GrowCFO Show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnQ5K1BNAl8

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Rtn6WPqsCzQmMDOZOSnmV

Nonprofit finance often lags behind its for-profit counterpart due to structural funding constraints, donor reporting requirements, and historical expectations of finance as a back-office cost center rather than a strategy partner. This episode examines why nonprofit financial leadership is perceived to be about a decade behind and outlines concrete ways to modernize the CFO role—shifting from retrospective accounting to forward-looking strategy, donor partnership, and operational rigor that sustains mission at scale .

In this episode, Kevin Appleby hosts Ilana Esterrich, a GrowCFO Mentor and experienced nonprofit CFO, for a practical discussion on elevating nonprofit finance. Esterrich draws on a career spanning consulting, large corporates, and mission-driven organizations to explain how nonprofit finance must evolve from traditional, retroactive accounting to a strategic, value-creating function. She underscores that “no money, no mission,” and argues for disciplined investment in back-office capabilities—finance operations, legal, and technology—to build a foundation that enables programs to scale sustainably .

Kevin and Ilana discuss the growing expectations on nonprofit CFOs: scenario planning, interpreting donor intent, creative application of restricted funds, and partnering closely with development leaders. Esterrich also emphasizes people-centric leadership, shaped by her military background, and the importance of mentoring CFOs transitioning from “scorekeeper” to strategic leader. The conversation offers actionable insights for closing the perceived 10-year gap with for-profit finance, focusing on operational efficiency, stakeholder communication, and aligning finance with mission outcomes.

Key topics covered:

“No money, no mission”: nonprofits need a growth mindset and disciplined investment in back-office foundations to scale programs responsibly 

Why nonprofit finance lags: CFO roles historically centered on backward-looking reporting versus forward-looking strategic architecture

Closing the gap: scenario planning, clarity on donor intent, creative use of funds, and operational efficiencies that reduce the cost to raise a dollar 

Donor partnership: educating funders on the true cost of delivery and the need to resource “admin” to strengthen mission outcomes 

Evolving CFO leadership: influence beyond finance, managing larger teams, and aligning finance early with strategy discussions  

People-centric finance leadership: mission-first lessons from the military and mentoring the next generation of nonprofit CFOs   

Links

Ilana Esterrich on LinkedIn

Kevin Appleby on LinkedIn

GrowCFO Mentoring

Timestamps: 

0:03:03 — “No money, no mission” and the case for investing in back office to strengthen program delivery 

0:05:59 — Navigating donor-imposed admin limits and bringing donors into the operational reality 

0:07:47 — CFO partnership with development and the shift toward direct donor engagement and reporting design 

0:08:56 — Why nonprofit finance is ~10 years behind and the move from scorekeeping to strategic CFO 

0:11:53 — Mentoring focus: helping CFOs become strategic value creators and people leaders 

0:18:41 — Military-informed leadership principles applied to modern nonprofit finance teams 

Find out more about GrowCFO

If you enjoyed this podcast, you can subscribe to the GrowCFO Show with your favorite podcast app. The GrowCFO show is listed in the Apple podcast directory, Spotify and many others. Why not subscribe there today? That way, you never miss an episode.

GrowCFO is a great place to extend your professional network. Join GrowCFO as a free member today and participate in our regular networking events and webinars. Premium members can also access our extensive training center and CFO Digital Toolkit. You can enroll in our flagship Future CFO or Finance Leader programs here.

You can find out more and join today at growcfo.net

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jWsLnnmcjA

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/0eoBcoM5gpdCjP3muHxCrQ

In an era where CFOs are central to shaping valuation narratives, the “data cube” has emerged as a strategic edge. By unifying finance, commercial, and operational data into a single source of truth, CFOs can evidence revenue quality, retention, and growth levers with precision—thereby strengthening diligence readiness and elevating enterprise value. This episode unpacks how a robust data cube turns scattered systems into defensible metrics and actionable insights, enabling CFOs to move from reporting history to architecting valuation outcomes. 

In this episode, Kevin Appleby hosts David Whitcombe, Founder and Managing Director of Data Vision Services, to examine how a “data cube” becomes the CFO’s secret weapon in private equity exits. Whitcombe outlines the cube as a unified, governed layer that integrates ERPs, CRMs, and operational sources to produce investor-grade metrics. By clarifying revenue quality, customer concentration, retention, and compounding dynamics, the cube enables CFOs to communicate valuation drivers credibly and consistently across diligence and board forums.

The discussion explores the practical path to building this capability—data discovery, mapping, and cleansing—along with realistic tooling from spreadsheets to modern integration stacks like Fivetran and DBT. The conversation also reframes the CFO role: beyond backward-looking reporting, a well-run cube supports forward-looking decision-making, ongoing value creation, and scalable insight for the wider organization. They touch on the promise of AI to democratize insights if it delivers action over noise, and on the skills and training needed to maintain the cube post-exit without costly org changes.

Key topics covered:

The data cube as a single source of truth connecting ERPs, CRMs, and ops data to produce investor-grade metrics and drive higher valuations 

How the cube answers diligence-critical questions: revenue quality, customer concentration, retention, and growth compounding 

Three valuation pathways: clearing tech due diligence, telling the metrics story credibly, and enabling better decisions that create value 

Practical build: finding hidden data, mapping across systems, cleansing for consistency, and using modern integration tooling 

CFO evolution: from reporting to proactive strategy, with AI poised to democratize insights when focused on actions 

Sustainment after exit: skill mix for maintaining the cube and training existing teams over new headcount 

Links

David Whitcombe on LinkedIn

Kevin Appleby on LinkedIn

GrowCFO Mentoring

Timestamps: 

0:01:41 — Defining the “data cube” and why CFOs need a single source of truth for exits 

0:02:43 — Proving revenue quality, retention, and growth; valuation impact pathways 

0:05:36 — Data discovery, mapping, and cleansing across fragmented systems 

0:09:50 — Early preparation to avoid integration gaps derailing exit readiness 

0:16:02 — AI’s role in democratizing insights and enabling action-oriented analytics 

0:19:07 — The evolving CFO: from reporter to strategist with a durable data platform 

0:25:45 — Training and maintaining the cube post-exit with existing team capabilities 

0:27:46 — Wrap-up and next steps, reinforcing ongoing value creation beyond the exit 

Find out more about GrowCFO

If you enjoyed this podcast, you can subscribe to the GrowCFO Show with your favorite podcast app. The GrowCFO show is listed in the Apple podcast directory, Spotify and many others. Why not subscribe there today? That way, you never miss an episode.

GrowCFO is a great place to extend your professional network. Join GrowCFO as a free member today and participate in our regular networking events and webinars. Premium members can also access our extensive training center and CFO Digital Toolkit. You can enroll in our flagship Future CFO or Finance Leader programs here.

You can find out more and join today at growcfo.net

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUuZyQZl1bI

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/7mFdcXjDTwb48H7AwuptDP

In this episode, Kevin Appleby hosts Acterys leaders Eric Reyhle (SVP Global Alliances) and Manuel Marcos (Regional Director EMEA/LATAM) to explore 2026: The Six Defining Challenges for the Office of the CFO. The conversation opens by underscoring why 2026 is a pivotal inflection point: the convergence of mature enterprise data platforms (e.g., Microsoft Fabric), governed data foundations, and practical AI that elevates finance from historical reporting to forward-looking decisioning. The guests frame AI’s promise and risks candidly—AI is transformative, but only as trustworthy as the underlying data and governance that feed it.

Across the discussion, Eric and Manuel translate technical change into finance impact: continuous planning over static, snapshot budgeting; predictive and scenario-driven decisions over backward-looking reporting; and a shift from spreadsheet “systems of record” to governed, auditable platforms that keep Excel/Power BI as the familiar front-end. They emphasize cyber resilience as a CFO mandate with direct P&L and valuation consequences, and outline a pragmatic path: modernize the data foundation, embed governance, enable real-time write-back and scenario modeling, and apply AI to augment—not replace—finance judgment. The result is a finance function positioned to deliver strategic foresight and resilient performance in 2026 and beyond.

Key topics covered:

Why 2026 is the inflection point: convergence of AI, governed data, and enterprise platforms like Microsoft Fabric.

From historian to pilot: AI automates consolidation/reconciliations and unlocks predictive forecasting and rapid scenario modeling.

Keep Excel/Power BI; fix the back end: shift from spreadsheet “system of record” to governed, auditable, AI-ready data with real-time write-back.

Cyber resilience is a CFO issue: attacks translate directly to P&L, cash flow, and valuation—governance and access control are non-negotiable.

Continuous planning replaces static snapshots: always-on data flow enables weekly/biweekly scenario refreshes and faster decisions.

Practical impact: 50–70% reduction in manual consolidation effort; 3–5x faster planning cycles; instant “what-if” responses for leadership.

Links

Eric Reyhle on LinkedIn

Manuel Marcos on LinkedIn

Kevin Appleby on LinkedIn

GrowCFO Mentoring

Timestamps

00:03 Why 2026 is pivotal: AI goes mainstream as data platforms mature; finance and IT must converge.

00:11 Finance’s shift: from manual reconciliations to predictive forecasts, anomaly detection, and rapid scenario simulations.

00:16 Keep Excel/Power BI; govern the data: front-end familiarity with a secure, auditable back end and real-time write-back.

00:22 Data lake/warehouse/mart “kitchen” analogy for finance–IT alignment and model design.

00:23 Cybersecurity as a CFO mandate; the real risk of uncontrolled spreadsheets vs. governed environments.

00:35 Quantified benefits: 50–70% less manual consolidation; 3–5x faster forecasting/budgeting; instant “what-if” analysis.

00:39 Continuous planning defined: why snapshots are obsolete and how always-on data enables dynamic plans.

00:45 Microsoft Fabric as connective data tissue; build on the stack users already know

00:47 From reactive reporting to strategic foresight; leveraging granular operational data for predictive decisions.

00:53 What differentiates 2026 leaders: modern data foundations, governance, AI augmentation, and cross-functional collaboration.

Find out more about GrowCFO

If you enjoyed this podcast, you can subscribe to the GrowCFO Show with your favorite podcast app. The GrowCFO show is listed in the Apple podcast directory, Spotify and many others. Why not subscribe there today? That way, you never miss an episode.

GrowCFO is a great place to extend your professional network. Join GrowCFO as a free member today and participate in our regular networking events and webinars. Premium members can also access our extensive training center and CFO Digital Toolkit. You can enroll in our flagship Future CFO or Finance Leader programs here.

You can find out more and join today at growcfo.net

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag1fw0H2rwU

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/33PbwJ8JaoPUFiqjijSl10

In this episode, Kevin Appleby hosts GrowCFO Mentor Lee‑Wen Chan to explore the confidence blueprint every new CFO needs. Drawing on a 40-year trans-Pacific career spanning Deloitte Taiwan, FedEx, and ultimately a history-making CFO appointment at NTT Communications, Lee‑Wen distills how new finance leaders can build durable confidence, overcome imposter syndrome, and translate financials into business impact. Her story threads together cultural dexterity, executive coaching, and practical leadership habits that help CFOs step into influence quickly and credibly. 

The conversation focuses on how confidence is learned and operationalized: knowing one’s strengths, confronting low-confidence areas, and using clear business language that resonates across functions. Lee‑Wen shares how executive coaching refined both her capability to operate as a CFO and her ability to communicate as one—offering pragmatic guidance for newly appointed CFOs who must move from technical mastery to strategic partnership, change leadership, and people empowerment.

Key topics covered:

A first-principles confidence blueprint: “be comfortable in your own skin,” know your strengths, and deliberately shore up low-confidence areas to maximize influence. 

Confronting imposter syndrome with structure: targeted executive coaching for “being a CFO” and “communicating as a CFO.”

Translating finance into business action: simple narratives that resonate (e.g., “$1 cost saving equals $4 of sales to hit the same bottom line”).

Cultural agility as a leadership multiplier: thriving across Taiwanese, American, and Japanese corporate contexts; first non‑Japanese CFO at NTT.

Strategic impact through proximity to the business: learning sales/engineering to make financial data genuinely useful and forward-looking.

Change leadership at scale: FedEx supply chain expansion to 20+ countries; building regional hubs and accelerating learning under pressure.

Links

Lee-Wen Chen on LinkedIn

Kevin Appleby on LinkedIn

GrowCFO Mentoring

Timestamps

0:03:29 From master’s graduate to CFO: mentors, adaptation, and the stepwise journey to the first non‑Japanese CFO at NTT.

0:07:37 Lessons from Japanese leadership: zooming out to strategy, zooming in to detail, and reading between the lines.

0:12:17 The confidence blueprint: self-respect, truth-telling, leveraging strengths to counter low-confidence areas.

0:13:56 Tackling imposter syndrome: why new CFOs struggle and how executive coaching accelerates confidence.

0:17:01 Making finance useful: business-first framing (the “$1 saves equals $4 sales” clarity test).

0:18:42 Strategy via business partnership: learning sales/engineering to turn numbers into decisions.

0:19:55 Change leadership case: FedEx global supply chain expansion and accelerated capability building.

Find out more about GrowCFO

If you enjoyed this podcast, you can subscribe to the GrowCFO Show with your favorite podcast app. The GrowCFO show is listed in the Apple podcast directory, Spotify and many others. Why not subscribe there today? That way, you never miss an episode.

GrowCFO is a great place to extend your professional network. Join GrowCFO as a free member today and participate in our regular networking events and webinars. Premium members can also access our extensive training center and CFO Digital Toolkit. You can enroll in our flagship Future CFO or Finance Leader programs here.

You can find out more and join today at growcfo.net

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj4Io4us81k

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/5qgEZZxdGgOTL9SqbWsxIH

Stepping into the CFO seat concentrates pressure, confidentiality, and ambiguity—often without a true peer group. In this episode, GrowCFO Mentor Andrew Tapson joins host Kevin Appleby to unpack why first-time CFOs experience isolation and how to build the scaffolding that restores clarity and confidence. Tapson explains how the role’s breadth, the need to “translate” across functions, and the lack of consequence-free spaces to test thinking create a unique loneliness—one that mentoring, selective networks, and practical operating rhythms can directly solve.

Tapson blends four decades of finance leadership with a mentor’s mindset: create safe space, build a relevant network, and develop emotional intelligence to navigate complexity. He shares real-world practices to replace isolation with support—designing a personal advisory circle, investing in relationships that open doors, and delegating to protect strategic attention. The result is a pragmatic playbook for new CFOs to gain momentum, credibility, and durable resilience in their first 90–180 days.

Key topics covered:

Why new CFOs feel isolated: pressure, confidentiality, breadth of remit, and no safe sounding board

Mentoring vs. coaching: creating a consequence-free space to talk through mistakes and options

Build a selective, relevant network that opens doors and accelerates problem-solving

Emotional intelligence and “translating the room” as core CFO capabilities

Delegation and focus: moving from detail to enterprise-level decisions

First steps: set up advisory rhythms, stakeholder access, and early-win narratives

Links

Andrew Tapson on LinkedIn

Kevin Appleby on LinkedIn

GrowCFO Mentoring

Timestamps

03:52 Mentoring vs. coaching; creating a safe space for new CFOs

06:37 From cost-cutting to growth levers; solving problems with lateral thinking

11:15 Designing a selective, useful network for support and access

23:12 Emotional intelligence and staying relevant amid rapid change

28:30 Delegation, scope shift, and protecting strategic attention

33:2 The future of CFO mentoring and structured support systems

Find out more about GrowCFO

If you enjoyed this podcast, you can subscribe to the GrowCFO Show with your favorite podcast app. The GrowCFO show is listed in the Apple podcast directory, Spotify and many others. Why not subscribe there today? That way, you never miss an episode.

GrowCFO is a great place to extend your professional network. Join GrowCFO as a free member today and participate in our regular networking events and webinars. Premium members can also access our extensive training center and CFO Digital Toolkit. You can enroll in our flagship Future CFO or Finance Leader programs here.

You can find out more and join today at growcfo.net