AI is changing finance fast. But if technology can replicate most of your daily output, the bigger question is: what makes you difficult to replace? In the latest episode of the EMEA Recruitment Podcast, Albert Beccu (Global Head of Finance at Arethia) tears up the traditional career playbook. Drawing on a journey spanning Sweden, the UK, and Switzerland, Albert reveals why he would choose the right boss over the right title every single time, how mentors including a former 20th Century Fox CFO shaped his commercial instincts, the leadership lesson he took from former Disney executive Nina Jacobson, and why modern finance professionals must evolve from scorekeepers into business owners. Tune in to discover: The AI Reality Check: Why automation makes foundational accounting knowledge more valuable, not less, and why knowing what sits behind the numbers could become your career insurance. The Public-to-Private Shock: Why an impressive public-company resume can crash and burn if you don't understand private ownership culture. Scaling Global Growth: How Albert is structuring treasury centralization, FP&A, legal, and a major ERP rollout to ensure finance never becomes a bottleneck at Arethia. Timestamps: 03:30 – Why Albert chose a career in finance 06:40 – How the finance profession has evolved 08:08 – The growing importance of technology, coding, and AI 10:45 – The three mentors who shaped Albert's career 19:42 – Working across Sweden, the UK, and Switzerland 21:13 – Understanding cultural differences in global teams 24:30 – Moving between public and private companies 25:24 – The differences in stakeholder management 31:10 – Albert's first six months at Arethia 32:05 – International expansion and the role of finance at Arethia 33:23 – Treasury centralization, FP&A, and ERP transformation 36:10 – An insight into Albert's leadership approach and team management 38:55 – Giving teams ownership in a fast-growing business 40:00 – Learning from failure 44:00 – Advice for the next generation of finance leaders 45:56 – Why choosing your boss can matter more than choosing your title Finding a fascination with finance Albert's interest in finance started early. From keeping track of his pocket money in a bank book to joining the Young Shareholders Association in Sweden, he developed a genuine curiosity about how money and businesses work. That interest became more practical when his stepfather, then a finance director at a steel plant, gave him a summer job in shipping and accounts payable. What started as a summer role became something Albert returned to throughout his studies. For Albert, finance stood out because of its breadth. It combines logic, mathematics, psychology, creativity, law, argument, and storytelling. That last element has become increasingly important throughout his career. As finance has evolved, understanding the numbers is no longer enough. Finance professionals need to explain what those numbers mean, communicate them to different audiences, and help the wider business understand what action should be taken. The changing role of the finance professional Technology has transformed the finance function. Albert points to the growing importance of skills such as Python and SQL, alongside automation and AI. But he also believes there is a risk in losing sight of the fundamentals. The manual work he completed earlier in his career gave him an understanding of how financial information is built. That experience now helps him recognize when an automated report does not make sense or when something in the numbers is wrong. His view is shared by Paul Toms who emphasis that technology should strengthen financial expertise, not replace it. Finance professionals still need to understand the mechanics behind the numbers and, importantly, be able to tell the story behind them. The mentors who shaped his leadership Three people stand out when Albert reflects on the mentors who influenced his career. The first taught him the importance of commercial thinking. Working with Carl Hosten, formerly CFO for 20th Century Fox Nordic, pushed Albert to understand the purpose behind a forecast rather than simply focus on the spreadsheet. The lesson was to know the numbers, understand why they moved, and be able to explain the story behind them. The second, Jeffrey Musk, helped Albert develop patience and his technical accounting knowledge. Albert believes finance leaders need more than an FP&A background. A strong understanding of accounting fundamentals remains critical, particularly when dealing with areas such as working capital and complex accounting decisions. The third, Fredrik Manse, president of EF Travel, influenced Albert's approach to management. He learned the value of giving people trust and clear responsibility while also holding them accountable for delivering. Together, these experiences helped shape a broader view of finance leadership: commercial awareness, ...
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