Start With a Commercial Story, Then Solve for Accounting with Chris Stefani, CFO at DWF
This episode of the CFO Playbook features an interview with Chris Stefani, CFO at DWF, a leading global provider of integrated legal and business services. Chris is a specialist in performance improvement in professional services, finance transformation and profit improvement. He oversees all of DWF's financial operations in the UK and internationally, with a focus on enhancing revenue, improving profitability and driving working capital management to support the firm's growth. He has extensive experience in advising executive boards on all aspects of financial management and control, and the development of financial reporting and analysis mechanisms. Chris has worked in many different finance function roles in the UK and Ireland and more recently in EMEIA, including as Head of Finance for UK&I Tax and CFO for the Republic of Ireland. In this episode, Chris talks about why the legal sector provides variety for someone working in the finance function. He explains what it’s like to lead an organization through an IPO during covid, the war in Ukraine, and worldwide financial struggles. Chris also discusses the importance of delegation, coaching, and providing leeway and time for teams to process, progress, and be productive. Take The CFO Playbook Listener Survey to help us improve the show. You’ll also be entered to win your choice of the latest iPad Pro or a Samsung Galaxy S7. -------- Guest Quotes: “I liken my job to being an air hostess on a plane full of people who are quite easily spooked by turbulence. They look to me to be calm, even when the plane's rattling around. Because I mean, I'm a nervous flyer, and if I look and the air hostess is panicking, I worry. So however much there might be going on in the background. I've got to present a calm face to the business, take questions, understand sentiment, and also be fixing stuff in the background without making too much noise about it. I think that's what we've had to do in what's been an unprecedented time. It comes down to something as simple as just over communicating.” - Chris Stefani -------- Timestamp Topics: 01:35 Chris’ career path 05:33 CFO experiences at different companies 08:55 Pioneering in a novel market 13:10 Leadership through challenging times 18:53 Achieving balance during stressful times 25:56 Investing in the finance team as a CFO 33:24 How Chris’ team uses technology 37:22 Advice for aspiring CFOs -------- Sponsor: This show is brought to you by Soldo, the brighter way to manage business spending and expenses. With Soldo, you can control every expense, track spend in real time, automate financial reporting, and then use those insights to fuel growth. Learn more at Soldo.com -------- Links: Connect with Ross on LinkedIn Connect with Chris on LinkedIn The CFO Playbook Listener Survey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices