcomes33:33 Mentoring CFOs and Unlocking Opportunities As Audit Chair36:29 How To Become a Board Member or Audit Chair38:58 The Role of the Director Versus the Role of the Operator39:44 Building Teams and Empowering People48:48 Build Versus Buy in the Era of AI51:28 Partnering: Collaboration Versus Control53:07 A Story About the Security at the New York Stock Exchange55:36 Meeting the CEO of Merrill Lynch57:43 Leadership and Opportunities for Women in Finance1:00:37 Long-Ass Lightning Round: A Big Mistake1:01:31 Advice to Younger Self1:02:37 Finance Software Stack1:02:55 Craziest Expense Story

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SPONSORS:

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Brex offers the world's smartest corporate card on a full-stack global platform that is everything CFOs need to manage their finances on an elite level. Plus, they offer modern banking and treasury as well as intuitive expenses and accounting automation, bill pay, and travel. Find out more at brex.com/metrics

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RightRev automates the revenue recognition process from end to end, gives you real-time insights, and ensures ASC 606 / IFRS 15 compliance—all while closing books faster. For RevRec that auditors actually trust, visit rightrev.com and schedule a demo.

Navan is the all-in-one travel and expense solution that helps finance teams streamline reconciliation, enforce policies automatically, and gain real-time visibility. It connects to your existing cards and makes closing the books faster and smarter. Visit navan.com/Runthenumbers for your demo.

#Navan #AIFinance #FinancialTransformation #AuditChair #WomenInLeadership

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