Leading Finance Through Hypergrowth with Roy Hefer

What does it take to become the kind of CFO who can lead through hypergrowth, change and uncertainty? 

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In this episode of The CFO Playbook, David McClelland is joined by Roy Hefer, CFO at Perk and a finance leader with experience taking two companies public. 

Roy shares a practical leadership playbook for CFOs: build a world-class team, create leverage through delegation, and make culture and trust as rigorous a priority as the numbers. He explains why the finance team that gets a business through its early growth is not always the one that will take it to the next stage—and how leaders can make the difficult people decisions that scaling demands. 

In his conversation with David, Roy explores the judgement behind successful M&A, arguing that culture and values matter as much as synergy models. He shares how to assess fit through time, candour and difficult conversations, why gut instinct is informed by experience, and how to build teams where credibility, reliability, confidentiality and accountability create lasting trust. 

Roy also discusses how CFOs can turn AI into real operating impact, build investor relationships long before a fundraise, and stay effective under pressure. From prioritising ruthlessly to protecting physical and mental health, his advice is a reminder that the modern CFO’s impact is ultimately defined by the people they build and the decisions they enable. 

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

• Why building a world-class finance team is a CFO’s defining responsibility 
• How to create leverage through delegation and high-performing teams 
• Why culture and values determine whether an acquisition integration succeeds 
• How to test cultural fit through time, candour and difficult conversations 
• The role of trust, ownership and accountability in effective finance leadership 
• How CFOs can turn AI and automation into meaningful operational improvements 
• Why investor relationships must be built long before a fundraise 
• How to prioritise ruthlessly while protecting physical and mental health