FLP, the Finance Leadership Podcast

Steven A. Menges (AICPA & CIMA, CPA.com New York) presents this special compilation of interviews from CPA.com's new "Modernising Your Practice" audio and content series. There's plenty of international relevance in this in-depth collection of best practices from the US accounting profession. Ellen Goria, (Associate Director – Global Professional Ethics at the AICPA's Professional Ethics Division)...

"Now we've enabled literally every human ... to automate any process... to allow them and their company to thrive even more than before". (#87). Automation Anywhere co-founder Neeti Shukla talks to AICPA & CIMA's Kyle Hannan about the state of RPA today. She outlines how a Digital Workforce Platform helps people to improve the quality of lives by bringing automation into their working lives, rathe...

"If you have those emotional competencies - then you are far more likely to have great competitive advantage and be successful". (#86) Leadership coach Jackie Fitzgerald talks to AICPA & CIMA's Peter Simons about the most vital quality of 'adaptability'. When businesses need to be Agile for the digital age, personal adaptability is a great place to start. She shares what "emotional capital" is, wh...

"What's the connection between the Roman Empire, the Oscars, bubble gum and The Bible?" (#85). A special, bite-sized episode looking back at why November 10th is International Accounting Day.     WE DISCUSS: * Why is this date so important? * How did the profession develop since ancient times to what it is today?  * Who was Luca Pacioli and why is he often called 'The Father of Accounting"?   RESO...

"The decision is made, the risks are weighed, and outcome HAPPENS. And you pivot or die." (#84) Chicago-based David Jarczyk is Principal in KPMG LLP's Tax Innovation group and the firm's Tax Blockchain Leader, focusing on bridging the gap between technology/big data and business cases/user needs. He shares insights on his innovative work to foster and scale startup mindsets that can drive change r...

"It has SO many economic benefits... by establishing those relationships and being authentic."  GBD83. Business Valuation expert and AICPA Hall of Famer Kevin Yeanoplos shares some honest and revealing perspectives as we continue our focus on Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2019. He outlines how building better person-to-person connections and authenticity in client-relations can make a company wort...

"We (accountants) really ARE in a unique position to become business partners within this new business model." GBD82 Kelly Mattaroci is a C-Suite professional financial executive with over 20 years' experience. A CPA and a CGMA, she's passionate about revolutionising companies' business models using artificial intelligence; input to output; for real-time information resulting in better business de...

"It's not only what each customer is telling you, it's what ALL customers are telling you".  GBD81 We continue our focus on data and privacy for US and EU Cybersecurity Awareness Month (October 2019). This episode gives the inside track on getting real financial value from a better understanding of insights contained in the data that most people consider in a negative way. Marcia Tal outlines how...

It's not just a fluffy "nice to have", it is a MUST-have business fundamental. GBD80 A special Friday Focus episode to mark World Mental Health Day 2019. Katie Demain of iOpener has been referred to as Africa's foremost practitioner in The Science of Happiness At Work.   She discusses how p ositive leadership styles can help teams to do better because their people feel better, and because their le...

  The challenge is that most organisations don't know what data they have or where it is. GBD79 Continuing our cybersecurity theme, Aaron Weller, Strategy VP for Sentinel LLC, give us the inside track on data-privacy and cybersecurity. GDPR, CCPA, privacy cultures, and about how ethical companies attract better people, which means more customers are reassured to stay.   VISIT THE AICPA CYBERSECURI...

"You can look at cloud solutions as a smorgasbord. For each feature that you implement, you have to understand the risk AND the benefit of each of these decisions." GBD78 October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month in the USA and Cybersecurity Month in the EU. That's why we're focusing this month's episodes on data-defence, privacy and effective protection against online attacks. Starting us off, an...

One thing that your industry should not worry about is time. There is no such thing as 'too long' in podcasting. Just 'too boring'.   GBD77 September is International Podcast Month, and Monday 30th is Podcast Day. In this special 'Digital Mindsets' episode, AICPA & CIMA's Sonia Rothwell explores the essentials skills and techniques that helped our guests become successful podcasters in the account...

This was one of the technologies where the guidance we have is really not up to speed in the way that the technology has been moving and evolving. GBD76 Jagruti Solanki has spent more than a decade at Atlanta-based Aprio, a leading CPA firm with a growing global clientele. An assurance partner specialising in technology and blockchain, she tells Mballa Mendouga (AICPA & CIMA, Durham, NC) about 'sm...

"This application in the insurance field is ABSOLUTELY going to have an impact on ...individuals and firms working in accounting and finance." GBD75 Dr. Stein Smith is a returning guest on this podcast. He's authored several blockchain courses for the AICPA and gives us the inside track on what Blockchain means – and the opportunities it offers – to those working in or alongside the insurance indu...

"It's so imperative that we are deliberate in how we communicate, that we think about it and NOT just take things at face value." We're all connected but how do we 'get through' to people better? What's the difference between miscommunication, missed communication and mismatched communication? Why's it important to talk to someone the way THEY need to be talked to, rather than the way WE want to b...

How do you actually APPLY what Maslow tells us, that helps us rise towards the top of the pyramid and live more satisfied lives? GBD73 What REALLY Motivates Today's Professionals and Tomorrow's Leaders? Our guest has been researching leadership and motivation for the last twenty years and has turned this into several books. This research also powers the presentations she gives to business leaders,...

Whatever it is that most people think is networking - this "noisy events" and "what's in it for me?" - was NOT it! GBD72 What is networking and what makes it work for everyone involved? Jennifer Gardner talks to teacher, coach, consultant and writer Heather Hollick. Based in Michigan, Heather works with ambitious professionals in the areas of networking careers, high performing teams and leadershi...

"What are the skills that they need to remain competitive and stay relevant to their customers? And it's not only the soft skills but it's also the digital skills. The other point here is about TRUST." GBD71. Digital Health Futurist Maneesh Juneja's career spans nearly 20 years working with data to improve decision-making across several industries. In this conversation with AICPA & CIMA's Samantha...

"Put yourself first. It's not selfish. It's the best thing you can do as a LEADER". GBD70 After our guest's powerful presentation at AICPA ENGAGE 2019 in Las Vegas, we knew we had to share her passion and perspective here on the podcast. Texas-based Sarah Elliott is an influential CPA and business owner who has her heart set on giving other CPAs and women business owners in her region "permission...

"Management Accountants are perfectly placed to bring collaboration from siloed parts of a business, get them talking to each other, and move innovation forward." GBD69 War historian and Management Accounting expert Dr Martin Farrar is described as a maven, polymath and broker of information, learning lessons from the past and present to inform all our futures. To commemorate the centenary of CIMA...

"Imagine being THAT type of accountant or bookkeeper. How often do you think they would be trying to replace you?...because the relationship is so solid!" GBD68. Director of the Financial Gym, author and speaker Georgette Rowland Osborne, is a former financial sector IT outsourcing contract-manager who specialised in working with leading UK financial institutions. Now author of the book "Firmer Fi...

"Too many accounting & financial firms think that their solution is what the customer wants. People don't buy what you do, they buy what you do does for THEM!" GBD67. Our guest's work on marketing and growth strategy has been widely published and acted upon by thousands of businesses and agencies, from BlackBerry to Barclays, from Nando's to AirBus. Robert Craven has presented to Google and severa...

"One of the things we do is teach people that they need to use what they have, and that is ENOUGH...before you get up to do give a speech or a talk, or deliver a message to someone."   GBD66: Human Intelligence. Jennifer Gardner talks to improv facilitator, speaker and founder of BraveSpace, Kristy West. 1 in 4 people are terrified of speaking in public, sometimes rating it their 2nd biggest fear...

"We use the podcast to help bring stories of technology to the profession, how people are using them...and what those opportunities look like." GBD65. This special 5-guest "Origins" episode marks our first anniversary as the latest AICPA & CIMA ENGAGE 2019 conference concludes in Las Vegas.  Because our podcast launched at the last conference almost exactly a year ago, this is the perfect opportun...

"Things are being constantly created...so it's very exciting to be not only in the finance area but in the data area." GBD64. Rich Fox is Vice-President of Data Science and Analytics for Apex Parks Group, one of the USA's largest amusement park operators. Kyle Hannan (AICPA & CIMA, London, UK) talks to this 20-year analytics industry veteran and experienced thought leader, discussing how finance p...