The CFO Show

Latest Episodes:

Essential Business Partnering Skills for Finance Professionals Feb 27, 2024

Show notes

Finance business partnering is crucial for aligning financial strategies with overall business objectives, but what are the essential skills that finance professionals need to make truly successful business partners?

Hosts Melissa Howatson and Tom Seegmiller discuss moving beyond finance and technical expertise to develop key skills such as empathy, communication, negotiation, leading with influence and developing business acumen. These skills are crucial for fostering effective collaboration, understanding diverse perspectives, and driving meaningful outcomes in today’s dynamic business landscape.

Discussed in This Episode:

How to balance technical expertise with empathy and influence to shape business strategies and drive change.
Have a genuine interest and understanding the other parts of the business and what they’re doing and be willing to get out of your lane of Finance to form solid partnerships
Encourage a culture where failure is a learning tool that fosters team growth and innovation.
Embrace lull periods within business for skill development, to ensure the team is prepared to lead and adapt to new challenges.

For CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

Apply The Lost Art of ROI to Your Finance and Business Strategy Feb 20, 2024

Show notes

How can you showcase value and ROI effectively when talking about your business with customers and with stakeholders across the business?

In this episode, host Melissa Howatson sits down with Ian Campbell, CEO of Nucleus Research, to explore the complexities of financial collaboration and its role in driving business success. Ian, a Wall Street Journal best-selling author known for his expertise in “the value sale,” shares powerful insights on embedding sales knowledge and ROI best practices throughout an organization. His emphasis on payback and customer satisfaction provides a clear, practical framework for evaluating decisions and strengthening performance across the entire business.

Discussed in This Episode:

Leading sales conversations with value propositions and ROI calculations
Empowering sales teams with finance insights to articulate the benefits of products or services effectively
The significance of collaboration between finance and sales in driving revenue growth and aligning sales strategies with financial objectives
Implementing finance collaboration principles across Marketing and Product development to optimize investments and maximize returns

For CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

From Data to Decisions: Tracy Edkins on HR-Finance Partnering Feb 13, 2024

Show notes

A strong partnership between finance and HR is crucial to the health of any organization, and yet, studies show that fewer than half of HR leaders believe their rapport with finance is productive.

What hampers this relationship? And what can the CFO do to improve the quality of their rapport with HR? Tracy Edkins, CHRO, Board Member and Advisor, joins Melissa Howaston to detail what strategic alignment between HR and Finance can achieve for growth and sustainability.

Discussed in This Episode:

The significance of open communication and collaboration between HR and finance departments for successful change management and strategic alignment
Strategies for data-driven decision-making, transparent communication, and securing resources to drive HR initiatives that align with business objectives.
The role of effective leadership, empathy, and skills development in navigating organizational challenges

For CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

Raising Capital in Tough Markets With Peter Arrowsmith of JMI Equity Feb 06, 2024

Show notes

Securing funding and raising capital in today’s market can be difficult, but it's not impossible.

In this episode, our host Melissa Howatson speaks with Peter Arrowsmith, Managing General Partner at JMI Equity, about businesses seeking capital in the current economic climate. Peter shares insights on what is most important when valuations are experiencing a downturn from previous years, and companies are prioritizing prudent cash management. From the impact of market fluctuations to the importance of relationship-building and operational rigor, this episode is a must for any CFO and finance leader seeking to secure funds during challenging market conditions.

Discussed in This Episode:

The influence of market volatility and investor expectations on fundraising activity
Strategies for proactive relationship-building and preparation to navigate the fundraising process effectively
The significance of operational excellence and clear communication in securing funding amidst uncertain market conditions

For CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

Strategic Finance and Investments: More Than Just Trade Offs Jan 30, 2024

Show notes

Finance holds a unique and pivotal vantage within a company or organization and is much more than checks and balances. Finance is at the heart of optimizing the financial and operational performance of the organization on the whole and helps to guide leadership in making impactful strategic investments and aligning financial strategies with business vision and goals.

In this episode, hosts Melissa Howatson and Tom Seegmiller get to the heart of strategic finance as they discuss investments, priorities and tradeoffs.

Discussed in This Episode:

Aligning investments with the business roadmap and priorities, focusing on areas such as headcount, technology, ESG, and supply chain
Strategies for defining and implementing impactful initiatives to bridge gaps and drive the business priorities
The crucial interplay between finance and overall business strategies, involving tough decision-making, open communication, and prioritization discussions

For CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

Decoding Market Trends for 2024 with Benjamin Tal of CIBC Capital Markets Jan 24, 2024

Show notes

We made it to 2024, not unscathed, but with a new year and fresh outlook on the economy. Yet what created the uncertainties in the markets these past several years is still driving uncertainty. To run our business and our lives, most of us want to know: when will interest rates start to drop? Will employment rates stay strong? And a big question, with big impact: are wage increases on the horizon?

For CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

This week, host Melissa Howatson gets to ask one of Canada’s leading economists all this and more. Benjamin Tal, Managing Director and Deputy Chief Economist, CIBC Capital Markets Inc, shares his insights, predictions and more.

Discussed in This Episode:

Anticipation of normalizing labor markets and the impact on wages
The lingering uncertainties in the global markets and the factors contributing to economic unpredictability
How AI can affect profitability and long-term business strategies

For CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

CFO Superpowers: Building High-Impact Teams for Strategic Innovation Jan 16, 2024

Show notes

How can CFOs escape the daily grind to focus on strategic initiatives that are increasingly being asked of them? Our day-to-day financial responsibilities are constantly competing with the pressing need for organizational innovation from financial leadership.

In this episode, Nicolas Herman, CFO, Microsoft Americas Enterprise, sits down with Melissa to discuss strategies for building and guiding teams to amplify their impact and offers advice to CFOs on how to differentiate themselves and ultimately leave their mark.

For CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

The Tech-Finance Tango: Working as One for Success Jan 09, 2024

Show notes

How can organizations keep up with constant change in the digital landscape? Your CTO is a big asset in staying agile in an ever-changing business landscape. No longer are they primarily focused on technological needs, but key in working together with the CFO to drive strategic initiatives.

Hosts Melissa Howatson and Tom Seegmiller sit down with Joel Dolisy, Chief Technology Officer at WellSky, to explore the vital relationship between finance and technology. Joel discusses the natural tensions between the two functions, what successful partnerships look like, and how they can work together strategically. With consistent communication and thoughtful investment, he explains how aligning finance and technology ultimately drives growth and strengthens the business.

Discussed in This Episode

Insights into the CTO’s role and the key areas they oversee
The unique dynamics between the CTO, the finance team, and other groups across the organization
Common sources of tension between CTOs and finance departments
Real examples of effective collaboration between the finance office and the CTO

Episode Resources

For CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

The Finance Velocity Paradox: How to Slow Down to Speed Up Jan 02, 2024

Show notes

Have you ever been frustrated with your work, putting in so much effort, hitting every deadline, to then feel stuck in a never-ending cycle? Never have the time or energy to make the systematic changes needed for more efficient processes?

There are many reasons why we feel stuck, but there are also solutions to break the cycle. Melissa Howatson and Tom Seegmiller sit down to acknowledge the frustrating cycles as well as bring answers to how companies can change their systems by thinking bigger, working ahead, and prioritizing the projects needed to grow the business.

Discussed in This Episode:

Why it’s easy in finance to get wrapped up in the day-to-day and neglect larger projects
How tracking your time can help teams move forward in the long run
Reducing teams' stress while also making progress as a team
When to look at the bigger picture, even when it comes to small tasks

For CFO insights, episode show notes, and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

Gen Z’s Influence on Work in the Digital Age Dec 19, 2023

Show notes

When you hear “Gen-Z,” what are the first words or characteristics that come to mind? Perhaps it’s a motley mix of terms like TikTok, climate change, transparency, honesty, and social responsibility. Now, apply all of those qualities to a modern workforce.

Generation Z is defined as anyone born between 1997 and 2012, putting the eldest of the group in their mid-twenties. They are the only generation to grow up blind to a world without the internet which has made them naturally more curious, direct, and technologically and data-savvy than generations prior.

Hosts Melissa Howatson and Tom Seegmiller welcome Janine Moir, National Digital Assurance Leader and A&A Innovation Leader at Deloitte Canada to discuss qualities of the demographic that make them unique and ideal additions to today’s workforce.

Discussed in This Episode: