The Strategic CFO vs. the Transactional Finance Function: How to Close the Gap
Executive Summary Many CFOs are hired to be strategic, but their finance function remains transactional. This article explains the “evolutio...

Wassia Kamon is the CFO of Georgia Leading CDFI. With over 15 years of experience, she has worked across the manufacturing, technology, pharmaceutical, and nonprofit sectors in various accounting and FP&A leadership roles. Recognized twice as a 40 Under 40 honoree by CPA Practice Advisor, Wassia is a keynote speaker and top content creator whose insights have been featured in major publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Accounting Today, Fast Company, and Strategic Finance Magazine.
In this episode of The Diary of a CFO Podcast , host Wassia Kamon sits down with Dave DeFreitas , retired group CFO of Caterpillar Inc., to explore the unconventional career path that took him from staff accountant to the C-suite. Drawing on over 30 years of experience leading finance teams at one o...
In this episode of The Diary of a CFO Podcast, host Wassia Kamon sits down with Tariq Munir, digital transformation advisor and author of Reimagine Finance, to explore what it actually takes to build an AI-ready finance team.
Stepping into your first CFO role can feel overwhelming. In this episode, former divisional CFO and GrowCFO Mentor Kevin Appleby shares what really changes when you move from finance leader to CFO. Drawing on years of experience working with finance leaders across industries, Kevin shares why many C...
In this episode of The Diary of a CFO Podcast, host Wassia Kamon sits down with Teri Kozub, a three-time CFO with more than 33 years of experience in nonprofit finance and current CFO at Community Legal Services of Mid Florida. Teri shares how her non-linear career shaped her leadership style, why ...
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 ...
CFOs are expected to drive transformation, lead strategy, and still deliver flawless numbers every month. In this episode of The Diary of a CFO, I sit down with Tom Hood, one of the most influential voices in finance leadership, to unpack what’s really behind the growing pressure on today’s CFOs.
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...
Executive Summary Many CFOs are hired to be strategic, but their finance function remains transactional. This article explains the “evolutio...
Executive Summary Difficult board conversations become manageable when preparation removes surprise and clarifies the decision. Strong prepa...
No matter the industry, and no matter how healthy the business looks today, three board conversations show up sooner or later. A number gets...


