“Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.”

The value of a CFO is not measured by accurate reporting alone. Today, the best finance leaders are strategic partners, guiding product strategy, pricing, capital allocation, and customer experience. Finance provides the lens to answer critical questions: Which investments drive the highest ROI? Which products or markets should we scale? How do we balance short-term profitability with long-term growth?

Making that leap requires shedding the traditional “bean counter” mindset and embracing cross-functional influence. It often means sitting in product reviews, operations meetings, and customer strategy discussions, even when the CFO’s day already feels overbooked. Influence, insight, and foresight matter more than spreadsheets. A CFO who only reports the numbers misses the opportunity to shape outcomes before decisions are finalized.

Recently, I was brought in to lead a growing SaaS company through early stage financing and several acquisitions. Beyond managing cash and reporting, I partnered closely with the product and sales teams to evaluate which offerings had the highest margin potential and where strategic investments could accelerate adoption. This was not just number-crunching; it required understanding customer behavior, competitive positioning, and operational constraints. Our finance team’s insights directly informed pricing adjustments, go-to-market strategies, and resource allocation decisions. The result was a more sustainable growth trajectory, improved profitability, and increased confidence from investors and the board.

In earlier roles, I saw finance teams with data but little influence. By positioning finance as a proactive advisor, we flagged risks early, modeled trade-offs, and quantified the impact of strategic initiatives. Finance became a multiplier, not a bystander. This meant attending roadmap reviews, evaluating acquisition synergies, and helping the executive team prioritize high-value initiatives. The outcome was better decisions and more confident leaders across the organization.

Great finance leaders also understand timing and context. Strategic recommendations only work if the organization is ready to act. This requires alignment across functions, systems that support decisions, and a culture where finance insights are trusted. When done right, finance does not just measure performance; it drives it.

💡 Question for finance leaders: How are you ensuring your finance team drives value beyond reporting and compliance? How do you balance strategic influence with operational excellence?

#StrategicFinance #CFOLeadership #FinanceTransformation #TheAccidentalCFO #inersec