CFO 4.0 Podcast

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To mark the return of CFO 4.0 Revisited and celebrate International Women’s Week, we’re bringing back a powerful conversation that is just as relevant today as when it first aired. In Episode 77, Hannah Munro sits down with Fiona Hathorn, CEO of Women on Boards UK, to explore what it truly takes to step into the boardroom and succeed.

Board roles are often discussed but rarely explained in practical terms. Fiona cuts through the noise, sharing clear guidance on balancing cultural fit with constructive challenge, assessing whether a board opportunity is right for you, and positioning yourself as a credible candidate in a competitive market. At a time when representation and leadership are firmly in focus, this conversation is about progression, not just celebration.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• What skills and experience boards are really looking for
• How to build board-ready credentials before you apply
• Where to find opportunities and how to assess them properly
• What a typical board recruitment process involves
• Practical tips to stand out and interview with confidence
• How to balance fitting in with constructively challenging the status quo

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In this special Financial Transformation Live episode, Hannah Munro sets out a clear, practical agenda for finance leaders who want 2026 to be the year transformation actually happens.

This session deliberately moves away from technology hype and focuses on the fundamentals that enable progress. Hannah makes the case that 2026 must be a people and process year, not a rushed race to automate. As the pace of change accelerates and AI becomes part of everyday working life, finance teams need the capacity, skills and foundations to respond, rather than react.

In this episode, Hannah covers

• Why 2026 must be a people and process year, not a rushed race to automate
• How to create real capacity in finance teams to drive change, not just survive month end
• The risk of automating broken processes and why simplicity is the foundation of speed
• Moving finance from hindsight to foresight through faster closes and in-month reporting
• Using the right technology for the problem, and why AI is not always the answer
• Building resilient, well-rounded finance teams that can adapt as the pace of change accelerates

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In this third episode of the CFO 4.0 Revisited series, Hannah Munro is joined by Howard Tunnicliffe, now FP&A Director at Busuu, to revisit a conversation that remains highly relevant for modern finance leaders.

Originally recorded when Howard was Head of Finance Subscriptions at The Economist, this episode tackles a topic that still separates good finance teams from great ones: soft skills. As finance continues to move beyond pure technical delivery, Howard shares practical insight into why behaviours, communication and judgement matter just as much as numbers.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Howard’s career journey and lessons learned across global, matrixed organisations
• Why soft skills are critical for finance professionals looking to progress into leadership
• How to assess the strengths and gaps within your finance team
• The risks of ignoring soft skills in high-performing finance functions
• Which soft skills matter most in FP&A and senior finance roles
• Practical ways to develop these skills across your finance team

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 In this episode of CFO 4.0, Hannah Munro is joined by Etinosa Agbonlahor, CEO of Decision Alpha, to break down why pricing causes so much anxiety and how finance leaders can take control of it in a structured, evidence-based way.

Together, they explore how behavioural economics, customer insight, and disciplined iteration can turn pricing from a reactive afterthought into a strategic advantage.

In this episode, they cover

• Why pricing is the keystone of the business and what goes wrong when it is ignored
• The warning signs that your pricing strategy is misaligned with value
• Common pricing mistakes, including over-reliance on competitors
• How to research willingness to pay using both qualitative and quantitative methods
• Applying behavioural economics to frame prices, guide choices, and improve conversion
• Why pricing should be reviewed and refined regularly, not set and forgotten

Links mentioned:

• Etinosa's Linkedin 
• Learn more about Decision Alpha 

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As a follow-up to their Financial Transformation Live discussions, Hannah Munro is joined by Neil Lynchehaun, Transformation and Delivery Manager at itas, to launch The Readiness Challenge series.

In part one, they take an honest look at what project readiness really means and why so many finance transformations struggle before they even begin. Drawing on real delivery experience, this episode focuses on the most common and underestimated blocker to success team capacity and capability.

 This episode covers: 

• What project readiness really means before starting a finance transformation
• Why team capacity is the number one cause of delays and failed projects
• How to assess whether your finance team genuinely has the availability to deliver change
• Practical ways to create capacity without defaulting to hiring more people
• The importance of having the right mix of skills influence and experience in project teams
• How to reduce delivery risk through backfilling strategy retention planning and phased delivery

Links mentioned:

• Connect with Hannah Munro
• Connect with Neil Lynchehaun
• Explore more Finance Transformation Live sessions
• Customer Success Stories
• Book a discovery call 

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In this special highlights episode of CFO 4.0, host Hannah Munro reflects on the most impactful conversations of 2025, bringing together lessons from CFOs, transformation leaders, and futurists. Drawing on insights from across the year, this episode explores what finance leaders have really learned as the role continues to evolve under pressure from growth, technology, and rising expectations.

In this episode, we reflect on

• Why finance transformation fails when it is treated as a separate role rather than a day-to-day mindset
• How CFOs are learning to make faster, better decisions without waiting for perfect data
• What the explosive adoption of AI, including ChatGPT, signals for finance teams and leadership expectations
• The practical warning signs that data integrity and control environments are no longer fit for growth
• How CFOs can professionalise fast-growing businesses without killing the agility that made them successful
• The realities of growth versus profit in private equity-backed organisations and what investors actually expect

This episode features highlights and perspectives from 

• 240. AI in Finance: Complex Workflows to Scalable AI Solutions with Tariq Munir
• 218. AI in Finance | From Generative AI to Reinforcement Learning with Peter Morgan
• 234. The CFO as a Storyteller: Making KPIs Count with Matt Topham
• 227. AI in Finance: Preparing for the AI Revolution: Abundance or Catastrophe? with David Wood
• 235. First 100 Days as a CFO: Mastering the 60–90 Day Window as a CFO with Jeremy Earnshaw
• 244. CFO Stories: Acquisitions, Due Diligence & Building Trust with Charlotte Crowley
• 243. The 90-Day Finance Transformation Playbook with Hannah Munro
• 232. The Private Equity CFO: Myths, Mistakes & Misconceptions with Richard Sanders

and offers a clear-eyed view of where finance leadership is heading next.

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In this episode, Hannah Munro sits down with Omar Choucair, CFO at Trintech, for a forthright look at life inside private equity. Omar offers a clear view of what the role truly demands and why it isn’t for the faint hearted. He discusses the expanded remit of today’s CFO, the operational intensity of PE-backed firms and the importance of pace, people and process when value creation is the end goal.

The conversation covers

•  The sharp contrasts between public company and private equity expectations
• What a PE-ready finance team looks like and why curiosity, stamina and tight-knit business partnerships matter more than ever 
•  How to build trust across the business and move finance from scorekeeper to genuine strategic partner 
• The realities of scaling fast the role of technology, automation and a modern ERP in enabling profitable growth  
• What new and aspiring PE CFOs need to know from managing the CEO relationship to anticipating board demands

Links mentioned

• Omar's Linkedin
• Learn more about Trintech

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In this episode of the CFO 4.0 Podcast, recorded in partnership with ACCA, Hannah Munro is joined by Nicolas Raynaud FCCA, CFO at the Science Museum Group. Nicolas shares a frank and practical view of what it really takes to settle into a new CFO role and why those early months demand clarity, curiosity and steady judgement.

In this episode, Nicolas covers

•  Why the first 100 days start with understanding the organisation you’re joining, not diving into delivery
•  How to diagnose whether you’re entering a growth phase, a turnaround or a realignment
•  The importance of preparing before day one and validating the brief you were given
•  How to balance early stakeholder engagement with the pressure to act
•  What to do when your findings don’t match expectations, and how to handle difficult course correction
•  Why staying open minded, curious and willing to learn will set the tone for long term success

Links mentioned

• Nicolas' Linkedin 
• Learn more about the Science Museum Group

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In this in-person conversation, Hannah Munro sits down with Matthew Robinson, Financial Controller at Zebra Pens, to explore the realities of running and transforming finance inside a small but ambitious business. 

This episode covers

• Why small-business finance needs pragmatism, balance and the courage to let go of total control 
• How Matt rebuilt finance around risk-based thinking, strong foundations and the ability to switch off at the end of the day 
• The hard lessons of a difficult first implementation 
• How Zebra Pens is moving towards 21st-century operations with integrated systems

Links mentioned

• Matthew's Linkedin
• Learn more about Zebra Pens
• Zebra Pens Customer Story Coming Soon!

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In this Transformation Troubleshooter episode, Hannah Munro and Neil Lynchehaun tackle two real scenarios sent in by finance and operational leaders wrestling with change. They cut through the noise and give practical, experience-led guidance on managing competing priorities, handling resistance and keeping transformation efforts on track.

What the episode covers

•  Why misaligned leadership priorities derail projects
•  How to define ROI early so cost concerns don’t dominate later
•  Ways to balance the natural tension between speed, control and risk
•  How to use stakeholder management, individual conversations and senior sponsorship to regain direction
•  What to do when a team member becomes disruptive during implementation and how to reset the room
•  Practical facilitation tools

Links Mentioned

• Previous session: Stop Shopping, Start Transforming 
• Connect with Hannah Munro
• Connect with Neil Lynchehaun
• Explore more Finance Transformation Live sessions
• Which Sage Product is Right For You Quiz!
• Learn more about Sage Intacct 
• Customer Success Stories
• Book a discovery call 

• Explore other CFO 4.0 Podcast episodes here.
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