The Forward Thinking CFO

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, host Stephen Aldridge is joined by Daniya Stewart - a former banker turned startup founder and now fractional CFO and advisor to early-stage businesses. Daniya shares her fascinating journey from a 17-year career in renewable energy project finance to launching and scaling Phomo - a Vietnamese meal kit startup born in lockdown. She takes us behind the s...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, we take a deep dive into a crucial question for finance professionals: Can I trust this model? Stephen Aldridge is joined by Christine Donnet, a fellow modeller here at Numeritas, to discuss practical ways to assess the reliability of a financial model. Whether you're inheriting a model, conducting due diligence, or simply trying to validate your own wo...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, Stephen Aldridge is joined by Maria Ghibu, a fractional CFO, entrepreneur, and non-executive director at the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors. Maria offers a fascinating account of her journey from financial auditor to fractional CFO, sharing her insights into post-merger integration, the robotics and biotech sectors, and the importance of good...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, Stephen Aldridge is joined by Jeremy Earnshaw, former CFO and founder of Clarendon Executive Coaching and Mentoring. With over 25 years of global C-Suite experience, Jeremy shares his journey from finance to executive coaching, offering invaluable insights on "Coaching with Purpose" and empowering leaders to achieve transformative results. In this packe...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, Stephen Aldridge is joined by Andrew Lynch, Head of FP&A at Blue Light Card. With a rich background in finance leadership across diverse industries - from wholesale to tech - Andrew shares invaluable insights on leveraging the finance function to enhance commercial performance. In this packed episode, Andrew and Stephen explore: - The pivotal role of fi...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, Stephen Aldridge is joined by David Forbes, a seasoned corporate treasurer and former financial modeller. David's impressive career includes roles at Serco, Mitie, and Logicor, where he honed his expertise in modelling and treasury management. During his long tenure at Serco, David worked on diverse projects such as public-private partnerships and PFI....

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, Stephen Aldridge was joined by Lawrence Edwards-Smajda, CFO of Haier UK & Ireland, the mastermind behind a number of well-known big brands like Hoover and Candy. Lawrence's journey to Haier is a fascinating one, beginning with what was essentially a 12-month interview that paved the way for a captivating story you won't want to miss. An experienced fina...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, we go a little off-piste as Cameron Miller, the Hydrogen Development Manager at Carlton Power, joins us to discuss the current state and future of hydrogen in the UK. As the shift from fossil-based to renewable energy sources gains momentum, Cameron's expertise sheds light on the pivotal role of hydrogen in this transition. Carlton Power is an independe...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, we were joined by the hugely knowledgeable Paul Lines, Corporate Finance Advisor and Consultant at Garwood Solutions, a firm that advises Professional Services and IT firms, as well as their investors. Paul specialises in helping firms to grow and develop through mergers and acquisitions, and having been in the business for over 20 years, he’s practical...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, we were joined by the hugely knowledgeable Aneal Vallurupalli, CFO at Airbase, a spend management software company. Aneal brings a unique perspective to the table, as he not only holds the CFO position at Airbase but also works directly with CFOs and finance departments to streamline their processes, so gets to experience both sides of the coin. Aneal’s...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, we were joined by the inspirational Soufyan Hamid, founder and financial storytelling trainer at SouFBP. With a background in auditing and consulting at top firms like PwC and Deloitte, Soufyan discovered the power of storytelling during his time as a finance business partner in the telecommunications industry. Soufyan's journey taught him the importanc...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, Stephen Aldridge was joined by Marco Torrente, Global Chief Financial Officer at WebBeds, a global online marketplace for the travel trade. Marco heads up the finance team of about 220 people spread across the globe. As a global finance leader and director who has provided strategic counsel to many blue chip companies, Marco has helped implement operati...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, we were joined by the inspirational Magdalena Markiewicz, CFO of Eel Power, providers of battery storage for the UK’s renewable energy supply. Magdalena shares her fascinating, slightly non-traditional path to becoming a CFO with us on this episode. Magdalena's journey took her from New York to Barcelona and back to London where she joined Rothschild. H...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO we spoke to Guy Ellis, Partner at Rockpool Investments, a private equity business specialising in £5-15m investments into lower-mid market companies. Returning to the subject of sources of finance for business in this episode, Guy is the perfect guest to share his incredible knowledge of the world of private equity. With over a decade of experience in th...

In the latest episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, we catch up with Daniel Quint, Chief Financial Officer at Staffline Group PLC. Staffline Group PLC specialise in developing and deploying highly flexible, robust and skilled workforces to organisations. They are the UK’s leading provider of flexible blue-collar workers, supplying approximately 40,000 staff per day on average. Daniel joined the com...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, we’ve got a special edition for you. Taking a different approach, we've gathered some of the Numeritas team's leading experts for a roundtable discussion on the impact external environmental factors have had on the sector in recent times. The last few years have certainly been turbulent, from Brexit and the pandemic to the war in Ukraine and everything...

In the latest episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, we catch up with Janene Liston, a highly trusted Pricing Consultant & Business Coach. Janene’s company The Pricing Lady specialises in supporting businesses with their pricing, and offers workshops, mentoring and strategies to help SMEs and large-scale businesses improve their relationship with profits. This is something Janene has been doing sinc...

In the latest episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, we speak with Chris Roling, Chief Financial Officer at Coinme. Thanks to careful pivots in the business model, Coinme continues to go from strength to strength. Offering safe and accessible methods to buy and sell cryptocurrency, Chris has steered Coinme forward to become the world's largest, fully licensed, cryptocurrency cash network. It’s been...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, we speak with Mark Gilham, Director and Evangelist at Enable. This unusual title has given Mark an opportunity to act both as an ambassador and a consultant for Enable simultaneously. At Enable, Mark helps businesses use rebates as a strategy to drive growth and trust between trading partners. By promoting their innovative software, he helps manufacture...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, we speak with Ryan Whitworth, Regional Sales Director at Leumi ABL. Leumi ABL is a specialised, award-winning asset-based lending company that helps both small and large businesses achieve their goals. The company adopts a flexible and personal approach to structuring effective asset-based lending solutions that supports refinancing, restructuring, grow...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO we speak to Pardip Khroud, CEO & Founder of Voyager Capital Partners. Pardip draws on her experience from accounting, banking, and private equity to provide cost-effective help to small and medium-sized businesses to support them in driving growth and securing investment. With a career spanning three decades, Pardip has substantial expertise in both the...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, we speak to Jonathan Keeling, VP at Crowdcube. Crowdcube specialises in democratising access for both businesses and investors to buy shares in start-ups, and with their 1000+ portfolio having raised in excess of £7bn worldwide, they are one of the leading voices in crowdfunding. A two-time TED talker, early on in his career Jonathan left what many woul...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, we speak to Alistair Brew, an Investor at the Business Growth Fund. Growing businesses will always need funding, which means that Alistair’s role as one of the key figures at BGF is to help CFOs at burgeoning organisations get their hands on all-important cash. At the last count, the fund had made over 400 investments since its launch in 2011. Before jo...

In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO we’re doing something a little different. With the end of 2021 on the horizon, we’re revisiting some of our favourite moments from across the series to highlight the brilliant insight and advice our guests have given, all focused on what it takes to build a successful career as a CFO. You’ll hear from some of the most experienced and skilled CFOs and ind...

In the latest episode we speak to Chris Milne, the CFO at Orbital Marine Power. Orbital Marine Power are pioneering tidal energy at a time when climate change is nearing the top of the government’s agenda. And with the right backing, it could conceivably become a case of being in exactly the right place at the right time – one of the many reasons why we were so excited to catch up with Chris for o...