What does it take to become the kind of CFO who can turn fast growth into disciplined, sustainable progress?

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In this episode of The CFO Playbook, David McClelland is joined by Robert Checchia, CFO at Benzinga.

Robert shares his perspective on the modern CFO as an operator: someone who gets close to the business, understands how teams work, and helps turn an ambitious growth plan into clear priorities, accountable ownership and sustainable margins. Drawing on his experience across banking, consulting, private equity and operating roles, he explains why the best finance leaders are not gatekeepers—they empower others to make better decisions.

In his conversation with David, Robert explores the discipline required to scale a business under private-equity ownership. He discusses how to distinguish good opportunities from the few that deserve real investment, how to give P&L owners meaningful visibility into their numbers, and why finance must connect revenue growth to margin, cash generation and execution.

Robert also reflects on building a career across countries and industries, the importance of making decisions with imperfect information, and why leaders must own the consequences of their recommendations. He shares practical advice on using AI to improve productivity without losing human judgement, including how to encourage experimentation while maintaining effective guardrails.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why the strongest CFOs are operators, not just financial stewards
• How to say no to good opportunities so you can focus on the best ones
• How to empower P&L owners with clear, consistent financial information
• Why revenue growth must be measured alongside margin and cash generation
• How to make decisions confidently with imperfect information
• The value of accountability, ethics and clear communication in leadership
• How to build incentives that align teams around growth targets
• How to introduce AI tools responsibly while protecting human judgement
• Why career pivots can build resilience, perspective and better leadership

What does it take to become the kind of CFO who can lead through hypergrowth, change and uncertainty?

Want more insights from finance leaders? Subscribe to Progressive Finance, Soldo’s new newsletter featuring practical leadership insights, finance trends, and conversations with CFOs and industry experts: https://substack.com/@progressivefinance

Is there someone you’d like to see on The CFO Playbook? Email us at: pr@soldo.com

In this episode of The CFO Playbook, David McClelland is joined by Roy Hefer, CFO at Perk and a finance leader with experience taking two companies public.

Roy shares a practical leadership playbook for CFOs: build a world-class team, create leverage through delegation, and make culture and trust as rigorous a priority as the numbers. He explains why the finance team that gets a business through its early growth is not always the one that will take it to the next stage—and how leaders can make the difficult people decisions that scaling demands.

In his conversation with David, Roy explores the judgement behind successful M&A, arguing that culture and values matter as much as synergy models. He shares how to assess fit through time, candour and difficult conversations, why gut instinct is informed by experience, and how to build teams where credibility, reliability, confidentiality and accountability create lasting trust.

Roy also discusses how CFOs can turn AI into real operating impact, build investor relationships long before a fundraise, and stay effective under pressure. From prioritising ruthlessly to protecting physical and mental health, his advice is a reminder that the modern CFO’s impact is ultimately defined by the people they build and the decisions they enable.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why building a world-class finance team is a CFO’s defining responsibility
• How to create leverage through delegation and high-performing teams
• Why culture and values determine whether an acquisition integration succeeds
• How to test cultural fit through time, candour and difficult conversations
• The role of trust, ownership and accountability in effective finance leadership
• How CFOs can turn AI and automation into meaningful operational improvements
• Why investor relationships must be built long before a fundraise
• How to prioritise ruthlessly while protecting physical and mental health

Is the future of finance full-time? Or are the best CFOs increasingly working across multiple businesses?

Is there someone you’d like to see on The CFO Playbook? Email us at: pr@soldo.com

In this episode of The CFO Playbook, David McClelland is joined by Sara Daw, Global CEO of The CFO Centre and the Liberty Group, and one of the world’s leading voices on fractional finance leadership.

Sara shares why more businesses are choosing to access CFO expertise rather than employ it full-time, and explains what she’s learned after more than two decades working alongside hundreds of finance leaders across 18 countries. She explores how the CFO role has evolved from technical expert to trusted strategic adviser, why relationships matter more than reporting, and how the best finance leaders help CEOs make better decisions.

In her conversation with David McClelland, Sara discusses her own unconventional career journey from Deloitte and London Business School into the emerging world of fractional finance, why she chose flexibility over investment banking, and how that decision led to building the world’s largest network of fractional CFOs. She also explains what makes a successful fractional CFO, how businesses know when it’s time to hire a full-time finance leader, and why access to leadership is becoming more valuable than ownership of talent.

Sara also shares her research into the future of work, including psychological ownership, blended workforces, and how organisations can build trust and commitment beyond traditional employment models. Finally, she looks ahead to an AI-enabled finance function, explaining why judgment, ethics, and human relationships will become even more valuable as finance becomes increasingly autonomous.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why businesses are increasingly hiring fractional CFOs
• What CEOs really value from finance leaders beyond technical expertise
• The signs a business is ready for a full-time CFO
• The skills that separate great fractional CFOs from the rest
• How to build trust and psychological ownership in flexible teams
• Why relationships matter more than reporting
• How AI is changing the future of finance leadership
• Why judgment, ethics, and communication will become a CFO’s greatest competitive advantage

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Useful Links 🔗

Sara Daw - https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradaw/