Chat CFO gives you insight from the people behind the numbers. Finance leaders who’ve had to make tough calls, rethink their role, and learn by doing. You’ll hear directly from the CFOs, COOs, and CEOs behind some of the most meaningful business decisions in recent years. Listen to honest conversations from leaders about what worked, what didn't, and what it really takes to lead when it matters most. The Chat CFO podcast will help you to learn: - How modern CFOs are adapting to AI, regulation, and risk - Why culture, sustainability, and global growth sit firmly in the finance seat - The impact of the personal decisions and turning points that shaped lasting careers If you’re a CFO, a future CEO, or a finance leader who’s thinking bigger, Chat CFO gives you the thinking, the scars, and the clarity to move forward with purpose. Bold Moves. Big Impact. -- Chat CFO is a STOIX podcast, produced in partnership with Unity Advisory. Follow STOIX on LinkedIn and subscribe to our Youtube channel for more expert hiring content.
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32 recent
September 22, 2026Episode 852 min
The Deal Is the Easy Part: Confessions of a 30-Deal CFO
Peter Harris has completed over 30 transactions as CFO of some of Britain's best-known listed companies. His biggest lesson: the transaction itself is the easy part — it's what happens after that decides whether a deal actually works. Are you a CFO or C-suite executive exploring your next move? Visit https://stoix.co.uk/contact/ and speak to a search partner that does things differently. In this episode, Peter and Natalia Taylor (Unity Advisory) unpack a Silicon Valley acquisition that should never have happened, why cutting most of a data report once made a business run better, and why deals that drag on too long tend to die of exhaustion rather than disagreement. They also get into the Carillion case study on governance without visibility, and the AI risks building quietly inside companies that restrict their own teams' tools. Find Chat CFO here: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4lagVbEmRBUvJzF6OkFy1r Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/chat-cfo/id1741011776 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stoixChatCFO LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stoix/?originalSubdomain=uk
September 10, 2026Episode 731 min
AI Is the Straw That Breaks the CFO's Back
Natalia Taylor , Founding Partner at Unity Advisory, on why AI isn't the CFO's biggest problem on its own — it's the straw that breaks an already overloaded camel's back. Are you a CFO or C-suite executive exploring your next move? Visit https://stoix.co.uk/contact/ and speak to a search partner that does things differently. In this episode of Chat CFO, Natalia breaks down why doing deals in 2026 is harder than it's been in nearly two decades, her concept of "continuous deal readiness," and why the team one level below the CFO can make or break a deal. She also shares her outlook for the second half of 2026. Whether you're a CFO navigating deal pressure or building a deal-ready team, Natalia's perspective is direct and worth hearing. Find Chat CFO here: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4lagVbEmRBUvJzF6OkFy1r Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/chat-cfo/id1741011776 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stoixChatCFO LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stoix/?originalSubdomain=uk
July 27, 2026Episode 642 min
The First 90 Days as a CFO: No Induction Period in Private Equity
Jas Burston is CFO of Go City, a PE-backed travel business, having spent over two decades building her finance career at brands including TK Maxx, Domino's and TUI before landing her first CFO role. Her take on stepping into the seat: the buck stops with you, and there's no induction period in private equity — you earn trust by delivering, not by settling in. In this episode of Chat CFO, Jazz breaks down what it really takes to move from a PLC into a private equity environment, why she thinks the skills gap between the two is overstated, and how she rebuilt her finance team's operating model within weeks of joining. She also gets into why cash discipline matters as much as EBITDA, how AI is reshaping the shape of finance teams, and the personal drive behind her career - from growing up in Southall as the child of first-generation immigrants to being a role model for her two daughters. Whether you're building a case for your first CFO role, working inside a PE-backed business, or thinking about what a high-performing finance team looks like in 2026, Jazz's perspective is candid, hard-won, and worth hearing.
July 2, 2026Episode 558 min
The CFO to CEO Shift Nobody Tells You About
Simon Loveridge stepped into the CEO seat at Rafter Group, a PE-backed self-storage business operating across five European markets, after joining as CFO. The insight at the heart of his transition: as CFO, you're judged on being right. As CEO, you're judged on being clear. In this episode of Chat CFO, Simon breaks down what that shift actually demands, how Rafter Group doubled in size in two years, and what PE investors are really looking for in a finance leader. He also gets into how the business built a custom AI pricing engine using OpenAI, Claude, and Gemini, and why most organisations are still confusing AI activity with AI value. Whether you're a CFO thinking about the next step, working inside a PE environment, or building the credibility that gets you noticed at board level, Simon's perspective is direct, practical, and worth hearing. Find Chat CFO here: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4lagVbEmRBUvJzF6OkFy1r Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/chat-cfo/id1741011776 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stoixChatCFO LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stoix/?originalSubdomain=uk
June 18, 2026Episode 447 min
How This CFO Sold LoveFilm to Amazon
Jim Buckle has spent 25 years building a CFO career that defies the obvious path. He started at KPMG, moved to the BBC, then Dell, ran a startup that collapsed in six months, turned around Property Finder, and eventually sold LoveFilm to Amazon before scaling Gusto from under £100 million to over £300 million in two years during Covid. In this episode, Jim breaks down the real difference between PE and VC ownership structures, and which type of CFO thrives in each. He shares what the Amazon deal taught him about unintended cap table consequences, why a point-in-time forecast is useless in a perma-crisis world, and how he now runs finance for a 300M revenue business four days a week. If you are an aspiring CFO working out your own path, or a finance leader navigating a shift in ownership structure, this is a direct and honest conversation worth your time. Find Chat CFO here: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4lagVbEmRBUvJzF6OkFy1r Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/chat-cfo/id1741011776 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stoixChatCFO LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stoix/?originalSubdomain=uk
June 4, 2026Episode 338 min
3 Things No One Tells You About a PE Exit as CFO
Exit readiness is not a six-week project. Dominic Wilkinson, CFO of Team Sport, the UK's largest indoor go-karting brand, shares what it actually takes to be PE-backed and exit-ready at the same time, why due diligence rewards the data-driven, and how a consumer leisure business is deploying AI to manage its biggest cost pressure: people. Dominic also covers CFO career development in private equity, what finance leaders consistently underestimate when entering PE for the first time, and why the CEO-CFO relationship is the partnership that decides whether a business scales or stalls. A direct, sharp conversation for anyone building a finance career in a PE-backed environment or navigating the complexity of high-growth consumer businesses. Find Chat CFO here: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4lagVbEmRBUvJzF6OkFy1r Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/chat-cfo/id1741011776 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stoixChatCFO LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stoix/?originalSubdomain=uk
May 5, 2026Episode 21 hr 2 min
What Makes a Great PE-Backed CFO? 2 Veterans Answer
Everybody wants to be a CFO. Almost nobody is prepared for what the job actually demands. Alex Gersh has led a Nasdaq IPO at Sportradar, the merger of Betfair and Paddy Power, and the £2.7 billion sale of Evelyn Partners to NatWest. Carrie Hutchinson is a transformation and turnaround CFO who negotiated £800 million of CapEx builds at Gatwick Airport and has driven exit readiness across multiple PE backed businesses. They cover what the CFO role really looks like in 2026, how to build resilience under geopolitical and covenant pressure, why trust is the only currency that matters with a CEO or PE house, the real truth about hiring for "heart" over skill, why most M&A deals fail on the plumbing rather than the price, and how to choose the right first CFO seat. Find Chat CFO here: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4lagVbEmRBUvJzF6OkFy1r Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/chat-cfo/id1741011776 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stoixChatCFO LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stoix/?originalSubdomain=uk
April 21, 2026Episode 155 min
What Private Equity Actually Expects From Its CFO
Victoria Bell has led finance functions through growth, turnaround, and exit across some of Europe's most demanding private equity environments. She is direct about the role in a way that most people in it are not. In this episode, Victoria explains what she calls "boardroom to basics": the ability to shift fast between strategy and detail, and why that is the skill most finance leaders underestimate. She breaks down how she assesses a private equity opportunity before taking it, why the CEO relationship is the most important dynamic you will navigate, and how she approaches the diagnosis of a broken finance function from day one. She covers prioritisation as the single most important skill in PE, why data is always the first problem you find, and what it really looks like to push back on fund demands without burning the relationship. She also talks about burnout, the principle of slowing down to speed up, and what a team member told her at her leaving drinks that has stayed with her since. And yes, she is about to row the Pacific Ocean for Cancer Research UK. Search Row for Life Pacific to follow the journey. STOIX is a specialist executive search partner to CFOs and boards. Visit stoix.co.uk. Find Chat CFO here Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4lagVbEmRBUvJzF6OkFy1rApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/chat-cfo/id1741011776YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stoixChatCFOLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stoix/?originalSubdomain=uk
March 12, 20261 hr 2 min
How to Exit Without A Playbook | Stephen Loftus, CEO of Wattbike
If there is no playbook, how confident are you in running the business while preparing to sell it at the same time? Trade sales are often described as a process. In reality, they are a test of judgement. Leaders are expected to keep performance on track, manage investors, support teams, and make irreversible decisions, all while the business is being prepared for exit, often with imperfect information and no clear right answer. In this episode of Chat CFO, Neil sits down with Stephen Loftus, CEO at Wattbike, to talk candidly about what it takes to run a private equity-backed business while preparing it for sale. Stephen shares what it really feels like to hold both responsibilities at once, and why personal judgement and relationships impact the outcome far more than any checklist. We get into: How to keep the business performing while preparing for an exit Why selling a business rarely follows the process leaders expect How judgement and relationships influence outcomes during a trade sale Where leaders underestimate the pressure and complexity of doing both jobs How AI and mentorship are changing how decisions get made under pressure ---- About our guest: Stephen Loftus is CEO of Wattbike, where he has led the business through a PE-backed transformation, including refinancing, restructuring, new product launches, a return to profitability, and a successful trade sale in July 2025. Stephen is a commercial CEO with experience across FMCG, health and wellness, and consumer brands. He began his career in strategy consulting and FMCG with Diageo, Red Bull, and Constellation Inc, and later helped scale Brompton as Chief Commercial Officer, growing revenues from £27m to £120m and expanding margins. You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-loftus-8441291/ ---- About Chat CFO: Chat CFO is a podcast featuring honest conversations with CFOs, COOs, and CEOs about the decisions that impact businesses. The focus is on what leadership looks like in practice, including what worked, what didn’t, and what leaders learned along the way. Produced by STOIX, Chat CFO is proudly supported by Unity Advisory as headline sponsor. ————— About our host: This episode of Chat CFO is hosted by Neil French. Neil is the Co-Founder of STOIX. Over the last 19+ years, he’s worked closely with leaders across interim and permanent mandates, often in moments of transition: new ownership, new strategy, broken teams, or first-time leadership hires. He works with CFOs, CEOs and investors navigating scale, complexity and change, typically in PE-backed, VC-backed, listed or founder-led environments. Connect with Neil on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-french/
March 3, 202629 min
AI born beats AI retrofitted
What does it take to build a business where AI enhances human expertise? In this episode, Pippa Dussuyer and Dean Farthing of Unity Advisory discuss how they helped build a firm designed to grow with AI from day one. For most businesses, bolting AI onto old structures magnifies existing problems as it highlights broken data and siloed teams. Pippa and Dean share how a culture built on open information and a single P&L creates an environment where AI is not a threat but an accelerator. It allows teams to build solutions in hours, removes internal politics, and frees people up for higher-value thinking. This episode shows you what the future looks like. ———————— About our guests Pippa is a Founding Partner at Unity Advisory and a veteran of business transformation with over 20 years of experience. At Unity, she’s building an AI-born consultancy that elevates human expertise to provide more impactful results for clients. Pippa helps corporate and PE-backed business to optimise holistically across Lead-to-Cash, ensuring that Commercial and Finance teams work in tandem to drive revenue and EBITDA. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pippa-dussuyer-80006a12/ Dean is a Founding Partner at Unity Advisory specialising in employment tax and incentives for high-stakes moments. Dean helps CFOs and boards design reward plans that work for both the business and its stakeholders. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-farthing/ ————— About Chat CFO: Chat CFO is a podcast featuring honest conversations with CFOs, COOs, and CEOs about the decisions that impact businesses. The focus is on what leadership looks like in practice, including what worked, what didn’t, and what leaders learned along the way. Produced by STOIX, Chat CFO is proudly supported by Unity Advisory as headline sponsor. ————— About our hosts: This episode of Chat CFO is hosted by Neil French and Carolyn Cole. Neil is the Co-Founder of STOIX. Over the last 19+ years, he’s worked closely with leaders across interim and permanent mandates, often in moments of transition: new ownership, new strategy, broken teams, or first-time leadership hires. He works with CFOs, CEOs and investors navigating scale, complexity and change, typically in PE-backed, VC-backed, listed or founder-led environments. LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-french/ Carolyn is a Partner at Unity Advisory, where she works closely with CFOs and finance leadership teams on finance transformation, ERP strategy, and operating model change. Her background is rooted in helping organisations translate ambition into practical delivery, especially where people and process collide. LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolyn-cole-98485610/ ————— About our sponsors Unity Advisory is a next-generation CFO advisory firm, grounded in experience and built to evolve. The firm supports complex, ambitious mid-market organisations with integrated, AI-enabled solutions across finance operations, tax, transactions, digital and transformation. Free from audit conflicts and legacy constraints, Unity Advisory helps leadership teams move faster, scale with confidence and deliver sustainable enterprise value. Learn more at https://unity-advisory.com/
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