strategic finance partners

Executive presence is often cited as the reason leaders don’t get promoted, but rarely explained. In this episode of The Diary of a CFO, Wassia Kamon sits down with executive coach Jill Avey to unpack what executive presence actually means, why high performers get stuck at the Director or VP level,...

Attorney and risk-management expert Natalia Greene reveals the real stories behind major fraud cases, including those featured on American Greed that she personally worked on. She also shares exactly how accountants, fractional CFOs, and boutique finance firms accidentally expose themselves to laws...

In this episode of The Diary of a CFO, executive recruiter Mark Johnson shares insider perspectives on what CEOs are really looking for in today's CFOs. Discover how the expectations of finance leadership are evolving, what separates top candidates in interviews, and the essential qualities that de...

In this episode, Vivienne breaks down the realities and myths of AI in the finance function, from predictive models to generative AI, and reveals how agentic AI is creating a new category of digital workers, “AI agents,” that drive both productivity and resilience in modern businesses. You'll also ...

In this episode of The Diary of a CFO, I sit down with Anna Sagan, Senior Principal Solutions Engineer, who brings over two decades of experience in financial software and strategic reporting. We talked about: The evolving expectations from finance teams Why Excel is still the most loved BI too...

Christian Wattig is the program director of Wharton’s FP&A Certificate and the founder of InsideFP&A. In this episode, he shares his path from Procter & Gamble to becoming a leader in finance education, along with the pivotal lessons he learned along the way.

In this episode, Summa Simmons, Associate VP of Treasury at Victoria’s Secret & Co., shares what most people get wrong about treasury and why it's a strategic powerhouse. She explains how treasury helps companies manage cash, risk, and financial readiness during major business decisions like mergers...

Most companies think cybersecurity is about firewalls and IT policies. But the real risk often starts with culture. In this episode, Dutch Schwartz, VP of Cloud Services at SideChannel and former security leader at AWS and Raytheon, shares why companies with poor culture are three times more likely...

Syed Nadeem, ACMA, CFM was building the kind of career many finance professionals work toward. ✅ He had the certifications. ✅ The global experience. ✅ The leadership role. Then, out of nowhere, he lost his job. That was his turning point. He started focusing on skills no certification had taught...

If you’ve ever lost sleep over complex contracts, usage-based pricing, or revenue schedules that live in hundreds spreadsheet tabs, this episode is for you. I’m joined by Apurv Bansal, co-founder and CEO of Zenskar, to talk about how AI is helping SaaS companies automate billing and revenue recogni...

Audit Director at FORVIS Mazars and board treasurer for Girls on the Run Georgia, Kendra LaFleur opens up about her journey from intern to partner, how she grew into strategic leadership, and how she navigates the evolving role of finance in mission-driven organizations.

Stephen McLain led 250 soldiers as an Army Commander. He built internal controls in Iraq to fight fraud and misuse of funds. And, he defended military budgets in front of NATO. Now, he helps corporate finance and accounting teams fix problems with their internal processes, financial modeling, and s...

Treasury often works behind the scenes, but Matthew Harlan shows why it should be a key player at the table. We cover what treasury leaders bring to IPO readiness, how to rethink working capital, and how finance teams can collaborate better across functions.

What Do Companies Really Look for in a CFO Today? Technical excellence is no longer enough. Even when controllers and finance leaders perform flawlessly, companies now expect far more than accounting expertise. Strategic leadership, collaboration, and business judgment increasingly outweigh traditio...

In this episode of the Diary of a CFO podcast, Edwine Alphonse shares her journey from a work-study student in Canada to a senior controller at Ramp, discussing her experiences in startups, the importance of accounting, and how to build a high-performing finance team. She emphasizes the critical rol...

Nonprofit finance is more complex than it seems, and even well-funded organizations can struggle without proper financial management. Stephen Newland, fractional CFO and founder of MoneyPath, breaks down key challenges nonprofits face, from relying too much on budgets instead of cash flow to navigat...

After 25 years as a CFO, Jeremy Earnshaw shifted from managing numbers to mentoring leaders. He shares key lessons on leadership, decision-making, and communication. Great CFOs master tough conversations, delivering hard truths with solutions. Waiting for perfect information leads to paralysis—strat...

The numbers don’t lie, but they don’t tell the whole story either. Beverly Davis has spent years helping businesses uncover what’s really holding them back. Misaligned strategies, poor communication, and hidden inefficiencies can derail execution before it even begins. In this episode, we break down...

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Bryan Lapidus, FPAC, a finance leader whose career journey proves that adaptability and curiosity can open unexpected doors. From history major to finance executive, Bryan shares how embracing both technical expertise and big-picture thinking can ...

Ever wonder what really happens after you hit "Submit" on a job application? Do recruiters even see it, and if they do, what makes them take notice? In this episode, I chat with executive recruiter Amy Sulgrove, who shares eye-opening insights on how hiring works in the AI era and the common mistake...

In this episode, I sit down with Elaine Benfield, a marketing leader with over 20 years of experience, to discuss why finance and marketing teams often clash and how they can work better together. Misalignment between these departments can lead to tension and missed opportunities, but clear communic...