CFO Weekly

In this episode of CFO Weekly, Kevin Appleby, Head of Partnerships at GrowCFO and host of the GrowCFO Show podcast, joins Megan Weis to explore how new CFOs can successfully navigate their critical first hundred days in the role. Kevin brings extensive experience mentoring finance leaders through one of the most challenging career transitions, drawing from his years supporting aspiring and newly appointed CFOs as they shift from technical finance roles to strategic enterprise leadership.With his deep background in management consulting and finance education, Kevin shares how new CFOs can overcome imposter syndrome, build effective peer networks, and establish credibility while managing the overwhelming demands of business-as-usual operations. Currently serving as Head of Partnerships at GrowCFO, Kevin oversees programs that help finance professionals develop the strategic thinking, leadership presence, and operational expertise needed to thrive in the CFO seat.What You'll Learn:Why the transition from finance director to CFO represents such a significant cultural shiftHow to structure your first hundred days for maximum impact and credibilityStrategies for overcoming imposter syndrome and building genuine confidenceThe importance of peer networks and mentorship for isolated finance leadersHow to balance strategic planning with immediate operational demandsWhy filling the "blank sheet of paper" on team culture matters from day oneLearn more about Evan:Kevin Appleby on LinkedInGrowCFO WebsiteEpisode resources:Personiv's WebsitePersoniv on LinkedInPersoniv on FacebookPersoniv on TwitterIf you enjoyed this episode, then please either:Follow, rate, and review on Apple PodcastsFollow on SpotifyInstructions on following, rating, and reviewing CFO Weekly are here.Previous guests include: Tom McDermott, CFO at Career Certified, Claire Bramley, CFO at Teradata, Chris Miles, Founder of Money Ripples, Ranil DeSilva, CFO & COO at CARE, Jordan Grumet, Financial Independence Expert & Host of Earn & Invest & William Washington, Global CFO at Baker McKenzieCheck out some of our most recent episodes:Driving Value Beyond Finance with Tom McDermottWhy CFOs Are the Chief Everything Officers with Claire BramleyWhy Traditional Financial Advice Fails and What To Do Instead with Chris MilesNGO Finance Secrets: CARE’s $900M Strategy with Ranil DeSilvaWhat Lights You Up? with Jordan GrumetBecome a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt with William WashingtonIf you are interested in joining CFO Weekly as a guest, please complete this form: fame.so/cfo-guestCFO Weekly is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

In this episode of CFO Weekly, Evan Schwartz, Chief Innovation Officer at AMCS Group, joins Megan Weis to explore how modern CFOs can transform ERP implementations from high-risk projects into strategic competitive advantages. Evan brings more than three decades of experience driving large-scale digital transformation across resource-intensive industries, having held roles spanning Chief Innovation Officer, CTO, and Chief Enterprise Architect.With his extensive background in ERP modernization and firsthand experience with both spectacular successes and painful failures, Evan shares how finance leaders can avoid the Gartner-cited 70% failure rate through strategic vision setting, robust vendor partnerships, and proactive change management. Currently serving as Chief Innovation Officer at AMCS Group, Evan oversees the development of AI-native platforms that help companies transition from legacy systems to scalable, interconnected solutions. He is also the author of the Amazon best-selling book, People, Places, and Things, a practical framework for achieving ERP success without costly overruns or failed deployments.What You'll Learn:Why most ERP transformations fail to deliver ROI and how to avoid common pitfallsHow to build a compelling vision statement that drives project successThe critical importance of vendor relationships over software featuresStrategies for effective organizational change management during digital transformationHow to define and track meaningful ROI beyond traditional cost savingsThe future of AI-powered interoperability and agentic workflows in finance operationsLearn more about Evan:Evan Schwartz on LinkedInAMCS Group WebsitePeople, Places, and Things BookEpisode resources:Personiv's WebsitePersoniv on LinkedInPersoniv on FacebookPersoniv on TwitterIf you enjoyed this episode, then please either:Follow, rate, and review on Apple PodcastsFollow on SpotifyInstructions on following, rating, and reviewing CFO Weekly are here.Previous guests include: Tom McDermott, CFO at Career Certified, Claire Bramley, CFO at Teradata, Chris Miles, Founder of Money Ripples, Ranil DeSilva, CFO & COO at CARE, Jordan Grumet, Financial Independence Expert & Host of Earn & Invest & William Washington, Global CFO at Baker McKenzieCheck out some of our most recent episodes:Driving Value Beyond Finance with Tom McDermottWhy CFOs Are the Chief Everything Officers with Claire BramleyWhy Traditional Financial Advice Fails and What To Do Instead with Chris MilesNGO Finance Secrets: CARE’s $900M Strategy with Ranil DeSilvaWhat Lights You Up? with Jordan GrumetBecome a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt with William WashingtonIf you are interested in joining CFO Weekly as a guest, please complete this form: fame.so/cfo-guestCFO Weekly is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

In this episode of CFO Weekly, Devin Weil, Chief Financial Officer at ShipMonk, joins Megan Weis to explore how modern CFOs are revolutionizing operational finance by becoming true partners to warehouse and logistics operations. Devin brings extensive experience as a finance leader across organizations like XPO and Carrier, where he built his career inside some of the most operationally complex environments in the supply chain and logistics space.With his deep background spanning corporate finance, performance improvement, and network operations, Devin shares how finance teams can leverage data to diagnose performance issues, drive meaningful KPIs, and build field finance organizations that sit alongside operators. Currently serving as CFO of ShipMonk, Devin oversees finance for one of the fastest-growing tech-enabled fulfillment platforms in the world, managing 12 warehouses and 1,600 employees across the globe.What You'll Learn:Why CFOs must embed finance resources directly in operations for maximum impactHow to balance top-down targets with bottoms-up planning to drive operator buy-inThe critical role of granular unit economics in high-volume logistics businessesStrategies for rapid performance intervention without becoming a bottleneckHow robust data infrastructure enables both visibility and speedThe evolution of the CFO role from financial oversight to operational partnership Learn more about Devin:Devin Weil on LinkedInShipMonk Website Episode resources:Personiv's WebsitePersoniv on LinkedInPersoniv on FacebookPersoniv on TwitterIf you enjoyed this episode, then please either:Follow, rate, and review on Apple PodcastsFollow on SpotifyInstructions on following, rating, and reviewing CFO Weekly are here.Previous guests include: Tom McDermott, CFO at Career Certified, Claire Bramley, CFO at Teradata, Chris Miles, Founder of Money Ripples, Ranil DeSilva, CFO & COO at CARE, Jordan Grumet, Financial Independence Expert & Host of Earn & Invest & William Washington, Global CFO at Baker McKenzieCheck out some of our most recent episodes:Driving Value Beyond Finance with Tom McDermottWhy CFOs Are the Chief Everything Officers with Claire BramleyWhy Traditional Financial Advice Fails and What To Do Instead with Chris MilesNGO Finance Secrets: CARE’s $900M Strategy with Ranil DeSilvaWhat Lights You Up? with Jordan GrumetBecome a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt with William WashingtonIf you are interested in joining CFO Weekly as a guest, please complete this form: fame.so/cfo-guestCFO Weekly is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Claire Bramley, CFO at Teradata, brings a wealth of experience from her past roles, including her tenure at HP. She dives into the evolving role of the CFO, highlighting how technology and AI are reshaping responsibilities beyond just finance. Claire discusses the importance of cross-functional collaboration and her innovative rotation programs for talent development. She emphasizes the power of storytelling in finance and shares insights on balancing traditional CFO duties with strategic leadership and agility in decision-making.

Jim Benson, CFO at Dynatrace, boasts over 30 years of finance leadership, including roles at Akamai and Hewlett Packard. In this discussion, he reveals the evolving role of CFOs as strategic partners rather than just financial stewards. He emphasizes the importance of modernizing finance functions, leveraging data analytics for storytelling, and establishing succession strategies. Jim also highlights the need for CFOs to align closely with technology to set long-term goals and drive company-wide growth, focusing on talent development and future market opportunities.

John Glasgow, CEO and CFO at Campfire, discusses his dynamic career spanning roles at Adobe and Bill.com. He shares insights on how CFOs can blend financial discipline with innovation in fast-paced startups. John emphasizes the importance of evolving priorities at different funding stages and integrating customer feedback into product development. He highlights the role of AI and automation in shifting finance teams from transactional work to strategic partners, ensuring they maintain a balance between growth and cost management.

Dan Wheadon, a seasoned Partner and Advisory Leader at Cherry Bekaert, shares insights from his 25 years in strategy consulting. He discusses the shift from traditional finance roles to modern, strategic decision-making. Emphasizing a three-step approach, he advises CFOs to start small by fixing processes. Dan highlights the importance of accurate data and building a culture of continuous improvement. He also underscores the role of technology in driving measurable outcomes, predicting a future where CFOs become central to strategic growth.

Siqi Chen, CEO & CFO of Runway and a serial entrepreneur, shares his insights on transforming finance operations. He discusses how the pandemic highlighted the limitations of spreadsheets, prompting his mission to create real-time, AI-driven forecasting systems. Siqi emphasizes the importance of connecting operational intent with financial models and designing user-friendly platforms that are accessible to all stakeholders. He envisions a future where CFOs become strategic partners, leveraging technology to enhance transparency and impact across organizations.

In this episode of CFO Weekly, Jacob Moelter, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at SupportNinja, joins Megan Weis to explore how modern CFOs are transforming customer experience from a cost center into a strategic growth lever. Jacob brings extensive experience in finance and operations across public and private companies, with a deep background in investor relations, FP&A, and outsourcing services.With his unique perspective on connecting financial metrics to customer outcomes, Jacob shares how finance leaders can leverage data to drive retention, improve unit economics, and design hybrid AI-human service models that balance efficiency with empathy. Currently serving as COO and CFO at SupportNinja, Jacob oversees the strategic evolution of omnichannel support solutions that help fast-growing companies elevate their customer experience while driving measurable financial returns.What You'll Learn:Why CFOs must view customer experience as a revenue driver rather than just a cost centerHow to quantify the ROI of CX investments using unit economics and customer journey analysisStrategies for designing hybrid AI-human service models that optimize both efficiency and empathyThe critical metrics CFOs should track to connect CX improvements to financial performanceHow AI is creating a skills premium for human agents rather than replacing themThe future of the CFO role as architect of growth, experience, and organizational designLearn more about Jacob:Jacob Moelter on LinkedInSupportNinja WebsiteEpisode resources:Personiv's WebsitePersoniv on LinkedInPersoniv on FacebookPersoniv on TwitterIf you enjoyed this episode, then please either:Follow, rate, and review on Apple PodcastsFollow on SpotifyInstructions on following, rating, and reviewing CFO Weekly are here.Previous guests include: Tom McDermott, CFO at Career Certified, Claire Bramley, CFO at Teradata, Chris Miles, Founder of Money Ripples, Ranil DeSilva, CFO & COO at CARE, Jordan Grumet, Financial Independence Expert & Host of Earn & Invest & William Washington, Global CFO at Baker McKenzieCheck out some of our most recent episodes:Driving Value Beyond Finance with Tom McDermottWhy CFOs Are the Chief Everything Officers with Claire BramleyWhy Traditional Financial Advice Fails and What To Do Instead with Chris MilesNGO Finance Secrets: CARE’s $900M Strategy with Ranil DeSilvaWhat Lights You Up? with Jordan GrumetBecome a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt with William WashingtonIf you are interested in joining CFO Weekly as a guest, please complete this form: fame.so/cfo-guestCFO Weekly is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

In this episode of CFO Weekly, Tony Jarjoura, Chief Financial Officer at Gigamon, joins Megan Weis to explore how modern CFOs and CISOs are collaborating to balance innovation with security in the age of AI. Tony brings extensive experience from his career at Ernst & Young and his progression through multiple leadership roles at Gigamon, where he witnessed firsthand the critical intersection of financial operations and cybersecurity.With his deep background in revenue operations, controllership, and financial reporting, Tony shares how finance and security leaders can work together to evaluate AI investments, implement enterprise-wide solutions, and build frameworks that drive innovation while maintaining robust controls. Currently serving as CFO at Gigamon, Tony oversees the strategic alignment between finance and IT security to ensure both operational efficiency and risk mitigation.What You'll Learn:Why the CFO-CISO partnership is critical for modern enterprise resilienceHow to balance rapid AI innovation with strong security controlsStrategies for evaluating and implementing enterprise-wide AI solutionsThe role of cultural changes in building trust between finance and security teamsHow to assess cyber risk and brand reputation exposure in investment decisionsBest practices for AI governance and data quality in LLM implementationsLearn more about Tony:Tony Jarjoura on LinkedInGigamon WebsiteEpisode resources:Personiv's WebsitePersoniv on LinkedInPersoniv on FacebookPersoniv on TwitterIf you enjoyed this episode, then please either:Follow, rate, and review on Apple PodcastsFollow on SpotifyInstructions on following, rating, and reviewing CFO Weekly are here.Previous guests include: Tom McDermott, CFO at Career Certified, Claire Bramley, CFO at Teradata, Chris Miles, Founder of Money Ripples, Ranil DeSilva, CFO & COO at CARE, Jordan Grumet, Financial Independence Expert & Host of Earn & Invest & William Washington, Global CFO at Baker McKenzieCheck out some of our most recent episodes:Driving Value Beyond Finance with Tom McDermottWhy CFOs Are the Chief Everything Officers with Claire BramleyWhy Traditional Financial Advice Fails and What To Do Instead with Chris MilesNGO Finance Secrets: CARE’s $900M Strategy with Ranil DeSilvaWhat Lights You Up? with Jordan GrumetBecome a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt with William WashingtonIf you are interested in joining CFO Weekly as a guest, please complete this form: fame.so/cfo-guestCFO Weekly is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so