You made 100,000 dollars profit last year, so where is it? That's how Lakun Agrawal started his finance journey.He is now the CFO of Hello Clever, an Australian fintech building real time payments across the world.He joined when the business had about 40 people, as a fractional CFO 2 or 3 days a week, because the founder knew she needed his skillset before she could afford it full time.Within about 4 months he was full time. 2 and a half years on, the team has grown to over 110, revenue is up 20x and there are offices in Australia, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan and New York.But he got there the long way. Lakun spent more than 20 years in big multinationals, through telco booms and busts and a company bankruptcy on his first day in Hong Kong.Then working in a number of CFO roles with WPP, before making the jump to startup land.Early on, when he was completing the accounts for his dad's business. His dad saw a $100,000 profit and asked, “So where is it?”That confusion between profit and cash is still what he translates for founders today. But it taught him the importance of communicating complexity in a simple way.If you’re a finance leader wondering whether fractional can turn into something bigger, this episode is a great place to start!Highlights:• Hear how he helped Hello Clever grow revenue 20 times in two years, from 40 people to 110 across five countries• Understand why he joined as a fractional CFO 2 days a week, and how that scaled to full-time in about 4 months• Get the cash versus profit lesson his dad taught him with a single question, so where is it• Learn why translating the numbers into plain English is the finance skill that matters most to founders• Hear the Hong Kong story of walking into a new job the morning his company filed for bankruptcy• Explore the real difference between an FD and a CFO, and why it comes down to your time• Find out how he helps founders weigh debt against equity, and why it is ultimately their call• See why even large companies get caught out ignoring cash flowTom Hunter, Story Recruitment - first-CFO and first-finance-hire search for Australian tech, fintech and deeptech startups. Host of the CFO Track Podcast. Storyrecruitment.com.au

You made 100,000 dollars profit last year, so where is it? That's how Lakun Agrawal started his finance journey. He is now the CFO of Hello Clever, an Australian fintech building real time payments across the world. He joined when the business had about 40 people, as a fractional CFO 2 or 3 days a week, because the founder knew she needed his skillset before she could afford it full time. Within about 4 months he was full time. 2 and a half years on, the team has grown to over 110, revenue is up 20x and there are offices in Australia, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan and New York. But he got there the long way. Lakun spent more than 20 years in big multinationals, through telco booms and busts and a company bankruptcy on his first day in Hong Kong. Then working in a number of CFO roles with WPP, before making the jump to startup land. Early on, when he was completing the accounts for his dad's business. His dad saw a $100,000 profit and asked, “So where is it?” That confusion between profit and cash is still what he translates for founders today. But it taught him the importance of communicating complexity in a simple way. If you’re a finance leader wondering whether fractional can turn into something bigger, this episode is a great place to start! Highlights: • Hear how he helped Hello Clever grow revenue 20 times in two years, from 40 people to 110 across five countries • Understand why he joined as a fractional CFO 2 days a week, and how that scaled to full-time in about 4 months • Get the cash versus profit lesson his dad taught him with a single question, so where is it • Learn why translating the numbers into plain English is the finance skill that matters most to founders • Hear the Hong Kong story of walking into a new job the morning his company filed for bankruptcy • Explore the real difference between an FD and a CFO, and why it comes down to your time • Find out how he helps founders weigh debt against equity, and why it is ultimately their call • See why even large companies get caught out ignoring cash flow Tom Hunter, Story Recruitment - first-CFO and first-finance-hire search for Australian tech, fintech and deeptech startups. Host of the CFO Track Podcast. Storyrecruitment.com.au

Starting part-time to 20x revenue in two years – Lakun Agrawal (Hello Clever)

He joined pay.com.au at 100 million dollars in payments and built the finance function as it scaled to 10 billion.Ed Trick is the CFO of pay.com.au, one of the fastest growing fintechs in Australia. He came in around the 100 million mark, when the business was about 2 years old with 20 to 30 people and no finance function.So he got on the tools and into the model, running every number himself. That founding knowledge is hard to replicate.The business is a different beast now. Over 250 staff, circa 100 million dollars raised, a US expansion underway and 10 billion dollars in payments last financial year.His route in was anything but planned. He started off in investment banking and private equity, but a move to Melbourne a couple months before COVID changed his career trajectory.He was contracting with a NDIS provider, which turned into a CFO role at an aged care business.Earlier this year, Pay had a prospectus ready and were looking to list on the ASX. They made the call to pull it when the market turned and raised private capital instead. How he walked through that decision and managed the pivot with his team accordingly is worth a listen in itself. If you love working in fast-paced environments, this episode is for you! Highlights:<ul><li>Hear how he built pay.com.au’s finance function from scratch, joining at 100 million dollars in payments and scaling to 10 billion</li><li>Understand why doing every number himself early gave him knowledge he says is hard to replicate</li><li>Get the story of the ASX float that was ready to go, and why he pulled it and raised private capital instead</li><li>Learn how he kept the team steady after the IPO came off the table</li><li>Find out why he thinks Excel courses will be a thing of the past, and what replaces them</li><li>See how a private equity placement at 22 shaped the way he reads a business</li><li>Explore his early run of rejections, and why he now calls it lucky</li><li>Hear how backing himself into new industries, from disability to aged care, set him up for pay</li></ul> Tom Hunter, Story Recruitment - first-CFO and first-finance-hire search for Australian tech, fintech and deeptech startups. Host of the CFO Track Podcast. Storyrecruitment.com.au

He joined pay.com.au at 100 million dollars in payments and built the finance function as it scaled to 10 billion. Ed Trick is the CFO of pay.com.au, one of the fastest growing fintechs in Australia. He came in around the 100 million mark, when the business was about 2 years old with 20 to 30 people and no finance function. So he got on the tools and into the model, running every number himself. That founding knowledge is hard to replicate. The business is a different beast now. Over 250 staff, circa 100 million dollars raised, a US expansion underway and 10 billion dollars in payments last financial year. His route in was anything but planned. He started off in investment banking and private equity, but a move to Melbourne a couple months before COVID changed his career trajectory. He was contracting with a NDIS provider, which turned into a CFO role at an aged care business. Earlier this year, Pay had a prospectus ready and were looking to list on the ASX. They made the call to pull it when the market turned and raised private capital instead. How he walked through that decision and managed the pivot with his team accordingly is worth a listen in itself. If you love working in fast-paced environments, this episode is for you! Highlights:Hear how he built pay.com.au’s finance function from scratch, joining at 100 million dollars in payments and scaling to 10 billionUnderstand why doing every number himself early gave him knowledge he says is hard to replicateGet the story of the ASX float that was ready to go, and why he pulled it and raised private capital insteadLearn how he kept the team steady after the IPO came off the tableFind out why he thinks Excel courses will be a thing of the past, and what replaces themSee how a private equity placement at 22 shaped the way he reads a businessExplore his early run of rejections, and why he now calls it luckyHear how backing himself into new industries, from disability to aged care, set him up for pay Tom Hunter, Story Recruitment - first-CFO and first-finance-hire search for Australian tech, fintech and deeptech startups. Host of the CFO Track Podcast. Storyrecruitment.com.au

He joined pay.com.au at 100 million dollars in payments and built the finance function as it scaled to 10 billion.Ed Trick is the CFO of pay.com.au, one of the fastest growing fintechs in Australia. He came in around the 100 million mark, when the business was about 2 years old with 20 to 30 people and no finance function.So he got on the tools and into the model, running every number himself. That founding knowledge is hard to replicate.The business is a different beast now. Over 250 staff, circa 100 million dollars raised, a US expansion underway and 10 billion dollars in payments last financial year.His route in was anything but planned. He started off in investment banking and private equity, but a move to Melbourne a couple months before COVID changed his career trajectory.He was contracting with a NDIS provider, which turned into a CFO role at an aged care business.Earlier this year, Pay had a prospectus ready and were looking to list on the ASX. They made the call to pull it when the market turned and raised private capital instead. How he walked through that decision and managed the pivot with his team accordingly is worth a listen in itself. If you love working in fast-paced environments, this episode is for you! Highlights:<ul><li>Hear how he built pay.com.au’s finance function from scratch, joining at 100 million dollars in payments and scaling to 10 billion</li><li>Understand why doing every number himself early gave him knowledge he says is hard to replicate</li><li>Get the story of the ASX float that was ready to go, and why he pulled it and raised private capital instead</li><li>Learn how he kept the team steady after the IPO came off the table</li><li>Find out why he thinks Excel courses will be a thing of the past, and what replaces them</li><li>See how a private equity placement at 22 shaped the way he reads a business</li><li>Explore his early run of rejections, and why he now calls it lucky</li><li>Hear how backing himself into new industries, from disability to aged care, set him up for pay</li></ul> Tom Hunter, Story Recruitment - first-CFO and first-finance-hire search for Australian tech, fintech and deeptech startups. Host of the CFO Track Podcast. Storyrecruitment.com.au

Building from 100 million to 10 billion in payments - Ed Trick (pay.com.au)

Adrian Bongiorno started his Finance career in a regional mining community 1500kms north of Perth in Port Hedland, on his way to becoming CFO of 40 Winks. The lessons between those two moments shaped how he leads today.We cover what it means to learn finance at the coalface, how to build a commercial business partnering function from scratch and Adrian's pragmatic approach to AI in the SME space.He goes through the value of hands-on learning, managing through severe downturns and why being wrong early in your career might be the best thing that happens to you.If you're a finance leader balancing transformation with reality, or building your career in a challenging market, this episode is one to tune in for. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:• Career inflection points: choosing hands-on learning at BHP over Big Four audit, and why Port Hedland was the perfect starting point.• Pragmatic AI adoption in SME environments: upskilling an entire finance organisation through a 12-week program before investing big dollars.• The pattern of thinking you know best early in your career, and why learning from those mistakes builds better leaders.• Why finance professionals who don't understand AI will be unemployable in 10 years and how to prepare without the hype. Streamed to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Adrian Bongiorno started his Finance career in a regional mining community 1500kms north of Perth in Port Hedland, on his way to becoming CFO of 40 Winks. The lessons between those two moments shaped how he leads today. We cover what it means to learn finance at the coalface, how to build a commercial business partnering function from scratch and Adrian's pragmatic approach to AI in the SME space. He goes through the value of hands-on learning, managing through severe downturns and why being wrong early in your career might be the best thing that happens to you. If you're a finance leader balancing transformation with reality, or building your career in a challenging market, this episode is one to tune in for. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: • Career inflection points: choosing hands-on learning at BHP over Big Four audit, and why Port Hedland was the perfect starting point. • Pragmatic AI adoption in SME environments: upskilling an entire finance organisation through a 12-week program before investing big dollars. • The pattern of thinking you know best early in your career, and why learning from those mistakes builds better leaders. • Why finance professionals who don't understand AI will be unemployable in 10 years and how to prepare without the hype. Streamed to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Adrian Bongiorno started his Finance career in a regional mining community 1500kms north of Perth in Port Hedland, on his way to becoming CFO of 40 Winks. The lessons between those two moments shaped how he leads today.We cover what it means to learn finance at the coalface, how to build a commercial business partnering function from scratch and Adrian's pragmatic approach to AI in the SME space.He goes through the value of hands-on learning, managing through severe downturns and why being wrong early in your career might be the best thing that happens to you.If you're a finance leader balancing transformation with reality, or building your career in a challenging market, this episode is one to tune in for. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:• Career inflection points: choosing hands-on learning at BHP over Big Four audit, and why Port Hedland was the perfect starting point.• Pragmatic AI adoption in SME environments: upskilling an entire finance organisation through a 12-week program before investing big dollars.• The pattern of thinking you know best early in your career, and why learning from those mistakes builds better leaders.• Why finance professionals who don't understand AI will be unemployable in 10 years and how to prepare without the hype. Streamed to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and LinkedIn. &nbsp;

Episode 2: Adrian Bongiorno (CFO - Forty Winks)

Launching The CFO Track with a guest who has lived the big moments. Robert Shore has led finance through hyper growth, heavy M&A, and full scale transformation. We cover what changes when you step into a listed environment, how to pace tech change, and why owning your career plan matters more than titles. Expect practical detail: integrating acquisitions, moving ERPs, building treasury capability, centralising payroll, and setting a clear North Star for progression. We also dig into the modern CFO toolkit across investors, boards, contracts, IT, and corporate development. If you lead a finance team, this is a clear playbook for scaling without losing control and for growing your own influence while you do it. Episode Highlights: · How to move forward, following the sudden resignation of your CEO in a ASX-listed environment.· Career moves with a North Star mindset, including taking a step back to go forward in an ASX listed path. · Hyper growth playbook at EML, from half a billion to more than one hundred billion in volume, plus constant acquisitions. Streamed to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and LinkedIn. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1p6uNxw6OeZPFYlltvAVPdYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCFOTrackPodcastApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cfo-track/id1850636057

Launching The CFO Track with a guest who has lived the big moments. Robert Shore has led finance through hyper growth, heavy M&A, and full scale transformation. We cover what changes when you step into a listed environment, how to pace tech change, and why owning your career plan matters more than titles. Expect practical detail: integrating acquisitions, moving ERPs, building treasury capability, centralising payroll, and setting a clear North Star for progression. We also dig into the modern CFO toolkit across investors, boards, contracts, IT, and corporate development. If you lead a finance team, this is a clear playbook for scaling without losing control and for growing your own influence while you do it. Episode Highlights: · How to move forward, following the sudden resignation of your CEO in a ASX-listed environment. · Career moves with a North Star mindset, including taking a step back to go forward in an ASX listed path. · Hyper growth playbook at EML, from half a billion to more than one hundred billion in volume, plus constant acquisitions. Streamed to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and LinkedIn. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1p6uNxw6OeZPFYlltvAVPd YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCFOTrackPodcast Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cfo-track/id1850636057

Launching The CFO Track with a guest who has lived the big moments. Robert Shore has led finance through hyper growth, heavy M&amp;A, and full scale transformation. We cover what changes when you step into a listed environment, how to pace tech change, and why owning your career plan matters more than titles. Expect practical detail: integrating acquisitions, moving ERPs, building treasury capability, centralising payroll, and setting a clear North Star for progression. We also dig into the modern CFO toolkit across investors, boards, contracts, IT, and corporate development. If you lead a finance team, this is a clear playbook for scaling without losing control and for growing your own influence while you do it. Episode Highlights: · How to move forward, following the sudden resignation of your CEO in a ASX-listed environment.· Career moves with a North Star mindset, including taking a step back to go forward in an ASX listed path. · Hyper growth playbook at EML, from half a billion to more than one hundred billion in volume, plus constant acquisitions. Streamed to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and LinkedIn. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1p6uNxw6OeZPFYlltvAVPdYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCFOTrackPodcastApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cfo-track/id1850636057&nbsp;

Episode 1: Robert Shore (CFO - Retail Food Group)

Most finance people never get mentors who have lived and learnt through capital raises, IPOs, administrations or ACCC scrutiny. The CFO Track changes that.   I am Tom Hunter, and every week I sit down with top Australian CFOs to unpack what happened and what they learned. Clear steps, real lessons and as always, free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and LinkedIn Live.

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Most finance people never get mentors who have lived and learnt through capital raises, IPOs, administrations or ACCC scrutiny. The CFO Track changes that. I am Tom Hunter, and every week I sit down with top Australian CFOs to unpack what happened and what they learned. Clear steps, real lessons and as always, free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and LinkedIn Live.

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