FinOps in Action

If you can’t see where your cloud spend is going, how can you possibly control it?

In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with Stijn Depril, FinOps Architect at Euroclear and Co-Founder of Costra. He shares why cloud visibility is the starting point for any successful FinOps practice. Drawing on decades of experience in infrastructure and cloud architecture, he explains how many organizations rushed into the cloud without fully understanding the financial implications and why FinOps is ultimately about building the right culture, not just cutting costs.

Stijn discusses the importance of governance, leadership buy-in, and engineering collaboration when managing cloud spend. He also explains why engineers hold more influence over cost optimization than many organizations realize, and how FinOps teams can empower them to make smarter decisions without slowing innovation. The conversation explores what it really takes to move from reactive cost management to a proactive, organization-wide mindset around cloud efficiency.

Here’s what we talked about:

• Why visibility is the foundation of effective FinOps
• The risks of moving to the cloud without cost awareness
• How governance helps guide engineers toward optimization
• Why FinOps is as much a cultural shift as it is a financial discipline
• The role engineers play in controlling cloud spend
• What leadership support means for a successful FinOps program

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

2:16 Stijn's FinOps Origin Story

4:07 Financial Problem or Engineering Problem?

5:59 Where FinOps Goes Right (and Wrong)

9:05 Should FinOps Be on the Pitch? Crawl, Walk, Run

11:31 What Does a FinOps Architect Actually Do?

16:44 Optimization in Action (The Hackathon Story)

32:17 AI and FinOps: Opportunities & Risks

🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://www.finopsinaction.com/ 

Quote of the Show:

• “I don’t need to have all the trophies on my back here. That’s not necessary. I want the organization and the engineers and the architects to do the right job for the organization.” - Stijn Depril

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sdepril/ 
• Costra: https://costra.io/ 
• Website: https://www.euroclear.com/en.html 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808 
• iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/ 
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339 
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t 
• Substack: https://finopsinaction.substack.com/ 
• Transistor: finopsinaction.com 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency 

How do you move from chasing $15 cloud savings to building a scalable FinOps program that actually drives impact?

In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with Chandan Bukkapatnam, Senior Cloud FinOps Analyst at Procore Technologies, to unpack what it really takes to mature a FinOps practice from tactical cost-cutting to strategic influence.

Chandan shares how he intentionally built his career at the intersection of cloud architecture and finance, why he initially focused too heavily on granular optimizations, and how automation changed everything. He explains why small “one-off” savings often waste engineering time, and how building systems is what truly scales cloud cost optimization.

The conversation also explores one of the most important skills in FinOps: influencing without authority. Chandan breaks down how to build trust with engineers, secure leadership buy-in, and meet finance and engineering teams where they are, using the language that matters to each.

Finally, the episode dives into the future of FinOps in an AI-driven world. From FinOps for AI workloads to AI for FinOps automation, Chandan shares how he sees artificial intelligence amplifying the practitioner’s role.

 Here’s what we talked about:

• Why focusing on tiny cloud savings can backfire
• How to prioritize high-impact cloud cost optimization
• Building automation workflows that scale
• Gaining leadership buy-in for FinOps initiatives
• FinOps for AI vs. AI for FinOps
• The evolving strategic role of FinOps practitioners

 🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://www.finopsinaction.com/ 

Quote of the Show:

• “ AI is taking over the world… but context is still number one.” - Chandan Bukkapatnam

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandan426/ 
• Website: https://www.procore.com/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808 
• iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/ 
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339 
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t 
• Substack: https://finopsinaction.substack.com/ 
• Transistor: finopsinaction.com 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency 

What if the biggest mistake new FinOps teams make isn’t missing savings, but executing them too soon?

In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with Henrique Amorim, Business Analyst and FinOps Specialist at Crayon. He shares an honest look at what it really takes to build a successful FinOps practice. From resisting the urge to immediately slash costs to navigating engineering relationships and preparing for the AI-driven future of cloud spend, this conversation goes far beyond surface-level optimization tips.

Henrique breaks down why FinOps isn’t about being the “cost police”. It’s about building influence, trust, and a culture of cost awareness across engineering, finance, and leadership. If you’re working in cloud cost optimization, FinOps, or AI cost management, this episode will challenge how you think about leverage, execution, and long-term impact.

Here’s what we talked about:

• Why you should treat early cloud savings as strategic leverage
• The difference between theoretical savings and truly actionable optimizations
• How AI is reshaping the FinOps function
• The importance of building dashboards, processes, and visibility before scaling savings
• Why some “cost inefficiencies” are actually architectural features
• The role of community in accelerating your FinOps maturity
• Managing up: how to communicate FinOps impact to executives

 🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://www.finopsinaction.com/ 

Quote of the Show:

• “Identify those savings and keep them as an ace up your sleeve while using that as leverage to get your roots in the system.” - Henrique Amorim

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henriqueamorim/ 
• Website: https://www.crayon.com/us/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808 
• iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/ 
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339 
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t 
• Substack: https://finopsinaction.substack.com/ 
• Transistor: finopsinaction.com 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency 

What is FinOps really? Is it just about cutting cloud costs?

In this episode of FinOps in Action, Rense Siegmund, Founder of FinOps Academy and FinOps Lead at Gasunie, shares a practical perspective on what FinOps actually is and why it’s about far more than technical cloud optimization.

With a background in coaching and team development, he brings a unique lens to cloud cost management: collaboration, culture, and data-driven decision-making.

If you’ve ever wondered how to scale FinOps beyond a single practitioner, or how small and mid-sized organizations can manage $1M–$3M in annual cloud spend without a dedicated FinOps team, this conversation is packed with insight.

Here’s what we talked about:

• The realities of FinOps for smaller organizations managing $150K–$3M in annual cloud spend
• How to embed FinOps into company OKRs and governance
• Why behavior change starts with small, repetitive actions
• The growing impact of AI as a cloud cost driver
• The importance of “fail fast, learn fast” in cloud cost optimization
• Why collaboration between engineering, finance, and leadership is the biggest challenge in FinOps

 🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://www.finopsinaction.com/ 

Quote of the Show:

• “Behavior comes from repetitive small actions, so the sooner you get the first actions in the organization, the easier it becomes.” - Rense Siegmund

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rense-siegmund-0b363b1b/ 
• Website: https://www.gasunie.nl/en 
• FinOps Academy: https://finopsacademy.nl/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808 
• iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/ 
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339 
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t 
• Substack: https://finopsinaction.substack.com/ 
• Transistor: finopsinaction.com 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency 

Why do so many FinOps programs struggle to prove business value?

In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with Tamara Lajara, FinOps Principal Consultant at SoftwareOne, to break down what real FinOps value looks like and why culture, governance, and visibility matter just as much as savings. 

Drawing from more than a decade of consulting experience across industries, cloud maturity levels, and organizational cultures, Tamara shares why FinOps succeeds when people, process, and technology are aligned and fails when even one of those elements is ignored.

This conversation dives deep into the realities FinOps practitioners face: getting engineering buy-in, navigating organizational politics, avoiding costly long-term cloud commitments, and proving value when ROI isn’t immediate or obvious.

Here’s what we talked about:

• Why FinOps fails when it’s framed only as cost optimization
• How to think about FinOps value across four key pillars: optimization, governance, culture, and visibility
• How to get engineering buy-in when savings aren’t immediate or obvious
• The risks of “lift, shift, and commit” cloud strategies
• Why tagging, governance, and accountability unlock future savings
• What AI will (and won’t) replace in FinOps
• How cloud-native teams think differently about FinOps than legacy organizations

 🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://www.finopsinaction.com/ 

Quote of the Show:

• “It’s about finding the right motivation for each team, not assuming everyone thinks the same way.” - Tamara Lajara

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaralajara/ 
• Website: https://www.softwareone.com/en-us 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808 
• iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/ 
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339 
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t 
• Substack: https://finopsinaction.substack.com/ 
• Transistor: finopsinaction.com 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency 

Why does FinOps work better when teams own outcomes instead of being told what to do?

In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with Trig Ghosh, FinOps SME at Accenture Federal Services, certified FinOps instructor, and founding contributor to the Cloud Efficiency Hub, to unpack what actually drives lasting FinOps success.

Trig shares hard-earned lessons from building a FinOps Center of Excellence, aligning finance and engineering teams, and leading FinOps initiatives without a formal full-time team. From incentive alignment to leadership mindset, this episode goes deep on what it really takes to operationalize FinOps inside complex organizations.

Here’s what we talked about:

• What a FinOps Center of Excellence is, and how it differs from a traditional FinOps team
• How to align finance, engineering, security, and leadership around shared incentives
• Why over-provisioning happens, and how to work with engineers instead of against them
• How recognition and ownership drive better FinOps outcomes than mandates
• Trig’s practical definition of what FinOps actually is
• How FinOps is evolving in a world of AI-driven cloud spend

 🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://www.finopsinaction.com/ 

Quote of the Show:

• “ To lead a FinOps team, you have to understand the incentives of all of these different personas. You have to be able to step into their shoes.” - Trig Ghosh

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trig-ghosh/ 
• Website: https://www.accenture.com/us-en 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808 
• iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/ 
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339 
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t 
• Substack: https://finopsinaction.substack.com/ 
• Transistor: finopsinaction.com 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency 

Why can’t FinOps teams rely on cost savings alone?

In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with Rohit Mishra, Head of Cloud FinOps at Avaloq, to challenge the idea that FinOps is only about cost optimization. Drawing from over a decade of experience in cloud infrastructure and capacity management, Rohit explains why cost savings are just the starting point, and how mature FinOps teams drive long-term value by shifting left into architecture, design, and decision-making.

Rohit shares lessons from his early FinOps journey, including what he got wrong when trying to optimize everything alone, and why collaboration across infrastructure, application, finance, and architecture teams is critical to success. He breaks down how speaking the right “language” to each team builds trust, unlocks execution, and accelerates impact.

He also explores how FinOps teams justify their value when cost savings plateau, covering topics like cost allocation, tagging governance, forecasting, and capacity planning. Finally, Rohit offers practical advice for FinOps practitioners at every stage, including why early wins matter, how to earn executive buy-in, and where FinOps as a discipline is still underdeveloped.

Here’s what we talked about:

• Why cost optimization is only one piece of Cloud FinOps
• What “shifting left” really means and how it prevents cloud waste
• How FinOps teams collaborate with architects, engineers, and finance
• How to justify FinOps value beyond direct cost savings
• Why early wins and low-hanging fruit are critical for management buy-in
• Where FinOps is heading as cloud environments grow more complex

 🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://www.finopsinaction.com/ 

Quote of the Show:

• “ Shifting left is going to be a very important turning point in how FinOps is perceived amongst different teams and how FinOps is actually done.” - Rohit Mishra

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohit-mishra-6aa1bb14b/ 
• Website: https://www.avaloq.com/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808 
• iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/ 
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339 
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t 
• Substack: https://finopsinaction.substack.com/ 
• Transistor: finopsinaction.com 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency 

How do FinOps leaders make better cloud decisions when every organization is different?

In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with Marit Hughes, one of the most experienced FinOps practitioners in the industry, to explore what actually drives good (and bad) cloud cost decisions.

With over a decade of hands-on experience managing cloud spend, from early AWS billing days to today’s multi-cloud, AI-driven environments, Marit shares why business alignment, communication, and fear play a far bigger role in FinOps outcomes than dashboards alone.

We also covered how FinOps changes across industries, why benchmarking often misleads teams, and how fear quietly drives overprovisioning, missed optimization opportunities, and decision paralysis.

Here’s what we talked about:

• Why FinOps practices don’t translate cleanly between organizations
• How fear influences cloud architecture, optimization, and commitment decisions 
• What FinOps practitioners get wrong about benchmarking and “best practices”
• Why communication breakdowns often matter more than cost overruns 
• How FinOps is shifting left into planning, architecture, and strategy 
• What the future of forecasting looks like in a world of AI, SaaS, and variable usage

 🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://www.finopsinaction.com/ 

Quote of the Show:

• “ If security is job zero, FinOps should be job 0.5.” - Marit Hughes

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marit-hughes/ 
• Website: https://www.deloitte.com/us/en.html 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808 
• iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/ 
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339 
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t 
• Substack: https://finopsinaction.substack.com/ 
• Transistor: finopsinaction.com 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency 

Can developing soft skills like communication and conflict resolution accelerate FinOps maturity faster than tooling?

In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with Cloud FinOps Manager at IHG Hotels & Resorts, Rick Triana, to explore why cost savings are actually the smallest part of FinOps, and why focusing on “spend reduction” can stunt your FinOps maturity.

Rick shares how he evolved from treating FinOps as a cost-cutting function to building a value-driven program rooted in leadership, communication, and accountability. He explains why most right-sizing recommendations fail, how to avoid losing trust with engineering, and what FinOps “nirvana” really looks like.

We also break down Rick’s value–effort–risk prioritization framework, how to influence without authority, and why soft skills matter more than technical expertise in this field.

Here’s what we talked about:

• Why focusing only on savings misses the true purpose of FinOps: maximizing business value
• How communication and soft skills matter more than technical tools in driving adoption
• Rick’s value × effort × risk scoring model for prioritizing optimization work
• Why dashboards drive awareness but chargeback drives accountability
• How FinOps teams mature through the crawl–walk–run lifecycle — and how practitioners mature personally, too
• What separates seasoned FinOps leaders from those who only know right-sizing and savings plans

 🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://www.finopsinaction.com/ 

Quote of the Show:

• “If that’s your focus is just saving money, I think you missed the big picture.” - Rick Triana

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardotriana/ 
• Website: https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/us/en/reservation 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808 
• iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/ 
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339 
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t 
• Substack: https://finopsinaction.substack.com/ 
• Transistor: finopsinaction.com 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency 

What does FinOps look like at massive enterprise scale?

In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with Jarred Clore, Cloud FinOps Delivery Leader at Cisco and the first AWS hire focused on cloud cost optimization. 

Jarred shares candid stories from his early days helping Fortune 500 companies navigate cloud cost shock (including getting yelled at by customers) and the hard lessons he learned about culture, executive sponsorship, and the limits of “hoping for the best.”

He breaks down why rate optimization often beats engineering optimizations in terms of impact, how to balance usage vs. commitment decisions, and why starting vendor negotiations early can save more money than most technical tuning efforts. Jarred also explains Cisco’s unique hybrid model for FinOps and why centralized governance paired with distributed ownership drives the best results.

We also covered how culture—not tooling—is often the biggest barrier to FinOps success, and why executive sponsorship is essential for driving change inside large organizations.

Here’s what we talked about:

• Why executive sponsorship is the make-or-break factor in FinOps
• The difference between “FinOps in action” and “FinOps in action”
• Why rate optimization is often the biggest untapped savings opportunity
• Cisco’s hybrid model: centralized governance with distributed ownership
• How to automate safely without breaking critical workloads
• How to balance usage optimization with commitment–based discounts

 🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://www.finopsinaction.com/ 

Quote of the Show:

• “Optimization is supposed to be a concurrent task with innovation. It’s not supposed to be an afterthought.” - Jarred Clore

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarred-clore/ 
• Website: https://www.cisco.com/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808 
• iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/ 
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339 
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t 
• Substack: https://finopsinaction.substack.com/ 
• Transistor: finopsinaction.com 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency