GrowCFO Show

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/6BAhYyRQAlmf5YteAOrCI0

As automation and algorithms take on more financial analysis, the role of the finance leader is under increasing scrutiny. Boards and founders are asking what truly requires human judgment at the top of the finance function, and what can be handed over to machines.

In this episode, Kevin Appleby talks with Rick Sanchez, Managing Principal and CEO of Robyn Consulting Group, about whether AI can replace the CFO. They explore how AI can accelerate decision-making, supercharge FP&A, streamline routine workflows, and deepen insight into unit economics, pricing, and retention, while highlighting why strategy, interpretation, and stakeholder leadership still demand an experienced finance executive.

The discussion turns this vision into practical guidance: building a robust financial operating system, using AI to lower barriers to building and scaling SaaS products, and applying data to pricing and recurring revenue models. Rick also looks ahead to how fractional CFO services will evolve, arguing that those who blend FP&A expertise with AI tools will be best placed to solve complex problems. and that AI is ultimately a force multiplier for CFOs, not a replacement.

Key topics covered:

Rick outlines his transition from corporate revenue management and FP&A into a fractional CFO role, bringing Fortune 500–style tools and frameworks to founder-led and SaaS businesses.

He explains why unit economics (price, quantity, and retention) are central levers for SaaS growth and how exercises like MRR growth ceiling analysis reveal where to focus effort.

The conversation dives into pricing strategy, including starting with lower prices to acquire customers, then using value-based increases and retention to drive long-term profitability.

Rick and Kevin explore how AI will reshape finance, from automating routine tasks to enhancing planning, analytics, and CEO decision-making, while still requiring human oversight and strategic judgment.

They discuss how AI is lowering barriers to entry in SaaS, enabling rapid prototyping and go-to-market, while highlighting that distribution, marketing, and scalable business models still determine success.

Looking ahead, Rick predicts strong growth in fractional CFO services powered by AI and bespoke FP&A tooling, and stresses clear differentiation between bookkeeping, controllership, and high-value CFO advisory work.

Links

Rick Sanchez on LinkedIn

Kevin Appleby on LinkedIn

GrowCFO Mentoring

Timestamps: 

0:00:01 – Rick’s background and journey from corporate CFO roles to founding his own fractional CFO firm, working with startups and founder-led businesses.

0:01:39 – Deep dive into his corporate career in technology, revenue management, and FP&A, and how those disciplines shape his current advisory approach.

0:04:31 – Discussion of specialization in SaaS and tech companies, including unit economics, recurring revenue, and the critical importance of retention.

0:07:52 – Practical pricing strategies for startups and established firms, covering low-entry pricing, retention dynamics, and managing paid-in-full and deferred revenue.

0:21:39 – Core segment on AI in finance and fractional CFO work, how AI can automate tasks, elevate decision quality, and fit into a layered financial operating system.

0:28:17 – How AI reduces product development friction in SaaS, plus the remaining challenges around scaling, marketing, and infrastructure for young tech CEOs.

0:36:22 – Future trends: growth in fractional CFO demand, the role of creativity plus AI in solving complex problems, and the rise of in-house FP&A tools tailored to niche markets.

0:39:52 – Closing reflections on AI’s long-term impact on finance, the necessity of clean and accurate data, and the upskilling imperative for finance professionals.

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

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Wf1pMCeUmlEym9EYVRF37

In the coming years, finance leaders will operate in an environment shaped by rapid technological disruption, new business models, and rising stakeholder expectations, where a role once focused on reporting and cost control now sits at the center of strategy, value creation, and transformation. In this context, traditional accounting and compliance expertise must be complemented by fluency in data, technology, and AI, as well as much stronger leadership, communication, and collaboration skills; capabilities that will define the next generation of high-performing, future-ready finance functions.

In this GrowCFO Show episode, host Kevin Appleby welcomes Myles Corson, EY Global Financial Accounting Advisory Services, Strategy and Markets Leader, to explore what skills will define successful CFOs by 2030. Against a backdrop of rapid technological disruption and shifting business models, the conversation anchors on EY’s long-running “DNA of the CFO” research, based on over 1,500 global CFO and senior finance leader responses. The episode underscores why today’s CFOs must move beyond traditional stewardship and reporting roles to become true enterprise value creators, strategic partners, and transformation leaders.

The discussion examines the widening gap between CFOs’ ambition to lead value creation and the current reality that only about one in four are truly doing so in practice. Corson highlights that by 2030, the most effective CFOs will blend technical excellence, strategic acumen, AI fluency, and human-centered leadership, especially communication, collaboration, and change management. The conversation emphasizes that technology, including AI, is only a catalyst; sustainable success will depend on how CFOs develop their teams, reshape enterprise value metrics, and navigate uncertainty with adaptability and curiosity.

Key topics covered:

EY’s multi‑year “DNA of the CFO” research shows a persistent gap between CFOs’ desire to lead value creation and the small minority actually doing so day-to-day.

Future-ready CFOs will be distinguished less by technical credentials and more by strategic thinking, cross-functional collaboration, and human-centered leadership.

AI adoption in finance remains early: only around 20% of organizations consider themselves advanced, with most struggling on data, culture, skills, and scaling beyond “science experiments.”

Successful finance transformations correlate strongly with team adaptability and clear articulation of the “why” behind change, not just the technology or cost targets.

The most impactful CFOs intentionally build varied career experience (operations, strategy, international roles) and focus on mentoring, networks, and peer benchmarking.

In an AI-driven world, people remain the decisive factor: leadership, communication, and culture ultimately determine whether technology investments deliver value.

Links

Myles Corson on LinkedIn

Kevin Appleby on LinkedIn

GrowCFO Mentoring

Timestamps: 

0:00:02 – Introduction to Miles Corson, EY Global Leadership Team and framing the reality vs. perception of the CFO role.

0:02:07 – Miles’ career journey and how diverse roles across geographies, audit, management accounting, government, and advisory shaped his CFO perspective.

0:08:00 – Discussion on curiosity, varied experience, and mentorship as critical enablers of finance career progression and leadership.

0:10:52 – Key findings from the DNA of the CFO survey: CFOs’ ambition to lead value creation vs. the reality that only ~25% do so in practice; the need to rethink enterprise value metrics.

0:21:12 – Deep dive into AI in finance: low maturity of adoption, challenges with data, culture, and skills, and the importance of focusing on business outcomes rather than technology hype.

0:26:31 – Why most finance transformations underperform; the pivotal role of human factors, communication, and storytelling in driving successful change.

0:38:31 – Long-term trends in the CFO role: evolution rather than revolution, with enduring importance of strategic vision, collaboration, and the human side of leadership.

0:43:32 – Conclusion: in a world of AI and advanced technology, people, culture, and talent still determine whether CFOs and finance functions can truly transform and create value.

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

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/1UpfxeVtifPbatGQtj5bFV

Understanding why some companies run short of the one resource they simply cannot operate without, cash in the bank, even when they are hitting revenue and profit targets has become an essential leadership skill. Cash flow problems rarely appear in the headline numbers, yet they can quietly derail growth plans, strain supplier relationships, and, in the worst cases, threaten the survival of an otherwise profitable business. For founders, CEOs, and finance leaders, success depends on looking beyond the profit and loss statement to understand the timing, predictability, and movement of cash. Organisations that master cash flow are better equipped to scale with confidence, navigate uncertainty, and seize opportunities while competitors struggle to meet their obligations.

In this episode of The GrowCFO Show, host Kevin Appleby is joined by Scotty Palmer, Fractional CFO and Founder of Palmer’s Strategic Advisors, to explore one of the most common challenges facing growing businesses: why profitable companies still run out of cash. Scotty explains how tight margins, hidden costs, and rapid growth without effective cash flow planning can quickly create a liquidity crisis, even when the profit and loss statement looks healthy. Drawing on his experience advising small and mid-sized businesses in the food and beverage sector, he shares practical examples of how cash constraints can emerge despite strong financial performance.

The conversation also explores the tools and disciplines that help businesses strengthen cash flow and improve decision-making. Scotty discusses the role of financial modelling, KPI tracking, and AI-powered forecasting in creating greater visibility over future cash needs. He explains how a better understanding of unit economics, more accurate cost allocation, and challenging assumptions about seemingly profitable product lines can uncover hidden value and improve financial resilience. Throughout the discussion, he demonstrates how a fractional CFO can act as a strategic partner, helping founders balance ambitious growth with the financial discipline needed to build a sustainable business.

Key topics covered:

How a fractional CFO helps profitable businesses avoid cash crunches by improving visibility into true costs and cash conversion

Why food and beverage businesses are especially vulnerable to cash-flow problems due to thin margins and complex cost structures

A client case where disciplined financial modeling and KPI tracking helped increase business performance 10x

Practical strategies to balance passion for product with commercial viability, including pricing, cost allocation, and product mix decisions

How Scotty uses AI tools and spreadsheets to build agile financial models and improve decision-making speed for clients

Scotty’s longer-term vision of building a specialist team of food and beverage advisors to support more founders at scale

Links

Scotty Palmer on LinkedIn

Kevin Appleby on LinkedIn

GrowCFO Mentoring

Timestamps: 

0:00:01 – Scotty’s background and journey from corporate accounting at Honey Baked Hams to becoming a fractional CFO for food and beverage businesses

0:02:57 – The personal and financial challenges of leaving a stable corporate role to build a fractional CFO practice, and the central importance of predictable cash flow

0:07:14 – Why the food and beverage sector is high-risk for cash shortages despite apparent profitability, and how thin margins amplify operational missteps

0:08:39 – Case study: managing a large retailer opportunity, understanding true costs, and avoiding overextending cash to chase volume

0:22:37 – Using cost analysis, pricing strategy, and product-level profitability to turn around a struggling taproom restaurant

0:29:21 – Leveraging AI (Claude, Gemini, Google Sheets) to power financial modeling and scenario analysis without heavy financial systems

0:40:05 – Advice for corporate finance professionals considering a move into fractional CFO work, including risk, reward, and impact

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

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/38fJP7clsDYlUsNT51JxH5

In today’s finance landscape, corporate reporting is undergoing one of the most profound shifts in decades. Boards, investors, regulators, and lenders are no longer satisfied with backward‑looking financial statements alone; they expect CFOs to explain how evolving risks, regulation, and stakeholder expectations will shape business models, capital allocation, and long-term resilience. For finance leaders, this is no longer a peripheral compliance task but a core strategic responsibility that will increasingly determine market credibility and access to capital.

In this GrowCFO Show episode, host Kevin Appleby speaks with returning guest Paula Kensington, GrowCFO Mentor, about what she describes as a “once in 100‑year change” in corporate reporting and why CFOs must act now rather than treat it as a box‑ticking exercise. The conversation explores the new International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) climate and sustainability standards (S1 and S2), their adoption in markets such as Australia and across Asia, and the phased implementation by entity size that is rapidly pulling mid‑market businesses into scope.

The episode reframes so‑called “climate reporting” as a strategic exercise in business resilience, not a peripheral ESG disclosure. Paula explains how climate‑related risks and opportunities will increasingly drive strategy, governance, risk management, and metrics—and why these new disclosures may, over time, become more important to investors than traditional backward‑looking financial statements. She highlights the emerging regulatory expectations, the evolving role of assurance and audit, and the personal liability implications for directors and CFOs who underinvest or delay, emphasizing that the apparent savings from aiming for “minimum compliance” today may be dwarfed by future costs once standards, regulator expectations, and market scrutiny have fully matured.

For further information, visit Authentyx and subscribe to the newsletter to receive practical resources, including downloadable checklists and a 90-day action plan designed to support confident, effective leadership and lasting success.

Key topics covered:

Paula positions the new ISSB climate standards (S1 and S2) as a once-in-a-century shift in corporate reporting that many CFOs are still underestimating.

She explains the phased roll-out by company size, showing how mid‑market organizations (Group 2 and Group 3) are quickly becoming subject to these requirements and cannot rely on being “too small” to be affected.

The discussion reframes climate reporting as forward‑looking resilience analysis, where climate scenarios and risks inform strategy and may ultimately become more critical to stakeholders than traditional P&L and balance sheet statements.

Paula distinguishes between physical risks (e.g., assets and warehouses threatened by climate events) and transition risks (e.g., changing policies, markets, and customer expectations making existing products or models obsolete).

She outlines how governance, risk registers, and board oversight must evolve so climate risks and opportunities actively drive decision‑making rather than sit as a static compliance document.

The episode stresses that aiming for minimum viable compliance is a high‑risk strategy in light of director liability, potential fines, and increasing regulator and investor focus on the quality and consistency of climate disclosures.

Links

Paula Kensington on LinkedIn

Kevin Appleby on LinkedIn

GrowCFO Mentoring

Timestamps: 

00:00–02:30 – Introduction to Paula and framing of the topic as a major, under-appreciated change in corporate reporting.

02:30–04:30 – Explanation of Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3 entities and why mid‑market CFOs are now “on the hook.”

04:30–07:30 – Reframing climate reporting as business resilience rather than ESG box‑ticking; climate disclosures as potential primary statements.

09:17–11:19 – Deep dive into physical vs transition risks with practical examples (warehouses, energy, low‑cost apparel).

15:19–18:38 – How assurance and audit standards are evolving, and why investors will focus on climate‑driven risks and opportunities more than last year’s earnings.

19:47–21:25 – The four pillars of ISSB (governance, risks and opportunities, metrics and targets, strategy) and their implications for how strategy is set.

22:11–23:33 – Discussion on the risk register as a living, strategic tool rather than a periodic governance formality.

28:22–31:40 – Why only ~20% of CFOs are taking this seriously; dangers of focusing solely on AI and cyber while underplaying climate risk.

33:28–34:51 – Regulator expectations, linkage between prior risk disclosures and current climate scenarios, and potential fines and director liability.

35:09–36:54 – Global implications, including differences in US regulation and why international supply chains will still force adoption.

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

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/6raW3lf3gJuwTrYNbdkf0F

Too many organisations are pouring time and money into AI only to find that the promised efficiency gains and cost savings never materialise, leaving CFOs struggling to justify the investment. Understanding why most AI projects fail to deliver ROI, and what finance leaders can do differently, is now a critical skill for anyone responsible for steering strategy, systems, and spend.

In this GrowCFO Show episode, host Kevin Appleby sits down with Sinohe Terrero, CFO and COO of Envoy, to explore why so many AI initiatives fall short and how finance leaders can change the outcome. Drawing on his experience as a serial startup CFO and operator in high-growth tech companies, Sinohe reframes AI as a practical toolkit for augmentation, task automation, and application development, and explains how confusion between these use cases leads to poor deployment and weak returns.

Throughout the conversation, Sinohe shares real examples from Envoy’s finance function, from AI-powered reconciliations and automated interview workflows to custom dashboards that bring data together in one place. He also dives into AI governance, describing the AI council he leads and the data policies that allow innovation while protecting sensitive information, ultimately positioning the CFO as a hands-on AI leader focused on both value creation and risk management.

Key topics covered:

Companies misunderstand what AI can do, deploy it inappropriately (e.g., trying to “fully automate everything”), and often lack in-house application developers who can tailor solutions to their actual workflows.

Sinohe breaks AI use into augmentation, task automation, and application development, arguing that most ROI today comes from targeted task automation and small, purpose-built tools, not sweeping end-to-end automation projects.

Envoy’s finance team used AI to automate health insurance and other reconciliations, identifying about $40,000 in recoveries and turning tedious, quarterly work into a largely automated process.

Sinohe personally builds AI-powered applications to reconcile accounts, summarize emails and Slack, prep and debrief interviews, and create a “morning coffee” dashboard that consolidates operational and financial insights into a single pane of glass.

As head of Envoy’s AI council, Sinohe has helped design a data governance matrix that clarifies what data can be used in which tools, allowing experimentation and creativity while strictly protecting company and customer data.

Sinohe is bullish on increased data accessibility (e.g., via banks and platforms like Salesforce) and predicts a shift toward custom, CFO‑designed dashboards and tools, with legacy point solutions being displaced by in‑house applications that do exactly what the business needs.

Links

Sinohe Terrero on LinkedIn

Kevin Appleby on LinkedIn

GrowCFO Mentoring

Timestamps: 

0:01:36 – Sinohe explains Envoy as a workplace technology platform focused on managing physical spaces (visitor check-in, security, emergency notifications, desk allocation) with 6,000+ global customers and around 250 employees.

0:03:35 – He shares how timing, a tight investor story, and demonstrating strong cash flow and operational discipline were critical to a successful Series C raise during a turbulent market.

0:04:47 – Sinohe lays out the core reasons AI fails in many organizations and introduces his three-part framework: augmentation, task automation, and application development.

0:07:11 – He describes teaching himself to build AI-powered applications, including an asset-account reconciliation tool that cut a two-hour monthly process down to about two minutes.

0:12:21 – Using tools like Scribe to document workflows, Envoy’s finance team identifies automation candidates; a payroll-led AI skill for health insurance reconciliations surfaced roughly $40,000 owed to the company.

0:17:53 – Sinohe explains Envoy’s AI council, clear AI policies, and a data governance matrix that defines what data can be used where, enabling safe experimentation at scale.

0:21:17 – He details his personal AI setup: automated interview briefing/debriefing via Granola + Claude, daily digests of emails/Slack/meetings, and automated summaries of operational metrics and customer activity.

0:24:58 – Sinohe predicts job disruption in large teams (e.g., 100 accountants potentially shrinking to 60) but sees smaller teams using AI to focus on higher-value, advisory work rather than basic reconciliations.

0:26:30 – He describes replacing tools like Flowcast, Asana/Monday, and other SaaS products with custom AI-enabled applications that do 75% of what generic tools do—but 100% of what Envoy actually needs.

0:33:36 – Sinohe forecasts greater bank and platform data accessibility, more automated reconciliations, and a shift that frees CFOs from operational drudgery so they can focus on higher‑value strategic work.

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