Podcast
FEI Podcast
Hosted by Financial Executives International · EN
Financial Executives International presents the FEI Podcast: an audio digest focusing on the ideas and strategies in finance and accounting.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Reaction Tax: Why Finding Out Too Late Is Costing Your Company
2w ago00:33:56Tap to summarizeThis episode explores the reaction tax, a concept describing the hidden costs businesses pay when decision windows close before leadership sees the warning signs. Thomas DeFabrizio, CFO of Impellam Group Americas, walks through the KPIs, shared definitions, and compensation strategies financial leaders can use to move from reactive firefighting to proactive, future-focused leadership, along with how AI and outcome-based business models are reshaping finance.Special Guest: Thomas DeFabrizio.
Transcribe →Raised to Never Quit: Mentorship, Belonging, and Building Your Network with Dolly Lalvani
3w ago00:33:54Tap to summarizeDolly Lalvani, a CPA and FEI Central Pennsylvania Chapter Leader, joins the FEI Podcast to share how a promise to her father shaped her path to the CPA license, why she treats mentorship as a two-way commitment rather than a transaction, and what active involvement in FEI Chapters, state boards, and NASBA has taught her about belonging to a profession. The conversation closes with her perspective on staying grounded and building relationships as AI reshapes the way financial leaders work.Special Guest: Dolly Lalvani.
Transcribe →Why AI Alone Won’t Fix Your Finance Function’s Biggest Problem – with Alex Curran
4w ago00:40:52Tap to summarizeWhat if your AI strategy is already at risk, not because your team is behind on AI, but because finance is trying to run the future on systems built for the past? In this episode, Alex Curran, CEO of Aptitude Software, discusses why AI success in finance is an architecture issue, a data issue, and a leadership issue. Curran shares her SCALE framework for assessing whether a finance function is ready to support AI, explains the emerging finance ERP category, and offers guidance for financial leaders who feel they are running out of time to modernize.Special Guest: Alex Curran.
Transcribe →From CPA to Founder: Why This CFO Says It's Time to Take More Risk – with Chrissy O'Hara
Jul 1300:33:20Tap to summarizeWhat happens when a CFO trades the structure of a traditional corporate finance career for the unpredictability of a startup? In this episode, recorded live at FEI's Financial Leaders Forum in San Antonio, host Heather Cole sits down with Chrissy O'Hara, CFO of SoftLedger, to talk about the real tradeoffs of entrepreneurial freedom: cash flow stress, family members who keep asking when the “real job” is coming, and the discipline it takes to keep pivoting when plans change. O'Hara also shares how she learned to let go of the perfectionism her CPA training instilled, how she and her team use AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT day to day, and why she believes more finance and accounting professionals need to step into entrepreneurship and be in the room shaping the next generation of tools, rather than waiting for someone else to make those decisions for them.Special Guest: Chrissy O'Hara.
Transcribe →From Job Fear to Competitive Edge: How One CFO Is Leading with AI – with Kevina Purmanund
Jul 600:26:44Tap to summarizeWhat happens when a CFO realizes AI could replace her job, and decides to master it instead? In this episode, host Heather Cole sits down with Kevina Purmanund, CFO of the 1826 Group, live from the FEI Financial Leaders Forum in San Antonio. Purmanund shares how a single conversation with an investor sparked her AI journey, how she now runs ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot side by side to compare results, and how a revenue-per-head report that used to take a week now takes 30 minutes. She also opens up about the mistakes AI has caused, the review process she built to catch them, and how she brought a skeptical accounting team along with weekly demos and hands-on projects. Along the way, they cover data security and compliance, what to look for in AI training, and why investing in coaching and peer networks has been just as important to her growth as any AI tool. Whether you are just starting to experiment or already building your own tools, this conversation offers a candid look at what it takes to lead through change.Special Guest: Kevina Purmanund.
Transcribe →Why CFOs Can't Just Layer AI on Broken Processes – with CohnReznick
Jun 2200:39:06Tap to summarizeWhat if the biggest AI challenge for CFOs is not the technology itself, but the culture and processes required to use it well? In this episode, host Heather Cole sits down with Jennifer Witts (Partner) and Kyle Vroegh (Director) of CohnReznick's Client Advisory Services Practice to unpack what separates financial leaders seeing real AI results from those spinning their wheels. They cover where CFOs should start with AI adoption, why layering automation on broken processes backfires, how to build a psychologically safe culture around experimentation, what governance and security questions to ask when evaluating outside firms, and how the role of the financial executive is shifting toward advisory and strategic work. Whether you are excited, overwhelmed, or somewhere in between, this episode offers a practical, no-hype path forward – one bite-sized use case at a time.Special Guests: Jennifer Witts and Kyle Vroegh.
Transcribe →Evolution of the Finance Function: Leading Strategy, AI, and Transformation
Apr 2100:44:10Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the FEI Podcast, Tom Alexander and Scott Peck of CrossCountry Consulting discuss findings from the Evolution of the Finance Function Report by Financial Education & Research Foundation (FERF). The conversation explores how the role of finance is expanding beyond reporting to include strategy, transformation, and enterprise leadership. It also highlights key challenges, including low confidence in AI, gaps in governance, and the need for stronger collaboration between finance and IT. Listeners will gain practical insights on how to build transformation capability, start with focused AI use cases, and position finance teams for long-term success in a rapidly changing environment.Special Guests: Scott Peck and Tom Alexander.
Transcribe →Building Resilience and Relevance: Brenda Zamzow on Leadership and Relationships
Apr 600:39:49Tap to summarizeIn this special Icons edition of the FEI Podcast, Brenda Zamzow, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer of Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles, discusses how financial leaders can stay relevant in a rapidly changing world. Drawing on decades of experience across public accounting, entrepreneurship, and nonprofit leadership, Zamzow shares how to transform finance from a gatekeeping function into a strategic partner, the importance of building meaningful professional relationships, and how resilience is developed through real-world challenges. This episode is part of FEI’s special Icons podcast series highlighting past speakers from the ICONS: Leaders in Finance virtual event. Join us on April 22, 2026 to hear from distinguished financial leaders shaping the future of finance. Learn more about the ICONS: Leaders in Finance event virtual replay here: https://www.financialexecutives.org/icons2026-virtualSpecial Guest: Brenda Zamzow.
Transcribe →Dana Bober on Strategy, AI, and Leading Finance Transformation
Mar 3000:36:17Tap to summarizeIn this FEI Podcast Icons episode, Dana Bober, retired EY partner and C-suite advisor, discusses how financial leaders can bridge the gap between strategy and execution, lead through influence, and adapt to the rapid rise of AI. Drawing on decades of global experience, she explores the importance of listening, stakeholder alignment, and building future-ready finance teams. This episode is part of FEI’s Icons series and supports the virtual replay of the ICONS: Leaders in Finance event on April 22, 2026. Learn more and register here: https://www.financialexecutives.org/icons2026-virtualSpecial Guest: Dana Bober.
Transcribe →How 3M’s Corporate Controller Leads Finance at Hyperspeed
Mar 2300:42:41Tap to summarizeIn this special Icons edition of the FEI Podcast, Teri Reinseth, Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller, and Chief Accounting Officer at 3M discusses how financial leaders can keep pace with rapid change by simplifying processes, strengthening cross-functional alignment, and enabling finance teams to move faster without sacrificing accuracy or compliance. She also shares insights on preparing finance organizations for AI, building influence across the business, and developing the next generation of financial leadership. This episode is part of FEI’s special series featuring speakers from the upcoming ICONS: Leaders in Finance event on March 25, 2026, at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel.Special Guest: Teri Reinseth.
Transcribe →