I teach Finance Teams how to use ChatGPT - Keynote speaker on AI for Finance & FP&A

For AI Finance Trainings and Workshops:

✉️ Contact me here: hello@nicolasboucher.online

About me:

Number one Finance Thought Leader specialized in AI, trained more than 10,000 people and on a mission to help more than 1 million finance professionals.

3 million people are receiving daily my insights on AI for Finance across all social media channels.

I teach finance people how to use AI.

You can also book me as a keynote speaker.


My previous roles:

🏭 Thales (Germany):
2022-23: Senior manager controlling role for the Transportation business (€500 million business)
2018-22: Part of the management and led the Finance and Controlling team of a production site (400 people) specialised in producing Traveling Waves Tubes for Satellites
2016-2018: Head of Finance Transformation

👨‍💻 PwC:
2014-2016: Audit Manager in PwC Luxembourg
2012-2014: Audit Manager in PwC Singapore
2009-2012: Auditor in PwC Luxembourg


My experience:

Living in 5 different countries across 3 different continents (France, USA, Luxembourg, Singapore and Germany) gave me the capacity to integrate myself quickly and understand different local and working cultures.

Worked 8 years for Thales, an engineering and industrial french multinational.
I had finance manager roles and was part of the management of a 400 people production site.

Prior to that, I worked 7 years as an auditor and consultant for PwC in Luxembourg and Singapore.


My private life:

I am married and a happy father of two young daughters. We both learn from each other and we enjoy reading french books together and play outside.
When I am not busy with my daughters, I am exercising, cooking and spending quality time with friends.
Finally, traveling and tasting new food are some of my favorite experiences. But if you ask me where is the most beautiful place and where can we find the best food in the world, I have only one response: my hometown, Brittany in France.


My Specialties:

-Finance & accounting
-Controlling, budgeting & forecasts
-FP&A
-ChatGPT
-AI
-Storytelling
-Cross-cultural management, coaching and training
-Cost reduction
-Management
-Analytics, Business Performance and Activity Dashboard
-Audit & controls
-Business Processes Modelling
-Financial Statements and Cash Flow
-Business Intelligence
-Fluent in French (native speaker), English & German

Hashtags:
#finance #controlling #accounting #management #cfo #cash #budgeting #forecasting #chatgpt

https://nicolasboucher.online

Nicolas Boucher

Free AI for Finance Course
+ Bonus - Sign up for my free AI training event: https://lnkd.in/d2f2_GTE

👇 Save 1000s of dollars

Bookmark this and follow the curriculum below
+ TONS of FREE RESOURCES at the end!

You want to learn AI for Finance?
I have built and curated a free finance course for you

15 free lessons to make you more knowledgeable than 90% of the finance professionals in using AI

🙏 Help me spread this free course: like, share and comment!

Leverage AI to boost your career
and become irreplaceable

1. AI for Finance Fundamentals Email Course - https://lnkd.in/gFbWBDQ9

2. Prompting & Data-prep - https://lnkd.in/gtz7Bd78 & https://lnkd.in/gC8MqVG7

3. AI Roadmap for Finance team - https://lnkd.in/gK7svud4

4. Generative AI for managers - https://lnkd.in/g_EAYwv8 

5. ChatGPT vs Copilot vs Gemini - https://lnkd.in/gd-8ysiv

6. Top 100 ChatGPT Tips - https://lnkd.in/gX2sekmf

7. Top 100 AI Finance Tools - https://lnkd.in/gvKvkbvA

8. ChatGPT for Finance - https://lnkd.in/grBz2tGv

9. ChatGPT Image Generation for finance - https://lnkd.in/g55D5PtP

10. 30 Ways ChatGPT Helps Finance - https://lnkd.in/gwJ5CKXx

11. 28 Ways to use ChatGPT in Finance - https://lnkd.in/gV8FV82e

12. 6 AI Use Cases for Finance (real ones) - https://lnkd.in/g4wbFW7Q

13. 3 Ways to automate your work with AI - https://lnkd.in/gwUqv83G

14. Save 1 hr per day with ChatGPT - https://lnkd.in/gGdsC-Vr

15. The fast close playbook - https://lnkd.in/gniqwtju

- - -

🎓 Free Masterclass - How to Become an AI CFO

If you want to go beyond theory and actually
• Automate reporting, forecasting, and analysis without writing code
• Cut days of manual finance work down to minutes
• Save 20–40+ hours per month with AI workflows
• Adopt AI securely and stay ahead of fast-changing tools

👉 Register for the masterclass here: https://lnkd.in/d2f2_GTE

🔁 Repost if becoming an AI-powered CFO is on your roadmap

I teach Finance Teams how to use AI - Keynote speaker on AI for Finance (Email me if you need help)

Finance teams think they're using Copilot. They're not.
👉 Here's what they're missing: https://lnkd.in/dmZErhae

They've got the license
They assume it just works

They open it once a week, maybe twice, and call it "transformation"
Only uses a fraction of what it can do and don't even know it

The meetings still drag
The Excel models still eat hours
The insights still land a day too late

Here's the thing nobody wants to admit: the tool isn't the problem. The knowledge gap is.

Most finance professionals are using Copilot the way they used Google, typing in a question and hoping for the best

They don't know the shortcuts
They don't know the workflows
They don't know what it can actually do inside the apps they're already living in

So I built something to fix that.

Top 100 Copilot tips designed for real finance work, not a vendor demo

This isn't theory.

These are the prompts and workflows that CFOs, FP&A teams, and controllers are quietly using to get ahead while everyone else is still doing things the slow way

Here's what's actually in it:
1. Meetings & communication
• Summarize meetings in seconds
• Extract decisions, actions, and owners
• Catch up on Teams chats instantly

2. Excel & data
• Sanity-check files before sharing
• Build Pivot Tables with plain English
• Explain formulas, clean data, find outliers

3. PowerPoint & Word
• Turn raw docs into exec-ready decks
• Rewrite slides for clarity and impact
• Create presentations from a simple prompt

4. FP&A & analysis
• Reconcile numbers across files
• Run scenarios faster
• Produce decision-ready summaries

5. Advanced Copilot workflows
• Research with sources
• Build Copilot agents
• Automate recurring finance tasks

(See the complete list in the cheatsheet)

And if you want to go deeper…

We’re also hosting a live webinar
How to become an AI CFO,
- Automate reporting and forecasting without writing code
- Cut days of manual work down to minutes
- Adopt AI securely while staying ahead of 2026's fast-changing tools

Where I will also talk about Copilot as one of the fast-changing tools
(You can join in the masterclass below after getting your Top 100 Copilot tips copy)

👉 Download the 100 Copilot Tips cheat sheet here: https://lnkd.in/dmZErhae

(Save your seat for the masterclass, after downloading the 100 Copilot cheatsheet)

💬 What’s the first Copilot task you want to automate? Do you want to join my Live masterclass?

🔁 Repost if this helps your finance team work faster

I just mass-released 2 Claude resources for Finance.
Comment "CLAUDE" and I'll send them to you for free.

Companies pay me $10,000+ for workshops where I teach AI for Finance.

I've seen finance teams spend weeks trying to figure out Claude on their own.
Watching tutorials. Testing random prompts. Getting mediocre results.

No one gave them a structured way to use Claude for real finance work.

That's what this bundle is:
The exact playbook and cheat sheet I wish every finance team had from day one.

Here's what's inside:

📘 Claude Finance Playbook

→ How to use Claude in Excel to build financial models faster
→ How to use Claude Voice Mode to work on finance from your phone
→ How to create an interactive scenario planner for faster decision-making
→ Security, compliance, and quality control standards for finance teams
→ Step-by-step prompts you can copy and use today

📋 100 Claude Tips (cheat sheet)

→ 25 Claude in Excel tips (formulas, variance analysis, scenario modeling)
→ 25 Claude Cowork tips (batch automation, research synthesis, file management)
→ 25 Dashboard tips (KPI scorecards, board-ready P&Ls, interactive dashboards)
→ 25 best practices (CSI+FBI prompting, extended thinking, web search)

Why Claude specifically?

Most finance teams I train are using ChatGPT or Copilot.

But Claude is quietly becoming the tool of choice for serious financial analysis:
→ Cell-level citations in Excel
→ Projects that keep your context clean per client
→ Cowork mode for long-running automation tasks
→ Extended thinking for complex scenario planning

I built these resources because I kept getting the same question:
"Nicolas, how do I actually get started with Claude for Finance?"

Now you have the answer.

Comment "CLAUDE" below and I'll send you both resources.

🔁 Repost if your finance team needs to see this!

10 SALES KPIs
👉 Download for free my full PDF collection of the top 100 KPIs: https://lnkd.in/dWcVU-Uv

Here are my top KPIs for managing sales performance effectively:

1/ Sales Growth

Description: Measures the increase or decrease in sales over a specific period of time

Formula: (Current Sales - Previous Sales) / Previous Sales × 100


2/ Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

Description: Measures the cost of acquiring a new customer

Formula: Sales and Marketing Costs / Number of New Customers


3/ Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

Description: Measures the expected revenue generated from a customer over their lifetime

Formula: Average Purchase Value × Number of Repeat Purchases × Average Customer Lifespan - CAC


4/ Sales Pipeline Coverage

Description: Measures the ratio between the value of potential sales in the pipeline and the sales target

Formula: Value of Sales Pipeline / Sales Target × 100


5/ Sales Conversion Rate

Description: Measures the percentage of leads or prospects that turn into paying customers

Formula: Number of Customers / Number of Leads × 100


6/ Average Order Value (AOV)

Description: Measures the average value of each order placed by a customer

Formula: Total Revenue / Number of Orders


7/ Customer retention rate

Description: Measures the percentage of existing customers who continue to purchase products or services over time

Formula: (Customers at the End of the Period - New Customers Acquired) / Number of Customers at the Start of the Period


8/ Net Sales

Description: Measures the total value of sales made, taking into account discounts, returns, and adjustments

Formula: Gross Sales - Returns - Discounts


9/ Sales per Employee

Description: Measures the amount of revenue generated per employee

Formula: Total Revenue / Number of Employees


10/ Sales Cycle Length

Description: Measures the average time it takes to close a deal from the initial contact with a lead

Formula: Number of Deals Closed/ Sum of the Time Taken to Close Each Deal​


Don't forget to get a copy of my Top 100 KPIs here: https://lnkd.in/dWcVU-Uv

👉 Which other KPIs would you add?

Top 100 Excel Tips
Download the PDF here: https://lnkd.in/g6fdfCBp

(Plus bonus AI in Finance masterclass, where I will teach you real AI in Finance use cases!
👉 Save your seat here: https://lnkd.in/dZEFWMzh)

The best Shortcuts, Formulas, Formatting & Advanced Tips

Bookmark this, and you'll save 1,000 hours!

If you think you know Excel well, I bet you will still learn something new in the Advanced table (items 76 to 100).

What do we cover?

A list of tips that all professionals need.

Here is a preview:

⌨️ Shortcuts

1. How to hide a column?
Ctrl + 0

2. How to hide a row?
Ctrl + 9

3. How to autosum adjacent cells?
Alt + =

4. How to start a new line in a cell?
Alt + Enter

5. How to insert a new worksheet?
Shift + F11

(get the answers 6-25 in the Cheat Sheet below)


🔢 Formulas

26. How to sum a range of cells?
=SUM(range)

27. How to find an average of numbers?
=AVERAGE(range)

28. How to find the maximum value in a range?
=MAX(range)

29. How to find the minimum value in a range?
=MIN(range)

30. How to link cells from different sheets?
='SheetName'!CellReference

(get the answers 31-50 in the Cheat Sheet below)


📊 Formatting

51. How to change cell color?
Home > Fill Color

52. How to apply bold text?
Home > Bold or Ctrl+B

53. How to insert a border around cells?
Home > Borders > All Borders

54. How to format a number as currency?
Home > Number Format > Currency

55. How to align text to the center of a cell?
Home > Alignment > Center

(get the answers 56-75 in the Cheat Sheet below)


⚡️ Advanced

76. How to remove duplicate rows?
Data > Remove Duplicates

77. How to create a data validation list?
Data > Data Validation > List

78. How to find outliers in a list?
Calculate the Z score of each cell =Z.TEST(array, x, [sigma])

79. How to look up data using INDEX and MATCH?
=INDEX(return_range, MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_range, 0))

80. How to create a named range?
Formulas > Name Manager > New Name

(get the answers 81-100 in the Cheat Sheet below)

Download here: https://lnkd.in/g6fdfCBp

- - -

🎓 Free Masterclass — How to Become an AI CFO

If you want to go beyond theory and actually
• Automate reporting, forecasting, and analysis without writing code
• Cut days of manual finance work down to minutes
• Save 20–40+ hours per month with AI workflows
• Adopt AI securely and stay ahead of fast-changing tools

This 1-hour-per-week framework is built for real finance teams

Tuesday, EST: 11am, UK: 4pm, CET: 5pm

👉 Register for the masterclass here: https://lnkd.in/dZEFWMzh

🔁 Repost if becoming an AI-powered CFO is on your roadmap

Crazy that almost nobody in finance is using Claude
👉 Download my PDF to be better than 99% of Claude users: https://lnkd.in/gsA7buv5

+ Bonus: AI in Finance masterclass, where I will teach you real AI in Finance use cases!
You will get the invite after downloading your PDF cheatsheet

I’ve trained over 10,000 finance pros
And a lot of them are missing a big opportunity not using Claude
So I’ve created for you a cheat sheet
So you can be better than 99% of Claude users starting now

Now you can even use Claude in Excel (I included my secret 25 tips)

And I decided to give you for free something that is worth hundreds of dollars

Most of Claude user that got the subscription
They open it, type a question, and expect magic

But they're missing 90% of what Claude can actually do for finance teams

The formulas it can write
The dashboards it can build
The reports it can generate
The workflows it can automate

So I built the definitive guide

100 Claude tips designed for real finance work

Here is a preview:

📊 Claude in Excel (Tips 1–25)

1. How to install Claude in Excel?
Install the add-in from Microsoft Marketplace (admin deploy via M365 Admin Center if needed)

2. How to get cell-level citations?
Ask "What does this cell/range do?" to get cell-level citations you can click to jump

3. How to create a formula from a description?
Ask "Build a formula that flags overdue invoices" → review → apply

(get tips 4-25 in the Cheat Sheet below)

📋 Dashboard (Tips 26–50)

26. How to set up your board structure?
Set your default dashboard structure (KPIs → drivers → risks → actions) in preferences

27. How to build an interactive dashboard?
Build an interactive dashboard (KPI cards + charts + filters) in an Artifact

28. How to create an executive dashboard?
Ask to "Create an executive dashboard summarizing all worksheets"

(get tips 29-50 in the Cheat Sheet below)

🖥️ Claude Cowork (Tips 51–75)

51. How to get started with Cowork?
Use Cowork inside the Claude Desktop app and switch to the Cowork "Tasks" tab

52. How to plan before executing?
Ask to "Show your plan and the exact files you'll touch, wait for my approval"

(get tips 53-75 in the Cheat Sheet below)

⚡ Tips & Best Practices (Tips 76–100)

76. How to pick the right model?
Use Opus for reasoning, Sonnet for speed/intelligence balance, Haiku for fastest iteration

77. How to structure prompts for finance?
Use the CSI+FBI framework: Context, Specific, Instruction + Format, Blueprint, Identity

(get tips 78-100 in the Cheat Sheet below)

👉 Register for the masterclass here after getting the Claude PDF: https://lnkd.in/gsA7buv5

💬 Which Claude feature surprised you the most? Drop it below

🔁 Repost to share this with your team

Really important note: while Claude is impressive within Excel and Cowork, if your company gives you a business license for Copilot and Gemini: start with these tools.
Do not use Claude with confidential data if you don’t have a business license.

The Finance Collection (how to get ahead of 90% in 2026)
👉 Comment "Finance Collection" and I will send it to you

Only the first 200 comments will get it for sure
Repost it to increase your chances of getting the collection

It includes my Top AI resources inside

This Finance collection can save you 100s of hours in 2026
And it is worth $1000+

Most people don’t need more finance theory
They need plug-and-play resources they can use today

So I bundled my best finance resources into one FREE pack:
Finance 101 Collection

Inside the collection, you will find:
#1 100 ChatGPT Tips (PDF)
#2 AI-Powered CFO (PDF)
#3 Month-End Checklist (Word)
#4 n8n Ultimate Cheatsheet (PDF)
#5 The Ultimate Finance Cheat Sheet (PDF)
#6 Top 100 Excel Tips (PDF)
#7 Break-Even Analysis Template (Excel)
#8 Budgeting Checklist (Word)
#9 Financial Statements Template (Excel)
#10 The 30 Day AI Finance Playbook (PDF)

I’ve seen CFOs and executives spend hours second-guessing numbers
they could’ve understood in 10 minutes with the right template

This is because no one gave them a simple starting point

That’s what this collection is:
The shortcuts I wish more people had earlier

👉 Comment "Finance Collection" if you want to receive the link to download this ebook.

♻️ Repost to help someone who’s tired of feeling behind on finance

CEO, CFO, or CFO?
Which one is more important?
👉 Join my next AI CFO masterclass now: https://lnkd.in/d7XXUNFZ

What are the differences in their roles?

Knowing what the management does is going to help you in your career.

Let's discover together what they do:

1. Their Main Leadership Roles
CEO leads the company
CFO manages finances
COO oversees the day-to-day operations.

2. On Strategic Vision
CEO drives strategy, growth, and innovation
CFO ensures stability and establishes discipline
COO implements the strategic initiatives

3. What Are Their Stakeholder Relations?
CEO represents the company to stakeholders and is the public face
CFO reports financials to the board and shareholders
COO liaises between different departments to ensure smooth execution

4. Their impact on Company's Values & Benchmarks
CEO sets corporate values
CFO sets financial benchmarks
COO ensures operational processes align with these values

5. Their Role in the Market Strategy
CEO drives global expansion
CFO optimizes existing markets
COO manages operational aspects of market penetration

6. What is their Client Focus?
CEO focuses on client acquisition
CFO focuses on client retention
COO enhances service delivery to facilitate both

7. Their Involvement with Risk Management
CEO sets the company's risk appetite,
CFO manages risk, and COO mitigates operational risks.

8. Their Relation to the Brand
CEO develops the brand
CFO tracks the performance
COO optimizes operational efficiency to uphold the brand promise

9. Their Role in Investments
CEO determines the investment strategy
CFO manages investment portfolios
COO allocates resources to meet strategic objectives.

10. Their Involvement in the Product Lifecycle
CEO drives product development
CFO monitors product profitability
COO coordinates product manufacturing and delivery

Here's how I build Excel models faster with Claude
👉 Register for my AI masterclass: https://lnkd.in/dt-EBfs7

Financial modeling is slow for 2 reasons
The math matters
And the tiny Excel mistakes add up

So I use Claude to speed up the build AND reduce the error rate
Without changing the way stakeholders want the output

3 ways I do it, depending on the situation

Method 1️⃣: Running Models Directly in Claude
Build the entire model within Claude’s code interface (Claude 3.5/4.5)

Best for fast, interactive model-building without manual coding

You can update churn rates or prices in the chat and see graphs update instantly

Prompt:
"I am the finance manager of a SaaS company.
I need to build a scenario planning for our sales for our products.
We have the personal plan at $49 per month with currently 1,500 subscribers and with a growth of 8% per month and a churn at 3%.
And enterprise: $99 per month with 400 subscribers and 5% growth with 2% churn.
Build this model for the next two years with formulas and dynamic assumptions and a graph."

Method 2️⃣: Python-Powered Excel Exports
This is the game-changer for offline work. Claude uses Python scripts to manufacture a polished .xlsx file from scratch

This isn't just a data dump; it’s a fully functional workbook with intact, dynamic formulas

Note: You must enable "Code execution and file creation" in your Claude settings

Prompt:
"I am the finance manager of a SaaS company. I need to build a scenario planning for our sales for our products. We have the personal plan at $49 per month with currently 1,500 subscribers and with a growth of 8% per month and a churn at 3%. And enterprise: $99 per month with 400 subscribers and 5% growth with 2% churn.
Build this model for the next two years with formulas and dynamic assumptions and a graph.
Build this in an Excel with formulas."

Method 3️⃣: The Claude for Excel Add-In
Anthropic's official sidebar plugin brings the AI assistant directly into your spreadsheet

Best for eliminating context switching. Claude acts as a co-pilot while you work

Pro Tip: It can read complex multi-tab workbooks and explain cell-level citations

Prompt:
"Build a 24-month financial model for the SaaS subscription plans described in this sheet."

If you want to go beyond and actually save 20–40+ hours per month
I am hosting a live session for real finance teams

- Automate reporting and forecasting without writing code
- Cut days of manual work down to minutes
- Adopt AI securely while staying ahead of 2026's fast-changing tools

👉 How to become an AI CFO Masterclass: https://lnkd.in/dt-EBfs7

🔁 Repost to help a finance peer who is tired of feeling behind on AI

Claude in Excel

You should not reconcile line by line in Excel.

I found a much faster (more accurate) way:

I've trained over 10,000 finance professionals on AI.

But still, month-end is taking too long.

• Variance commentary
• Journal corrections
• Flux analysis

12-hour days hoping you didn’t miss something before somebody asks.

So to help you get out of this painful cycle 

I’ve teamed up with Albert Malikov (Founder and CEO of Stacks)

Join us on Thursday 5th March for a free masterclass here - https://lnkd.in/dk-QJyP9

You will see:

The reconciliation hack
↳ that saves 2 hours / month

What happens when AI matches 95% of your transactions
↳ before you even open your laptop 

How to draft variance commentary
↳ in 5 minutes using AI

How to generate flux explanations
↳ for 20+ accounts in under 30 seconds

What auditors actually look for
↳ and how AI can help you get ahead of It

How to flag unusual journal entries in real time
↳ Instead of finding them three months later

📅 Thursday March 5th | 5PM CET | 60 minutes

I'll cover what you can do today with generic AI tools. Albert will show what happens when AI is plugged into your systems.

Reserve your seat here: https://lnkd.in/dk-QJyP9

Month-end shouldn't cost you your evenings, your holidays, or your happiness.

Look forward to seeing you there.

P.S - How long is your month-end right now?

Brand partnership • I teach Finance Teams how to use AI - Keynote speaker on AI for Finance (Email me if you need help)

I spent 3 days on board decks, now only 3 hours

Most finance leaders don’t lack presentation skills

They lack a board prep system

You don’t need better slides
You need a repeatable AI workflow

In this newsletter, I show you:

1) How to anticipate board questions before you enter the room
2) How to build a dashboard or deck in 10 minutes with AI
3) How to create a 5-minute post-meeting feedback loop

Board meetings aren’t stressful because of PowerPoint

They’re stressful because of unanswered questions

In partnership with Stacks, I’m breaking down how to close faster and walk into the boardroom fully prepared

👉 Register for the masterclass here:
https://lnkd.in/dxU27hjW

💬 Still spending days on board decks?

🔁 Repost if your team needs this

View newsletter: AI+Finance by Nicolas Boucher

Sponsored by Stacks If your month-end close still means late nights, manual reconciliations, and rewriting variance commentary - I have a special mast

Open article: I spent 3 days on board decks, now only 3 hours by Nicolas Boucher • 6 min read

I spent 3 days on board decks, now only 3 hours

I just finished preparing today's masterclass
5 hours tweaking slides and testing demos
Register for the masterclass here: https://lnkd.in/e8ut8seM

Why do I spend so much time preparing?

Because companies normally pay me $10,000 for this workshop
→ And today you'll get it free

Here is what I will teach you:

1. You don't need to be technical to build with AI
• I'll show you how to create dashboards faster than your BI team
• Live demo with a real framework our community uses

2. How to automate hours of work without new tools
• Data cleaning with AI in 2 minutes
• Excel AI Agent Mode in action
• Real use case: 1 full workday saved per month

3. Why every CFO role now requires AI skills
• AI mentions in CFO job listings are up 238% year-over-year (Datarails study on 6,000 job posts)
• What this means for your career and your salary

4. Your AI CFO Roadmap
• The 3 steps to implement AI for you and your team
• How to deal with data confidentiality

👉 Interested? Join us here: https://lnkd.in/e8ut8seM

No catch... just one limitation: seats are limited and we usually reach capacity fast

Why listen to me? I've trained 10,000+ finance pros and work with brands like Mercedes-Benz, KPMG, and Rakuten on AI in Finance

and I run the AI Finance Club, the #1 community for AI CFOs, which has 1,900+ CFOs, Fractional CFOs, and Finance pros!

👉 You can save your seat for the masterclass here: https://lnkd.in/drFcBhYe

See you in 2 hours!

Your Finance Progression + Resilience Partner | Helping New Hires and Managers' Transitions in Finance Teams | VP of Finance | Keynote Speaker | 40 Under 40 CPA Practice Advisor

Finance teams should be able to do more strategic work to support the expanding CFO role, and still have a life outside of work. That is what my work is all about.​

Through Wharton Online, workshops, and The Diary of a CFO podcast, I share practical tools to reset how finance teams work so they can think ahead, partner with the business, and avoid burning out in the process.​

The reality is that most finance functions are still built to report, not to lead. That creates blind spots for CEOs, delays decisions for boards, and leaves CFOs without a real pipeline of ready successors.​

Over the last 15+ years, I have led finance teams across manufacturing, technology, pharmaceuticals, and now a nonprofit CDFI. The pattern is the same: strategy stays with the CFO and maybe FP&A, while the rest of the team is stuck in transactions and constant urgency, with very little time or support to actually think like executives.​

What boards and CEOs value is not more reports. They want finance leaders who can spot signals early, frame choices clearly, and influence outcomes, while staying grounded and human in high pressure environments.​

That is how I build and lead teams, and it is the lens I bring to every class, talk, and episode: practical, realistic ways to grow your impact, develop your team, and build a bench of future CFOs without losing yourself in the process.​

If you are building a pipeline of finance leaders or aiming for the CFO seat yourself and want to do it in a more sustainable way, let us connect.​

🌐 WassiaKamon.start.page
📧 Info@WassiaKamon.com

Wassia Kamon, CPA, CMA, MBA

It was during my first 90 days as a CFO that I realized how wide the gap was between the expectations for my role and what my finance team was actually set up to do.

See, most of the conversations with my CEO, my peers, and the board were about strategy, growth, and risk.

But most of the work and systems inside finance was about transactions, reconciliations, and compliance.

The reality is the CFO role has evolved, 
but the finance function hasn't kept up.

If the CFO is going to be strategic, the rest of finance has to be strategic too.

That means accounting, FP&A, treasury, tax, plus the processes and systems they use need to level up.

Otherwise, we are asking the CFO to work in the future while the rest of finance is still operating in the past.

No wonder, so many CFOs feel stretched, and everyone around them is frustrated.

What I recommend is to stop treating this as a “CFO problem” and start redesigning the whole finance stack around the new expectations of the role.

1️⃣ Start by redefining each finance role in terms of decisions it supports, not tasks it completes.

2️⃣ Upgrade processes so data moves in real time to the people making decisions, not just into reports.

3️⃣ Invest in systems that give you one clean source of truth instead of spreadsheet gymnastics every month.

4️⃣ Train and coach your team to see the bigger picture and translate numbers into insights for the business.

That is how you close the gap between a strategic CFO and a finance function that can effectively support them.

-------

This visual is just a starting point for rethinking accounting to support a more strategic CFO role.

I will share what that looks like in real life at the upcoming AICPA CFO Conference with my good friend Paul Young, CFO at Liberty Bank.

If you are attending, make sure to stop by our session on April 13.

In the meantime, let me know ⤵️ 
 
Do you feel that same tension between your role and how your day-to-day is set up?

CFO | Helping leaders build high‑performing finance teams without losing themselves | Wharton Online Guest Faculty

Infographic titled ‘How Every Accounting Role Supports a Strategic CFO,’ showing AP, AR, GL/staff accountants, and controllers with examples of value drivers, key metrics, and easy wins to help the CFO be more strategic.

One thing I learned quickly when I became a CFO is that preparing the board deck in FP&A or accounting is not the same as being in the CFO seat.

In FP&A, you can be right and still be safe.

In the CFO seat, you can be right and still lose the room.

Because the board isn’t only listening to the update. 

They’re reading you. Every answer is a signal:
- Is this under control?
- Do you actually know what’s going on?
- Are you the right person for this situation?

That’s why most CFOs don’t lose the board’s trust because of a bad quarter.

They lose it because of the conversations about that quarter.

After a few of those “hot seat” moments and conversations with great CFOs like Scott Meyers and Dr. Tamer Alsayed on my podcast, I built a repeatable way to prepare.

I call it my CFO Template for Board Meeting Prep. It’s a simple framework you can use to prep for any board conversation, good or bad.

That’s what you’re seeing in the cheat sheet.

If you want the full breakdown of the framework and how to use it, I unpack it in my latest blog on The Diary of a CFO Podcast website.

I'm curious to hear:

Which conversation tends to get the most tense in your experience: missed numbers, runway, or strategy? 👇

BOARD CONVERSATION CHEAT SHEET from the diary of a cfo blog

The kind of controller I was 10 years ago is not the kind of controller I’d want to work with today as a CFO.

Back then, “great” looked like:
✅ Clean closes. 
✅ Tight reconciliations. 
✅ No surprises in the audit.

Today, the bar for finance leadership is very different,
because the role of the CFO, and the expections around it, are very different.

Everyone is expected to:

- Partner with the business

- Spot patterns before they hit the P&L

- Translate metrics into real business choices

- Show up in executive conversations as partners, not just reporters.

A strategic CFO can’t carry that load alone.
The whole leadership bench has to evolve with the role.

For example:

- Controllers should use close and audit findings to flag emerging risks before they hit the board deck.

- FP&A leaders should bring options, not just budgets and forecasts

- Treasury leaders should connect liquidity decisions to growth bets, not just cash management.

- Tax and compliance leaders should surface structure and risk choices early instead of after the fact.

That doesn’t require a reorg.

It requires treating every function within the CFO office as part of the strategy engine, not just the reporting engine.

If you’re a CFO (or report to one) and want your team to think more strategically, here are some pointers ⤵️ 

What do you think?

infographic titled Where CFO Direct Reports add strategic lift, by Wassia Kamon, featuring insights for controllers, treasury, fp&a and tax.

The first time I spoke at the AICPA CFO Conference, I wasn’t a CFO yet. Coming back to the stage this year as one feels like a full-circle moment. 

It's also a reminder that growth often starts when you step into rooms before you feel fully ready.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to share what I’ve learned along the way about building truly strategic finance teams.

Even better, I get to share the stage with the amazing Paul S. Young, CPA, CGMA, MBA.

So, if you’ll be at the AICPA CFO Conference next month, I hope to see you there.

https://lnkd.in/eveXrSXX 

#AICPA #CFOConference26

This is my "I've had to make some hard calls to get here" face.

And I know it makes some people uncomfortable.

Because women in leadership are supposed to:
Smile,
Be warm, 
Be likeable,
Be approachable. 

Never too assertive. Never too quiet. Never too much.

We're expected to lead, but make it look effortless.
To have the answers, but not seem like a know-it-all.
To take up space, but not too much of it.

For a long time, it frustrated me.
Until I realized I could flip it and use it strategically.

You want to learn more?

Join me this Friday with other women who have navigated these nuances and are willing to share how they did it.

✦ Sowmya Ranganathan, ex-Controller @ OpenAI & Founder of Lumera
✦ Sarah Sieman, Senior Director @ CBIZ
✦ Rebeca Sanchez Sarmiento, Finance Operating Partner @ Sixth Street

Register here: https://lnkd.in/ekhnVeC4

And tell me: what expectation did you learn to flip? ⤵️

Wassia Kamon standing in a bright space wearing a pink coat, looking intentionally serious for a post about women in leadership.

"If you have people in your group that can't get excited about your goals and objectives, get them transferred to your competition."

This might sound harsh, but David DeFreitas is right.

People who can't get excited about what you're trying to accomplish will drain the life right out of your team.

And this is just a snippet of the wisdom Dave shared on The Diary of a CFO Podcast this week.

In this episode, he walked me through what it actually took to go from staff accountant to group CFO at Caterpillar Inc.

What stood out:

✔️ He had 7 jobs in 6 years before his first big promotion.

✔️ At 35, he became CFO of Caterpillar UK, leading a 150+ people, and 4 of 6 direct reports were over 60 years old. 

We also talked about AI, the difference between managing change and leading change and so much more!

Side note: Dave has been on my personal board of directors for almost 3 years and I could not be more grateful to have him on the show.

🎧 Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube

Let me know your biggest takeaway once you listen 👇🏽

View newsletter: The Diary of a CFO Recap

Brought to you by Ramp. Join us on March 6th at 1PM ET for a free webinar celebrating Women's History Month. Click here to learn more and register. Mo

Open article: Former Caterpillar Group CFO, Dave DeFreitas, on Essential Leadership Skills for Finance Leaders by Wassia Kamon, CPA, CMA, MBA • 4 min read

Former Caterpillar Group CFO, Dave DeFreitas, on Essential Leadership Skills for Finance Leaders

To be a woman, to be a leader, and to be in finance is not for the weak.

- The rooms that are not built for you. 

- The moments you have to prove yourself twice, yet often paid less.

- The personal load you are expected to leave at the door but never really can.

Most people don't talk about that part.

But on March 6th, we will.

I am honored to share the stage with women who know exactly what this path looks like behind the scenes.

- Sowmya Ranganathan was the Controller at OpenAI during the launch of ChatGPT and went on to found her own company, Lumera.

- Rebeca Sanchez Sarmiento built her career on Wall Street, became a 3x CFO in PE-backed environments, and is now a Finance Operating Partner at Sixth Street.

- Sarah Sieman started in public accounting at PwC, switched to FP&A, became a CFO, and now leads business transformation and AI adoption at CBIZ.

Topics we will cover:

✅Navigating bias
✅Advocating for yourself and your 💰
✅Building networks that actually support you.
✅Managing caregiving and leadership at the same time

If this resonates, you’re welcome to join us.

📅 March 6 | 1 PM ET
 
Register here: https://lnkd.in/ekhnVeC4

Promotional graphic for a webinar titled “Women Who Lead: Unfiltered Conversations with Top Executives,” happening March 6 at 1 PM ET. Features headshots of speakers Wassia Kamon (CFO, ACE), Sowmya Ranganathan (Founder, Lumera; former Controller at OpenAI), Sarah Sieman (Senior Director, CBIZ), and Rebeca Sanchez Sarmiento (Operating Partner, Sixth Street).

What if the real AI risk in your finance team is not job loss, but confidently presenting the wrong answer to your CEO and board?

On this week’s The Diary of a CFO Podcast, I sit down with Jennifer Warawa, President of insightsoftware and one of the most influential leaders in our profession, to talk about what actually changes in the office of the CFO when AI shows up.

We get into:

✅  What it looks like to act as a true strategic co‑pilot to the CEO

✅  How AI exposes every weakness in your data, processes, and tech stack 

✅  A practical roadmap to implement AI in the office of the CFO

✅  How to bring your team along when some people are excited about AI and others are quietly afraid their role will disappear.

If you lead finance and feel like your spreadsheets are moving slower than the business' expectations, this episode will help you close that gap with a clear game plan. 

Let me know in the comments:

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐈, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐲?

------------------
Big thanks to insightsoftware for sponsoring this episode

Brought to you by insightsoftware. Attend part 1 of their free webinar series “Data is Power” on March 31. Visit insightsoftware.com/dataispower to le

Open article: How AI is Changing the Office of the CFO, with Jennifer Warawa by Wassia Kamon, CPA, CMA, MBA • 4 min read

How AI is Changing the Office of the CFO, with Jennifer Warawa

Imposter syndrome is the # 1 thing that keeps new CFOs awake at night. 

Not covenants,
Not close calendars, 
Not even board decks.

It's that quiet voice asking:

“Do I really belong in this seat?”  

I was surprised how often this came up in my conversation with Kevin Appleby. 

But the more we talked, the more I realized I’d felt some of the same doubts in my own first year as a CFO too.  

- The second‑guessing before every decision,

- Replaying SLT and board meetings in my head, wondering if one mistake would prove everyone wrong about me.

If you’re there right now, this is the part I wish someone had said to me: 

Feeling that way is not proof you’re in the wrong role. 

It’s often proof that you care,
that you’re stretching, and that you’re no longer hiding in the comfort of what you’ve already mastered.

That's I love the practical advice Kevin shared in this clip on how to overcome imposter syndrome as a new leader.

if you have any more tips, please share 👇

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