Inside the CFO Office – Episode 22 with Brenda Williams Johnson

Podcast Page – https://finfloh.com/podcast

How do you modernize order-to-cash, automate high-volume AR workflows, and move from delayed, manual processes to real-time operations?In this episode of Inside the CFO Office, I speak with Brenda Williams Johnson, Vice President of Invoice-to-Cash at Marketing.com, a marketing technology firm executing multi-touch campaigns from design to tracking. Brenda brings deep expertise in tech transformation and O2C architecture across Koch Industries, Georgia Pacific, Miller Environmental Group, and several private-equity-backed companies.Brenda shares her journey from supporting Georgia Pacific to becoming a solutions architect for AR transformation — and how automation, process discipline, and real-time systems have reshaped O2C over the last two decades.

Here’s what we unpacked in this episode:

👉 AR, billing, cash app, and collections once needed large teams due to manual work.

👉 Before teams were always behind—kickbacks, rejections, and mailbox delays slowed customer responses.

👉 Shifting from mailed invoices to digital workflows improved O2C speed and accuracy.

👉 Transformation happens through incremental wins, small automations, and steady process improvements.

👉 Early automations cut repetitive tasks and freed teams for higher-value work.

👉 Legacy processes—paper invoicing, envelope stuffing, printers—blocked remote and efficient operations.

👉 Platforms like Billtrust sped invoice delivery and improved communication with timestamp visibility.

👉 Brenda’s team built a self-sustaining O2C system independent of ERP constraints.

👉 Integrating data into one environment improved accuracy and reduced human error risk.

👉 Automation ensured numbers were trusted by eliminating manual miscalculations and inconsistencies.

👉 Automation enabled smooth COVID operations by removing dependence on physical processes.

👉 AI enables real-time O2C—scanning mailboxes, interpreting responses, and speeding cash application.

Chapters

00:00 – Teaser
03:10 – Introduction
04:24 – Brenda’s 20-year journey across Koch, Georgia Pacific & other firms
05:32 – Overall Transformation of A/R as a Solutions Architect
10:25 – Businesses being behind the curve of automation
14:11 – Transformation projects
14:34 - Small change - Automating invoice delivery and building a self-serving O2C
17:31 – Big Change - Connecting the systems for data centralization
24:43 – Projects and Learnings at Georgia Pacific
26:32 – Take on applications of AI in O2C
28:30 - Advice to finance professionals
30:34 – Closing reflections

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