From Go to CFO
A Podcast for aspiring finance leaders looking to take that next step in their careers.
Hosted by [axr] Recruitment & Search Dave Goldbach & Kunal Gupta, this podcast will give you a unique insight into what it takes to become a successful CFO.
Tune in as we speak to inspiring and successful CFOs from the [axr] network as they share their career journeys, how they got to be a CFO and what they learn along the way.
It’s the closest thing you’re going to get to delving into the mind of a CFO!
From Go to CFO
S4, EP5: From Chasing Titles to Redefining Success: Nick Barnes' Journey to CFO
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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 on deliberate moves, but Nick is just as candid about what didn't go to plan. He talks through a gruelling SAP rollout he felt completely unprepared for, the culture shock of moving from a highly structured multinational into unstructured startup life, and the goal he eventually hit, though not in the way he expected. The most revealing part of the conversation is what happened next: how ten minutes a day of journaling and meditation changed his relationship with ambition, self-criticism and what actually drives performance.
Along the way, Nick and Dave cover the real differences between big business and startup finance, why breadth of experience matters more than a straight line up the ladder, and how to keep pushing for more without letting it define your sense of self-worth.
This one's for anyone building a career in finance, and for anyone quietly wondering whether the goals they set years ago are still serving them.
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