In this episode, David McClelland is joined by Myles Corson, EY Global and Americas Strategy and Markets Leader, Financial Accounting Advisory Services and host of the Better Finance Podcast, to discuss the evolving landscape for finance leaders amidst uncertainty and instability, termed the 'polycrisis'. As we navigate a complex global landscape, marked by geopolitical tensions, inflation uncertainties, environmental changes leading to pressure on supply chains, and technological...

In this episode of The CFO Playbook, David McClelland is joined by Marie Joyce, CFO and COO of NTR, the trailblazing renewable energy specialist to discuss their mission to advance sustainable infrastructure by investing in wind, solar, and energy storage assets across Europe. What exactly does it take to transform from toll roads to renewable energy? Marie reveals the incredible evolution of NTR, offering a rare glimpse into the strategic milestones that have defined the company, from its...

In this episode of The CFO Playbook, David McClelland is joined by Mark Freedman to explore the changing landscape of finance leadership, from crash to AI and beyond. Mark started his career at Deutsche Bank before moving onto London Stock Exchange Group. Over three decades in the finance sector, he’s proved himself to be a transformational force ready to face down the challenges of a digital finance age. Now in post as CFO of global money brand Travelex, Mark has been instrumental in making...

In this episode we look beyond the UK with guest Huiming Chen discussing the challenges and opportunities of leading finance teams across diverse geographies and cultures with host David McClelland. In her current role as Europe Commercial CFO at Illumina, Huming shares her expertise on acknowledging and bridging cultural differences, fostering open communication, and balancing structural preferences to enhance team performance. Hear her secret to effectively navigating cultural nuances and...

What do a retail powerhouse, a manufacturing giant, and a financial services titan have in common? According to our guest Helen Ashton, it’s the universal value of cross-sector experience. In conversation with David McClelland, Helen shares her fascinating journey through multiple industries, emphasising how diverse roles have armed her with unique insights and essential relationship-building skills. A finance leader with over 30 years of dynamic experience, Helen's expertise is a masterclass...

In May’s episode of The CFO Playbook, David McClelland talks to Mehjabeen Patrick, Director of Finance at Arts University Bournemouth, about the challenges and opportunities of finance leadership in the creative sector. As former Chief Finance and Investment Officer at Creative UK, Mehjabeen is all too aware of the financial challenges faced by creative businesses. From her early days working in the banking sector, Mehjabeen is a passionate advocate of finding creative approaches in all...

In the latest episode of The CFO Playbook, David McClelland is joined by Giles Andrews OBE, co-founder of Zopa, the world’s first P2P lending business launched in 2004, to discuss two decades working in FinTech and the role of artificial intelligence in shaping the financial services of the future. Finding himself as an accidental CFO in the early days of Zopa thanks to an accountancy qualification, Giles progressed to CEO and Chairman and is still an active Board Member, responsible for in...

In this episode of The CFO Playbook, David McClelland explores how financial management should be embedded into company culture with Richard Dana, co-founder and CEO at Tembo Money. With a background in corporate finance, Richard shares how he leveraged his interest in travel to co-found the budget-boutique hotel booking platform Doris and Dickie, and the lessons learned from being thrifty in balancing the books from day one with a small team, managing by cost. Reflecting on his role as CFO...

With growth at the heart of the recent Spring Budget, how can companies fuel productivity and accomplish more? On March 13th, 2024, business and economics experts met at the London Stock Exchange to decode the Chancellor’s Spring Budget at an event hosted by Soldo. This live episode of The CFO Playbook is hosted by David McClelland and features an expert panel - David Owen, Chief Economist, Saltmarsh Economics  Liz Earle MBE of Liz Earle Wellbeing Emma Heal, MD at Lucky Saint Carlo Gualandri,...

Welcome to a new series of The CFO Playbook, brought to you by Soldo. In this episode, our new host, technology reporter, presenter and consumer champion, David McClelland talks to Baron Anyangwe, a finance leader, about his journey and insights into leadership. They discuss the importance of flexibility and passion in career choices, the impact of volunteering, and Baron’s own holistic leadership framework. The framework includes principles such as widening perspectives, finding meaningful...

This episode of the CFO Playbook features an interview with Ed Lu, Chief Financial Officer at Fandom, a San Francisco-based gaming and entertainment community platform. Ed talks about the explosive growth of the gaming industry over the course of the pandemic, the impact that generative AI will have on game development, and the ups and downs of the financial investment side of the sector.

This episode of the CFO Playbook features an interview with Bill Fahrbach, Chief Financial Officer at Facet, offering impartial and invaluable financial advice and services at an affordable membership fee. In this episode, Bill talks about the changing dynamics between CFO and CEO, the importance of a healthy work-life balance, and how a primarily remote-first culture affects the pathway to becoming a CFO.

This episode of the CFO Playbook features an interview with Andy Dean, Chief Financial Officer at Eden Futures, providing high quality, person-centered care, supported living and enablement for people with disabilities and support needs. In this episode, Andy talks about the current state of social care in the UK, his work as a leader for teams in finance, service development, and IT, and how policies, politics, and technology affect the space.

This episode of the CFO Playbook features an interview with Chris Voss, Founder and CEO of The Black Swan Group. Previously, Chris was the lead international kidnapping negotiator for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the FBI’s hostage negotiation representative for the National Security Council’s Hostage Working Group. In this episode, Chris and I talk about how he became an FBI hostage negotiator, what a CFO can learn from negotiation, and the three biggest mistakes to avoid when...

This episode of the CFO Playbook features an interview with Robin Dunbar, Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at University of Oxford and Co-author of The Social Brain: The Psychology of Successful Groups. In this episode, Professor Dunbar talks about how evolution affects the dynamics of organizations, the seven pillars of friendship, the impact of work on personal relationships, and the observable changes in a sense of community overtime.

This episode of the CFO Playbook features an interview with Tom Herbert, Tech Editor at AccountingWEB, the largest independent online community for accounting and finance professionals in the UK. Today, Tom talks about ChatGPT and the future of AI, the recent Silicon Valley Bank situation, The Tyranny of Expense Reclaim, and his opinions on accountancy stereotypes.

This episode of the CFO Playbook features an interview with Peter de Silva, Author, Director, and Trustee. Peter is an experienced chairman, CEO, president, executive committee member, public and private company director and trustee for national not-for-profit organizations and national charitable foundations. In this episode, Peter talks about the importance of successfully cultivating relationships for career progression, the financial impacts of the 2020 ‘meme’ stock craze, and leaves us...

This episode of the CFO Playbook features an interview with Chris Gaunt. He is the CFO Practice Leader for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Spencer Stuart, an executive search, board, and leadership advisory service helping build and enhance high-performing teams for select clients, ranging from major multinationals to emerging companies to nonprofit institutions.

This episode of the CFO Playbook features an interview with Kevin Benmoussa, EVP & CFO at Aleph Farms, a company growing beef steaks from non-genetically engineered and non-immortalized cells isolated from a living cow. This is done without slaughtering the animal and with a significantly reduced impact to the environment. In this episode, Kevin talks about the ever-changing role of the CFO, the importance of profitability and forecasting in growing companies, and the booming expansion of...

This episode of the CFO Playbook features an interview with Justin Lackey, CFO at Asset Panda, a powerful, highly configurable asset tracking and management SaaS platform on a mission to help the world work smarter. In this episode, Justin talks about the importance of maintaining transparency in the new world of finance, navigating risk appetite when conducting business during black swan events, and adapting to and remaining motivated in remote work environments.

This episode of the CFO Playbook features an interview with Rebecca Kacaba, CEO & Co-Founder of DealMaker, the leading platform for equity crowdfunding that has processed over $1.7B in transactions and more than 650,000 investments. Rebecca talks about providing a new funding pathway, leading through the global pandemic, and gives advice for aspiring female entrepreneurs.

Being a good CFO isn’t just about managing money anymore. The modern CFO is being asked to implement new technology, guide product and business decisions, and look ahead to the future. On the CFO Playbook we look at how the finance functions at companies stay ahead of the curve. In season 2 we bring you new host, Fran Badenhorst, a career journalist and UK Content Lead for Soldo. You will still get the same interesting and informative content for the financial professional you heard before,...

This episode of the CFO Playbook features an interview with Paul Cunningham, Partner and CFO at Helios Investment Partners, an Africa-focused private firm managing funds totalling $3.6 billion. With 34 years in the industry, Paul has an overall responsibility for all matters relating to accounting, financial control, taxation, fund administration and reporting and regulatory compliance for the Helios group entities.

This episode of the CFO Playbook features an interview with Chris Stefani, CFO at DWF, a leading global provider of integrated legal and business services. He oversees all of DWF's financial operations in the UK and internationally, with a focus on enhancing revenue, improving profitability and driving working capital management to support the firm's growth. In this episode, Chris talks about pioneering clean data, how a CFO can prioritize the finance team for success with the right...