The CFO Show

Employee burnout is on the rise, fueled by shrinking budgets and mounting pressure for employees to achieve more with less. But how can CFOs and finance leaders gauge the breaking point for their teams?Ruchi Kasliwal has been building and guiding finance and accounting teams for over 15 years. With a deep passion for optimizing human and system resources, Ruchi joins Melissa to share vital strategies to protect their employees from burnout. By proactively identifying signs of burnout and offering effective support, leaders can prevent the loss of valuable team members. And by acknowledging the stressors inherent in finance roles, leaders can proactively implement strategies to protect teams from burnout while ensuring their well-being and productivity. Join us as we discover the key techniques for tackling high-pressure finance environments and empowering teams to thrive.Discussed In This Episode:Understanding good stress vs. bad stressImplementing a buddy system to improve team communication around workloadBurnout warning signs that can help finance leaders identify when employees are struggling with prioritization or too much workPlanning for time off so that employees can truly unplug and unwind when they’re out of the officeWorking with your team to prioritize the most important tasks and automate tedious or unnecessary tasksFor CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

If a CRO is expected to know the balance sheet, shouldn’t the CFO should know the sales playbook? After all, a strong partnership between these two roles is instrumental to a company’s financial health, and they need to be able to support one another.In this installment of our better business partnering series, Puneet Arora, President at Yellow.ai, talks to Melissa Howatson about how CFOs can form strong partnerships with their CROs. Puneet was previously a CRO himself, and has over 25 years of experience working alongside CFOs while leading sales teams at high-growth SaaS organizations. In that time, he’s had a variety of strong CFO-CRO relationships and tells us about the ones that were the most effective.Learn how to nurture a strong partnership between the Office of Finance and revenue operations by fostering not just rapport, but strategic alignment. Discussed in This Episode:The unique responsibilities of the CFO and CRO, and how a strong partnership leads to better business outcomesThe increasing importance of the revenue operations team in modern organizations and the layer of support they bring to the businessSome of the top challenges CROs are facing in today’s business landscape, and how CFOs can support them through these challengesCommon points of friction between the finance and revenue operations teams, and how they can work better together to uncover growth opportunities and get deals doneTraits CROs appreciate in a CFO, and tactics CFOs can use to facilitate a productive relationship with the revenue operations teamFor CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

FP&A professionals spend so much of their time gathering data, and only a small portion analyzing it. Integrating digital transformation in finance has the potential to shift this dynamic by automating data collection and allowing more time for in-depth analysis and interpretation.Stacy Brown is VP at Marcum Technology and has more than 15 years of experience advising on ERP and CPM implementations. Stacy specializes in financial planning and analysis (FP&A), financial reporting, workforce planning, and financial forecasting, leveraging her extensive accounting and finance background to help organizations create efficiencies within their finance organizations.In this episode, Stacy talks to host Melissa Howatson about the lessons she’s learned through these implementations and her advice for organizations beginning their digital transformation journeys.Learn how finance can benefit from investing in digitization, and the role CFOs need to play in leading digital transformation within their organizations. Discussed in This Episode:Identifying opportunities for digitization and how an outside consultant can help spot inefficienciesThe five steps of a digital transformation journey in finance, including the implementation of a modern ERPHow to build a lean, flexible, and cost-effective tech stackCommon pitfalls that slow down software implementations How to select the right vendor for your current and future needsFor CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

CFOs are experts in growing a business, navigating volatile economic environments, and acting as leaders inside and outside the organization. But as they focus on these big-picture problems, they naturally become removed from many day-to-day operations. It can be a challenge to stay sharp on basic skills and informed on new trends and technologies. Thomas Krolak, Director of FP&A at Vena, has a front-row seat to how our CFO and show host, Melissa Howatson, handles this challenge. In this episode, Thomas and Melissa flip the script, with Thomas interviewing Melissa about how to stay sharp as a CFO. Melissa discusses some best practices for continued learning, as well as some humbling moments in her leadership career.Learn how CFOs keep their tactical skills sharp as they move a little farther away from the day-to-day action.Discussed in This Episode:How to stay up-to-date on trends as a busy CFOThe value of sharing information with your peers, mentors, and wider networkHow to get the most ROI out of conferences and other outside learning opportunitiesThe importance of brushing up on the basics from time to timeLearning from your rising starsFor CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

What makes an exceptional, growth-driving CFO?Vinny Prajka might know better than anyone. Vinny has worked with dozens of CFOs in his role at JMI Equity, where he helps portfolio companies accelerate growth and navigate operational challenges. Vinny also sits on multiple boards, and formerly held two CFO positions himself, at both SonaCare Medical and BlackBaud Inc.In this episode, Vinny talks to host Melissa Howatson about the best CFOs he’s worked with and the qualities these A-players all have in common. Discover how, as a CFO, you can help drive growth in your organization, demonstrate exceptional leadership, effectively communicate with investors and become the driving force behind business performance.Discussed in This Episode:The delicate balance between growing an organization and managing costs, amidst economic uncertaintyThe importance of the CFO’s relationships, particularly with the CEO and the Board of DirectorsCreating and communicating alignment between the CEO and CFOWhy CFOs need to think with a zero-based budgeting mindset to assess and reassess the value of every position in their businessThe value of a long-range plan (LRP), and how often a CFO should update theirsFor CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

CFOs wield significant influence in safeguarding a company’s financial data, but entrusting cybersecurity solely to their CIOs may jeopardize privacy and open the door to data breaches.As a Partner at Plante Moran, Joe Oleksak advises businesses on cybersecurity, IT audit, and technology compliance. He has more than twenty years of information systems security and information technology audit experience in financial institutions, including banks, credit unions, mortgage companies, and insurance companies. In this episode, Joe and host Melissa Howatson discuss the role CFOs play in protecting financial data against cyber threats, and how they can partner with CIOs and CEOs to build a holistic cybersecurity operation that prioritizes culture and processes as much as technology.  Learn how important the CFO is to modern cybersecurity risk management, and the steps CFOs should take to protect their organizations against privacy and security threats.Discussed in This Episode:The evolving cyber threat landscape, and how hacker attacks are gaining strength Why people and processes are just as important to cybersecurity as technology How CFOs, CEOs, and CIOs should work together to create a holistic approach to cybersecurityProactive strategies for CFOs to safeguard their organizations and mitigate riskThe difference between privacy and security, and why understanding this difference is so important to protect financial dataFor CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

Thomas Krolak, Vena's Director of FP&A, discusses the evolving role of CFOs amidst market volatility. Topics include disruptive forces impacting business operations, the expanding scope of finance teams, using FP&A skills to uncover opportunities, and anticipated investments in Artificial Intelligence.

A job description that is 40% controller, 20% bookkeeper and 20% Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) is going to be near impossible to fill. But for many businesses, this is exactly the sort of hybrid role they need.Outsourced accounting, through fractional models, has emerged as an option for businesses seeking flexibility, cost-efficiency, and specialized expertise in their financial operations. Dani Sandler works with those businesses at ScaleNorth, an outsourced accounting partner and NetSuite Solutions provider. In this episode, Dani shares how fractional finance services allow businesses to access a diverse pool of accounting professionals with varying skill sets, without having to increase their headcount.Learn how businesses leverage outsourced accounting and fractional models to reduce costs and improve processes and accuracy in accounting. Discussed in This Episode:The benefits of fractional models in finance, from cost-effectiveness to scalabilityHow outsourced accounting drives operational efficiency and enhances decision-making processesWhat types of businesses see the most value in an outsourced accounting modelHow to select the right outsourced accounting provider for your business and how to get the most value out of the partnershipImplementing an ERP system such as NetSuite, and how businesses can optimize the platform for their unique needsFor CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

Accountants work with certainties, recording and reporting on past financial transactions to ensure accuracy and compliance. FP&A professional, however, are concerned with what-ifs, looking toward the future in the forms of forecasting and strategic planning. It’s no wonder these two sides of the finance team can sometimes feel their goals are incongruent. David Cornfield of World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF) and Tom Seegmiller of Texada Software each started their careers on one side of the finance team, and now oversee both functions. They understand what can cause friction between these two roles and the dangers of working in silos. In this episode, David and Tom sit down with host Melissa Howatson to discuss the processes needed to build stronger collaboration across the finance team, improving data accuracy for accounting, forecasting accuracy for FP&A, and ultimately driving insights and value for the team as a whole.Learn how both FP&A and accounting professionals approach their work, and how to build a cohesive and healthy finance team by aligning their KPIs.Discussed in This Episode:The benefits of a symbiotic relationship between FP&A and accounting, and how it can enhance overall efficiency and decision-making processesThe appreciation Tom and David have gained for accounting and FP&A respectively as they’ve expanded their responsibilities over time, and what they wish they had known earlier in their finance careersHow FP&A, with its focus on forecasting, budgeting, and strategic planning, can provide accountants with forward-looking insights, enabling them to anticipate financial trends and allocate resources effectivelyHow accountants with their meticulous attention to detail and adherence to regulatory standards, play a crucial role in ensuring the accuracy and integrity of financial data used by FP&AExamples of processes Tom and David have used to align their FP&A and accounting teams and ensure the standardization of dataFor CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

The transformative potential of AI for finance teams is extraordinary. CFOs need to educate themselves on how, where and when to adopt new technologies, and what they can be doing ahead of adoption to prepare their organizations. Howard Dresner is a technologist, researcher, and one of the foremost thought leaders in business intelligence. In this episode, Howard discusses the research his firm, Dresner Advisory Services, has conducted on AI adoption, as well as his predictions for how next-generation AI technologies will be used in Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A). Howard also explains how AI works and why the insights it generates are so much more sophisticated than what we can produce in a spreadsheet.Learn how innovation in AI is likely to impact FP&A, and how these developments will elevate the Office of Finance. Even if you don’t plan to be a first-mover, Howard’s insights can help your business get ready for the integration of these new technologies, long before you actually invest in them.Discussed in This Episode:How AI will empower finance professionals to navigate complex data landscapes with unprecedented precision and agilityPotential use cases for AI in FP&A, including forecasting and churn and risk assessmentThe difference between AI and generative AI, as well as the strengths and limitations of eachWhen businesses should invest in AI, and how they should prepare for adoption ahead of those investments through education and policy-makingThe history of business intelligence and Howard’s view on how it has evolved over the last few decadesFor CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.