From Go to CFO

On this episode of From Go to CFO, Dave Goldbach sits down with Gino Sorrentino, CFO of Green by Nature, to trace a career of bold moves across the USA, Australia and Switzerland. Gino talks candidly about moving to the US with no job, how joining a soccer team led to his first role at Brambles, and why a PE-backed landscaping business won him over. He also shares lessons from the CFO seat, includ...

On this episode of From Go to CFO, Kunal Gupta sits down with Ian Bucknell, CFO of Amplitude Energy, to look back on 19 years in the role across oil and gas and lithium. Ian talks candidly about the risky leap from a comfortable mid-cap company to a small one, the imposter syndrome that never quite goes away, and how he builds trust with boards, managing directors and his own team. He also shares...

On this episode of From Go to CFO, Dave Goldbach sits down with Mary-Anne Matthews, CFO of Next Capital, to trace a career that began with a KPMG cadetship at 20 and has run through Lendlease, PwC and Macquarie.  Mary-Anne talks candidly about negotiating part-time roles after starting a family, the cold call that got her back into the workforce at PwC, and leading global teams through hundreds of...

On this episode of From Go to CFO, Kunal Gupta sits down with Aleksandar Zlatkovic, CFO of Indara Digital, to trace a career that has run through investment banking, infrastructure funds, a privatised utility and now a digital business. Aleksandar talks candidly about the eight months it took to land his first corporate role, the 'board whisperer' nickname he earned bridging a new set of...

On this episode of From Go to CFO , Dave Goldbach sits down with Linda Benson, CFO of Kaplan, to trace a finance career that has run through bread, cars, construction, banking, gaming and now education. Linda talks candidly about the mentors who shaped her biggest decisions, the hardest conversation she's ever had (walking away from a role that wasn't right for her), and what it took to...

Nimesh Shah has said yes to five CFO roles he wasn't entirely sure he was ready for, and it's paid off every time. On this episode of From Go to CFO, he joins Kunal Gupta for a properly candid look back at a career spanning newspaper finance floors, an ASX IPO at Isentia, eight years at ReadyTech, and his current seat at Storypark, backed by Potentia. Along the way he's helped struc...

Nick Barnes set himself a goal early in his career: become a CFO by 40. In this episode of From Go to CFO, he talks to [axr]'s Dave Goldbach about the winding path that got him there, from audit at EY in the UK, through PepsiCo, Suntory and SunRice, and into Australia's startup and scale-up world with Koala, MILKRUN and Vow, before landing as CFO of Karma Drinks. It's a career built...

In this episode of From Go to CFO , [axr]'s Kunal Gupta sits down with Nick Williams, CFO of Tellus Holdings, Australia's only geological repository for hazardous waste. Nick's career took him around the world before it brought him home. Eleven years at BHP moved him from a graduate role in Melbourne to Adelaide, Houston, the Netherlands and Chile, building the kind of broad, hands-...

Michelle Reynolds backpacked solo through Europe while her friends signed up for two-year stints working in London. It's the kind of call that sums up her whole career: take the path most people skip, and see where it leads. That path has since taken her through insurance, construction, rail and a hydrogen startup to the CFO chair at CIP Construction. In this episode, she joins Dave Goldbach,...

Season 4 of From Go to CFO is here.  Dave Goldbach and Kunal Gupta are kicking things off with [axr]'s 2026 Finance and Accounting Salary Guide, including why it was built differently and how to get the most out of it. This episode covers: Why [axr] structured the guide around role scope and skills, not just job titles and salary bands How compensation varies significantly across large, mid-t...

Dave Goldbach and Kunal Gupta continue [axr]'s relaunch of From Go to CFO with a look at how the finance leadership market is shifting, and what it means for anyone building toward a CFO seat. They cover three areas: what's changing in the roles [axr] recruits for, the bigger market trends behind those changes, and what candidates should be doing about it. In this episode, listeners will...

In this episode of From Go to CFO , we sit down with James Mitchell - an experienced CEO and CFO whose career spans professional services, financial services, hospitality, and property. James shares his journey from his early days at Deloitte, where he built the technical and professional foundations of his career, through international experience in London and senior finance leadership roles incl...

In this episode of From Go to CFO, we sit down with Chris Allenby, CFO of Lewis Land, one of Australia’s largest privately owned property groups, to unpack a career defined by ambition, adaptability and leadership under pressure. Chris’s journey began early - joining KPMG as a cadet at just 18 and rising to partner by 32. Over a 12-year tenure as partner, he advised private and mid-cap companies,...

In this episode of From Go to CFO, we sit down with Gareth Sprainger, CFO of V2Food, to unpack a career defined by curiosity, resilience, and transformative leadership. Gareth began his journey straight out of high school, diving into chartered accounting while working full-time - a foundation that shaped his disciplined, hands-on approach to finance. His path took him through a 12-year tenure at...

In this episode of From Go to CFO, we’re joined by Jean-Baptiste Naudet, CFO at Australian Red Cross and a finance leader with a 30-year career spanning global powerhouses including Thales, Flight Centre, Coca-Cola and Johnson & Johnson. After decades in senior finance and commercial leadership roles across APAC, JB made a pivotal shift into purpose-led leadership, bringing deep corporate disc...

In this episode of From Go to CFO, Nick is joined by Mike Dickson, Host of Your Future in Sales and Marketing for a special episode of the How to series.  Nick and Mike break down the real-world strategies behind getting promoted. From demonstrating value beyond your job description to navigating conversations with leadership, they share practical advice, personal experiences, and actionable steps...

In this episode of From Go to CFO, we speak with Andrew Just, Chief Financial Officer of Inghams Australia, about leading finance at scale and navigating change across some of the world’s most complex business environments. Andrew reflects on a remarkable 30+ year career at Nestlé, which he joined straight after college and where he held senior leadership roles across Australia, Fiji, Switzerland,...

In this episode of From Go to CFO, we sit down with Mike Charter - former international CFO and Chief Strategy Officer, now the visionary founder of AVAALER, an executive coaching platform built to elevate senior finance leaders into aligned, influential, high-performing executives without burning out . Mike brings more than 30 years of global finance and strategy leadership, having held senior ro...

In this episode, we sit down with Mark Broadhead, Executive Director of Finance, Property and Information Systems at Wesley Mission, to explore a career that seamlessly blends commercial acumen with purpose-driven leadership - and yes, plenty of Jimmy Vibes along the way. Mark shares his journey from growing up in Wahroonga with three sisters to becoming a chartered accountant at Grant Thornton, b...

In this episode of From Go to CFO , we sit down with Byron Bassett, Chief Financial Officer at Unilever, whose journey from a small farming town in Inverell, New South Wales, to the boardrooms of some of the world’s biggest companies is nothing short of inspiring. Byron shares the leadership lessons that have shaped his career across global giants like GlaxoSmithKline, Woolworths, Johnson & Jo...

In this episode, we sit down with Vladen Potapenkov, Chief Financial Officer at Nutrano Produce Group, to explore his remarkable 20-year journey through the global food and beverage industry. Born in Ukraine and raised in Russia, Vladen’s story is one of adaptability, curiosity, and leadership across continents. Beginning his career in a comprehensive graduate program with Agrana Fruit, Vladen qui...

In this episode, we sit down with Mats Weiss, the dynamic CFO of Orro Group - a Swedish country boy whose journey from the golf course to the global finance stage is nothing short of remarkable. Starting his career at PwC in Sweden while playing professional golf, his path has taken him through leadership roles at global giants like Nike, Philip Morris, 20th Century Fox, and beyond. Along the way,...

In this episode of From Go to CFO , we sit down with Lorenz Haefeli, the CFO of Bailey Nelson, a finance leader whose journey has taken him from Sydney’s Northern Beaches to the fast-paced world of automotive giants like Tesla and onto international optical retailer Bailey Nelson. Starting his career in audit at KPMG before making the leap to London, he’s since held finance roles across insurance,...

In this episode of From Go to CFO , we sit down with Paul Bertie, a finance and operations leader who’s navigated a dynamic career across Australia and South Africa from growing up in the wine region just north of Cape Town , to leading transformational change in retail, ecommerce, and consumer goods . With a career that started in finance roles at Puma and Sunglass Hut , and evolved into high-imp...

In this episode of From Go to CFO , we sat down with Shihara, who spent 14 years at Unilever and worked across an incredible 17 roles—rising from graduate to CFO. We explored what it takes to build a meaningful career and the mindset that helped her grow through every opportunity. Key highlights include: The power of saying yes to opportunities—even when they stretch you. Why she believes in “doin...