In this episode, Tom is joined by Colin Wittmer, CFO of PwC. Colin's 31-year journey at PwC has seen him transition from the audit practice to a leadership role in finance, with a significant focus on deals and transaction services. Unlike the typical technology-centric CFO, Colin emphasizes the importance of human skills in AI-driven transformations. He offers insights into the evolving role of finance leaders, the impact of AI, and how to cultivate leadership within the organization. 

Guest Quote:

“As a CFO, you see the whole picture… where a good CFO really excels is being able to connect the dots so everyone understands how something happening in one part of the business affects the rest.”

“If you start managing the business like you have a lot of cash, you can easily go sideways when things get tough. It’s maintaining that discipline in good times and in bad times.”

“Make the tough decisions early and stay the course. The companies that don’t come out of restructuring are the ones that defer making the hard decisions.”

Timestamps:

01:07 Colin Wittmer's Career Journey

02:27 Insights on M&A and Finance Leadership

07:34 The Role of AI in Modern Finance

08:49 AI Implementation at PwC

12:58 Balancing Human Skills and Technology

14:44 Continuous Learning and Adaptation

25:43 Advice for Aspiring CFOs

26:50 Balancing Client and Firm Management

27:54 The Importance of Leadership

28:26 Evaluating Career Decisions

29:54 Market Trends in M&A

31:52 Red Flags in Finance Functions

34:58 Future of the CFO Role

41:30 Personal Insights and Hobbies

44:41 Recommended Reads and Conclusion
 

Links & Resources:

Connect with Tom Gavaghan

Connect with Colin Wittmer

Learn more about Kyriba

Learn more about PwC

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In this episode, Tom is joined by David Smith, CFO at RevSpring, for a wide-ranging conversation on what a true 360-degree finance leader looks like. David shares how his rare path, from private equity investor to CEO to CFO, shapes the way he connects strategy, operations, and value creation across the entire business. He also explains why discipline, transparency, and partnership are essential in both turnarounds and high-growth environments, and how he helps teams stay engaged by empowering them to think and act like owners.

Guest Quote:

“As a CFO, you see the whole picture… where a good CFO really excels is being able to connect the dots so everyone understands how something happening in one part of the business affects the rest.”

“If you start managing the business like you have a lot of cash, you can easily go sideways when things get tough. It’s maintaining that discipline in good times and in bad times.”

“Make the tough decisions early and stay the course. The companies that don’t come out of restructuring are the ones that defer making the hard decisions.”

Timestamps:

00:50 David Smith's Unique CFO Perspective

04:48 Insights on Private Equity and Turnarounds

10:26 The Importance of Forecasting and Cash Flow Management

13:21 Balancing CFO Responsibilities and Team Motivation

20:52 Building Trust Through Small Wins

23:14 Leveraging AI in Finance

28:19 International Experience and Its Impact

33:35 Future of Finance Roles

Links & Resources:

Connect with Tom Gavaghan

Connect with David Smith

Learn more about Kyriba

Learn more about RevSpring

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In this episode, Tom is joined by Nick Dahm, CFO at Salesloft, to discuss the importance of relationships and storytelling in the CFO seat. They discuss the role of the CFO as a coach, but not a referee or score keeper. Nick also talks about how his background in finance and M&D informs his current approach as CFO and how he maintains team engagement amid constant change.

Guest Quote:

• “You think about like the player and the referee  getting into it. I never want to replicate that as far as how finance engages with the business. I really want to build that relationship like you would have with your coach or = with your trainer, where you're like, hey, we're both in this together. They're invested in me achieving my best.”

Timestamps: 

01:10 Nick Dom's Background and CFO Role Evolution

02:22 Balancing Growth and Profitability

04:23 Finance as a Coach, Not a Scorekeeper

06:12 The Importance of Storytelling in Finance

08:37 Common Misconceptions About Finance

11:25 M&A Insights and Value Creation

17:04 Team Management and Company Culture

20:20 Personal Reflections and Advice

Links & Resources:

Connect with Tom Gavaghan

Connect with guest Nick

Learn more about Kyriba

Learn more about Salesloft

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In this episode, Tom Gavaghan sits down with Russell Haley, a finance veteran who’s navigated everything from manual ledgers to global treasury crises. Russell shares lessons from his early career starting at 18 in London’s financial sector through his leadership roles at major institutions.

He discusses the value of apprenticeships and non-traditional career paths, the lessons learned from corporate failures, and the tension between automation and understanding. 

• “People trust the computer—they assume it must be right. But it can only use the information it’s given, and that information can be wrong. Having an instinct for what the figures should be is invaluable.”

Connect with Tom Gavaghan: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasgavaghan/

Connect with Russell Haley: 

linkedin.com/in/russell-haley-58676311/?skipRedirect=true

Learn more about Kyriba: 

https://www.kyriba.com

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In this episode, Thomas Gavaghan talks with Michiel Boere, CFO of Remote, about leading finance for one of the world’s fastest-growing global HR platforms. Michiel shares how Remote helps companies hire, manage, and pay talent anywhere in the world, and how that mission shapes his approach as CFO.

Michiel offers a candid look at the realities of managing finance across 100+ countries, from the complexity of global payroll and navigating diverse regulations, to the challenge of mitigating foreign exchange risk. He discusses the true ROI and variable cost of AI investments, sharing practical advice on balancing innovation with discipline in a fast-scaling company.

Drawing on his experience at Uber and Remote, Michiel explains why great CFOs must balance data with judgment, stay nimble in uncertain times, and lead with both flexibility and trust. He highlights the importance of understanding the business beyond spreadsheets—connecting with teams, empowering decision-making, and focusing on what truly drives growth and resilience.

Guest Quote:

•  From a financial point, the complexity with that global footprint lies, at least to a large extent, in the money movement, right? It's much more complex than generally people think to move money around the world. If it's not going to the top countries in the world, right? It’s very easy to move money from say, Europe to the US and back and forth, but to get the funds right in time for payroll to the Philippines or Pakistan, is a different story. There is a lot of time and effort that goes into managing that complexity.

Links & Resources:

Connect with Tom Gavaghan

Connect with Michiel Boere

Learn more about Kyriba

Learn more about Remote

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In this special crossover episode, Tom joins host Mike Richards of the Treasury Career Corner podcast to share his career journey and explore how technology and AI are reshaping the future of treasury. They dive into pivotal career moments, the impact of mentorship, and the evolving role of treasury in an increasingly tech-driven world. From traditional cash management to the rise of AI and complex financial solutions, Tom shares thoughtful insights on navigating change, leading with curiosity, and helping finance professionals stay ahead in a rapidly shifting landscape.

Tom:

“When you're talking about AI, and you're looking at it from the point of view of a treasurer or CFO, the one thing and important thing that you have to understand, and this is one of the learning gaps that I think all of us are going through in our careers now, as we're working through this, is AI is useless without data. The way I always explain it is: if you read a thousand books, and if I read one book, you inherently have more knowledge and more information to operate off of than I do. So, when you're looking at how can we leverage AI in order to do what we need it to do within our organization, there’s two key things: does it have the necessary information, and is it right? And two, can I adapt it to what we ultimately need it to be?”

Links & Resources:

Connect with Tom Gavaghan

Connect with Mike Richards

Learn more about Kyriba

Learn more about Treasury Recruitment Company

Check out the Treasury Career Corner Podcast

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In this episode, Tom and Holly sit down with Curt Anderson, CFO and COO of Flexe, for a deep dive into the world of finance, leadership, and supply chain innovation. Curt takes us on his career journey from powerhouse companies like Microsoft and Amazon to the fast-paced world of startups. Sharing invaluable lessons on leveraging data, driving financial strategy, and, most importantly, investing in people. He also unpacks the pressing challenges of today’s economy, from navigating tariffs to the critical need for flexible infrastructure in supply chain management. At the heart of it all? Building an exceptional team. Because as a leader, your team is an extension of you, and success starts with setting the right tone from the top.

Curt:

“We have a ton of data and…the volume of data is not the issue. Sometimes it's the quality of the data. And sometimes it's the speed with which you can access the data…At a smaller company and the companies that I've been privileged to be part of, a lot of the data tends to be more sales and customer focused data and then system generated operating data. It's not always clean. It's not always super easy to get to. One of my sort of mantras is to hire the FP&A function out really early as I'm building my teams, because, you kind of need people who can kind of sift through the data and make sense of it and create structure around the data so that you can understand it.”

Links & Resources:

Connect with Tom Gavaghan

Connect with Holly McNulty

Connect with Curt Anderson

Learn more about Kyriba

Learn more about Flexe

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In this episode, Tom sits down with Alison Staloch, CFO of Fundrise, for an engaging discussion about her journey in finance, perspectives on industry regulations, and unique approach to leadership. They explore topics like aligning values with opportunities, fostering inclusivity to drive innovation, and Alison’s experience as Fundrise’s first female executive. Alison also shares how Fundrise cultivates inclusivity across the organization and highlights the intangible value of connecting with her team in person throughout the year.

Alison:

“So, of companies that went public over the last 12 to 18 months a couple things to note. First one's super obvious, there's a focus on fundamentals. Sustainable business models, path to profitability, not growth at all costs like it was for so long. And then the second maybe less obvious observation is that all companies faced a constrained capital environment during the downturn, and some may have ended up relying on Interesting structured agreements, investor-friendly terms, whatever they needed to do basically to remain liquid, survive… I think the financial and strategic pressures that they navigated to reach this point will become more apparent, and maybe we'll see some of that uncovered in the coming year.”

Links & Resources:

Connect with Tom Gavaghan

Connect with Alison Staloch

Learn more about Kyriba

Learn more about Fundrise

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In this episode, Tom and Holly have an enlightening conversation with Bryan Jones, CFO of Intradiem. Bryan shares his insights on the evolving role of the CFO and the critical importance of company culture in achieving business success. Bryan also champions a people-first culture and emphasizes the need for all aspects of the business to be connected to its people, and the success Intradiem has seen in their efforts enabling their employees.

Guest Quote:

“The role of the CFO, in my opinion, has really evolved to be one of a strategic partner to the CEO, to the rest of the C suite, honestly, to the rest of the business as well. We have a real unique position that we sit in where we have a really wide view of the business that puts us in a great position to be that sort of strategic advisor and to the CEO as well as of the rest of the business. So it's not just about the numbers. It's about really understanding the business. You got to take care of the financing, the accounting and treasury and all that stuff. Like I said, that's just table stakes, but you really are a strategic advisor and partner to the rest of the business.”

Links & Resources:

Connect with Tom Gavaghan

Connect with Holly McNulty

Connect with Bryan Jones

Learn more about Kyriba

Learn more about Intradiem

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In this episode, Tom is joined by James Kelly, SVP of Treasury, Risk Management, and Insurance at Pearson, and Declan Ware, Group Treasurer at EMR Group, from Kyriba Live Exchange in London. They discuss the evolving challenges in treasury management, the impact of AI in finance, and strategic planning amidst economic uncertainties.

Guest Quotes:

James:

“There's a hygiene gateway which is, make sure that there's enough liquidity for the next five years or whatever that you need for getting concerned. As soon as you're past that, it's about free cash conversion. Because it gives credibility to the profit number, it ensures that you've got the liquidity going forward, and it provides that kind of, that lifeblood to propel future investment. And if that's looking good, you end up with happy investors.”

Declan:

“To pick up on your point there on culture, I think that is key. The business I'm involved in, as the name suggests, is involved in metal recycling. Now, outside looking in, maybe 10 years ago, that was seen as a very basic industry, a bit dirty, a bit underhand. Whereas, if you look at the technological advances within that industry, there's a lot of science, there's a lot of technology, and there's a real culture within the organization of continuous improvement…When I look at my team specifically, I try and encourage that. So I'll encourage the opportunities to go and self learn. I won't tell them to do it. I won't say you've got to come back and tell me everything you know about AI by the end of the week. I'll encourage and certainly promote opportunities.”

Links & Resources:

Connect with Tom Gavaghan

Connect with Declan Ware

Connect with James Kelly

Learn more about Kyriba

Learn more about EMR Group

Learn more about Pearson

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