
Ascot announced Shanelle Burke as its U.S. Chief Financial Officer, elevating her from the controller role she has held since 2020. Burke brings more than two decades of insurance finance experience, including senior positions at Markel, Alterra USA, and KPMG. The promotion was praised by CFO Mark Wilcox and CEO Matt Kramer as a testament to her technical expertise and collaborative leadership. Her new responsibilities cover finance operations, strategy, capital management, regulatory engagement, and enterprise decision support.

Fractional CFO firms often mistake personal earnings for firm profitability, especially when bookkeeping and tax services bleed cash. A simple 30‑minute gross‑margin autopsy reveals that high‑margin CFO retainers are subsidizing low‑ or negative‑margin bookkeeping work. By isolating revenue and cost...

AI‑driven data center projects are reshaping tech capital spending, pushing construction‑in‑progress (CIP) balances and accounts payable to unprecedented levels. Companies adopt varied structures—joint ventures, SPVs, sale‑leasebacks—that affect how liabilities appear on balance sheets. The surge in days‑payable‑outstanding signals supplier financing...
As companies scale, financial complexity and growth ambitions often outpace the capabilities of a controller, prompting leaders to consider a chief financial officer. Indicators such as expanding operations, multiple revenue streams, and upcoming acquisitions signal that strategic financial oversight is...

Kate O’Neill’s new book *What Matters Next* offers a pragmatic framework for finance leaders navigating rapid tech adoption, balancing immediate liquidity pressures with long‑term strategic health. It quantifies the staggering $250 million annual loss that inefficient decision‑making can inflict on a...

The Shared Services & Outsourcing Week (SSOW) 2026, held March 16‑19 in Orlando, will host a Finance Transformation Program for finance shared‑services leaders. Over 1,200 shared‑services and GBS executives will gather to discuss modernizing finance operations, embedding AI responsibly, and...

HighRadius announced an Outcome Based Pricing (OBP) model for its Office of the CFO platform, eliminating implementation and subscription fees until the solution is live and then charging a share of verified financial gains. The approach stems from a 24‑month...

KNAV, backed by Nikhil Kamath, has acquired a majority stake in UAE‑based Affiniax, adding 65 local professionals to its global team of over 500. The move capitalises on the UAE’s new corporate tax regime, which has turned audit, tax and...

Astera Labs reported record FY2025 revenue of $852.5 million, a 115% year‑over‑year increase, and a Q4 revenue of $270.6 million, up 17% sequentially. GAAP operating margin reached 20.3% for the year, while non‑GAAP margin was 39.2%, reflecting strong profitability. The company began...

Airbus recorded a $500 million impairment on its A220 program as the aircraft’s production ramp slowed and order growth lagged expectations. The write‑down reflects weaker cash‑flow projections and higher unit costs, casting doubt on the A220’s earnings contribution. CEO Guillaume Faury remains...

The episode reviews Thomas Ittelson’s book *Financial Statements: A Step‑By‑Step Guide to Understanding and Creating Financial Reports*, highlighting its transaction‑driven approach that walks listeners through the three primary financial statements via the fictional AppleSeed Enterprises. It underscores how the book...

Hannover Re has named Ridwaan Patel as Chief Financial Officer of its Hannover ReTakaful B.S.C. and Bahrain branch, subject to Central Bank of Bahrain approval. Patel, who has served as Chief Risk Officer and Head of Compliance and Risk since...
In this episode Steve Hutt explains why e‑commerce CFOs often conflate cash flow— a backward‑looking snapshot of money in and out—with liquidity, the real‑time ability to meet unexpected obligations. He outlines a three‑layer framework—real‑time liquidity dashboards, rolling 13‑week cash‑flow forecasts,...

Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index shows a global decline in clean governance, prompting compliance leaders to look inward. The article proposes building a corporate‑level corruption perception index to gauge how employees view ethical standards and misconduct. It outlines the...

The episode examines how finance, credit, and treasury leaders can gauge their organization’s readiness for high‑level automation in Time‑to‑Pay, Procure‑to‑Pay, and Order‑to‑Cash, noting that over 75% agentic automation is the target within three years. It highlights findings from the North...

Frontier Airlines announced a right‑sizing plan that will return 24 leased Airbus A320/321 aircraft to AerCap in Q2 2026 and defer 69 A320neo family deliveries to 2031‑33. The early lease terminations are expected to generate roughly $90 million in annual rent...

The article argues that a finance team’s true purpose is to improve decision quality and protect profitability, not merely to keep the books compliant or produce reports. It explains why accuracy and compliance are foundational but insufficient for strategic impact....

The episode reviews the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index, showing that the U.S. truck freight market is in a late‑cycle contraction where capacity constraints, not demand, are driving higher rates. While Q4 2025 shipments rose modestly, they remain down year‑over‑year,...