Procurement is no longer just about cutting costs. It’s about creating value, building partnerships and helping finance teams make smarter, faster decisions.

On this episode of The CFO Show, Aaqil Kassamali, Procurement Director at Vena Solutions, joins Melissa Howatson to discuss how procurement has evolved into a strategic function that drives innovation and alignment across the business.

Aaqil shares lessons from building procurement teams from the ground up, using technology to gain visibility and insight, and balancing short-term savings with long-term value. He also explains why trust, business acumen and collaboration are now the true measures of success in modern procurement.

Discussed in This Episode:

• Shifting procurement from tactical to strategic
• The impact of visibility and data on smarter decision-making
• Building trust and partnership across business functions
• Balancing short-term wins with long-term value creation
• Exploring the future of procurement in an AI-driven world

For CFO insights, episode show notes and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

In this episode, Brookfield Residential CIO Brandon Sharp joins host Melissa Howatson to share his unique career journey and to reveal why tighter alignment between finance and IT drives true transformation.

Brandon reflects on lessons learned while leading major initiatives in homebuilding and real estate, from navigating shadow IT to building cross-functional trust. He offers practical insights on transparency, influence, and project management—and explains why finance leaders who are “data curious” often become the critical bridge to IT.

This discussion highlights practical strategies to strengthen IT–finance partnerships, accelerate transformation, and foster alignment that delivers business-wide impact.

Discussed in This Episode:

• How to transform IT–finance collaboration into a growth engine
• The “Tell Them” Triad for influence
• Balancing time, cost and quality in transformation projects
• Identifying and empowering data-curious champions within finance

For CFO insights, episode show notes and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

How do you scale finance operations to keep pace with a business that’s doubling in size every few months? In this episode of The CFO Show, Carta CFO Charly Kevers shares how he has navigated constant change while helping the company grow from Series C to Series G and reach a $7.4B valuation.

Charly opens up about the tactical lessons he has learned leading finance in a high-growth environment, from building a team of engineers dedicated to finance systems, to embedding innovation into everyday workflows, to experimenting with AI use cases that free teams from repetitive tasks. He also reflects on the cultural side of scaling, explaining why curiosity, adaptability and surfacing issues early are non-negotiable traits for his team.

The audience will walk away with practical ideas for leveraging technology, strengthening cross-functional partnerships, and making space for innovation, even when the pace feels overwhelming.

In This Episode:

• Why adaptability and curiosity are must-haves for finance talent
• How Carta scaled operations without endlessly increasing headcount
• The role of a dedicated finance engineering team
• Partnering across IT, HR, and go-to-market for systems alignment
• Embedding innovation into day-to-day work (and making time for it)
• Using hackathons and AI pilots to uncover new efficiencies

For CFO insights, episode show notes and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.