Advertise on podcast: Finance in 15

Dans cet épisode, l’animatrice invitée Dominique Fortier, directrice principale des services aux clients chez PwC Canada, continue d’explorer le leadership féminin au sein de la fonction finance. L’épisode met en lumière Maarika Paul, première vice-présidente et cheffe des opérations et de la direction financière de la Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, ainsi que Lisa To, cheffe de gestion financière et performance du Groupe Finance de la Banque de développement du Canada (BDC), afin d’imaginer ce que l'avenir réserve aux futurs leaders en finances. Quels sont les acquis nécessaires? Quelles sont les transformations à prévoir? Comment s’y prendre pour pallier à la pénurie de talents? 00:00- Dominique présente les invitées Maarika Paul et Lisa To00:55- Maarika et Lisa parlent respectivement de leurs rôles à la CDPQ et à la BDC.02:38- Les invitées traitent des acquis nécessaires pour être un bon leader en finance et l’évolution de la fonction.05:45- Maarika et Lisa proposent de rendre la fonction Finance indispensable aux processus décisionnels des hauts dirigeants d’affaires. 08:45- Maarika et Lisa expliquent de quelle manière les chefs des finances devraient gérer la pénurie de talents actuelle.11:59- Maarika décrit les deux types de leaders du futur. 13 :40- Dominique pose quelques questions en rafale afin de mieux connaître les deux invitées.

In this episode guest host Marino Fremis sits down with Darren Millman, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Centerra Gold. Darren discusses Centerra Gold's recent technology & finance transformation journey as part of the company's efforts to streamline and consolidate their data. They also talk about how a single source of truth can help generate key insights about performance on environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters as well as how finance leaders can demonstrate clear return on investment from these projects.00:00- Marino’s introduction to Finance in 15 and guest Darren Millman, CFO at Centerra Gold00:57- Darren provides additional background on his role at Centerra Gold01:47- Darren explains the company’s recent technology transformation journey03:55- Darren discusses risk management during the transformation process05:03- Darren explains what informed decision making means to him and Centerra06:50- Darren explains the importance of making ESG-informed decisions 11:02- Darren discusses strategies for overcoming the challenge of understanding ROI in transformation journeys12:40- Darren summarizes the top three key learnings from the transformation journey15:00- Marino shares his closing thoughts and conclusions

In this episode, guest host Alaina Tennison, CFO at PwC Canada, kicks off a special series that explores leadership within the finance function. Featuring perspectives from some of today’s well respected female finance leaders, the special series explores strategies for navigating the ever-changing business landscape. To launch the series, Alaina sits down with Vanessa Kanu, CFO of TELUS International, to discuss her journey to becoming CFO at a global digital customer experience (CX) innovator and her advice for the next generation of finance leaders.

In this episode, host Adam Boutros sits down with Louis Marcotte, EVP and CFO at Intact Financial Corporation, to discuss an area that's an ongoing opportunity and challenge for many CFOs, acquisitions and successful integration post-acquisition. They explore key strategies for approaching the M&A process, the importance of due diligence and planning, and other ways finance teams can support an organization's growth and value creation. 00:00- Adam’s introduction to Finance in 15 and guest Louis Marcotte, CFO of Intact Financial01:05- Louis provides more context about Intact Financial and his role at the company02:16- Louis shares a brief synopsis of his recent deal activities, and how he typically begins the acquisition process04:10- Louis expands on the importance of discipline and due diligence throughout the process06:53- Louis shares his perspective on the integration of people and culture once a company has been acquired08:32- Louis discusses the role of technology and data analytics during the acquisition process10:57- Louis offers his tips for ensuring increasing speed and efficiency13:21- Louis shares his advice and key focus areas for CFOs during the acquisition cycle14:30- Adam shares his closing thoughts and conclusions

In this episode, host Adam Boutros sits down with France-Anne Fortin, PwC Canada Partner, Risk Assurance Services, and Shawn Reain, PwC Tax Partner and Compliance Transformed leader. Shawn and France-Anne discuss how key trends in the regulatory space are impacting the CFO approach to risk management. They explore some of the compliance solutions that can help CFOs accelerate their transformation journeys and ways to ensure they’re agile enough to adapt to the ever-increasing reporting demands. 00:00- Adam’s introduction to Finance in 15 and guests Shawn Reain and France-Anne Fortin01:46- France-Anne explains where compliance fits into the finance transformation journey 03:37- Shawn and France-Anne share tips to help finance companies meet the ever-increasing reporting demands06:01- France-Anne offers advice to help finance leaders stay agile enough to keep up with regulatory changes07:29- France-Anne and Shawn share their perspectives on automation in the compliance process08:44- Shawn and France-Anne offer tips to help finance leaders establish compliance priorities for their teams11:56- France-Anne and Shawn share their thoughts on the top few areas companies should be focusing on when responding to compliance risk challenges overall 13:33- Adam shares his closing thoughts and conclusions

In this episode, host Adam Boutros sits down with Jean McClellan, PwC Canada’s People and Transformation Leader. During their discussion, Jean offers insights into the evolving skills required by finance, including upskilling tips to retain and attract top finance talent. Jean also shares her perspectives on the future of hybrid work, as well as tangible recommendations for prioritizing well-being in a virtual work environment. Show Notes: (As is) 00:00- Adam’s introduction to Finance in 15 and guest Jean McClellan 01:33- Jean shares her thoughts on the recent Canadian CFO insights report and the importance of remaining agile in this rapidly changing environment 02:48- Jean discusses successful upskilling practices she’s seen clients implement and the role of the CFO in upskilling 07:28- Jean shares her perspective on the concept of a hybrid work environment 10:58- Jeans offers tips for prioritizing well-being in a virtual work environment 12:25- Jean outlines the top three areas companies should be focusing on in response to workforce challenges 14:14- Adam shares his closing thoughts and conclusions

In this episode, host Adam Boutros sits down with Sarah Marsh, partner at PwC Canada, ESG & reporting and Arlind Sulaj, a director with PwC Canada’s finance transformation practice. They discuss why ESG reporting has become imperative for finance teams and CFOs, how companies can modernize their finance functions and get 'data ready' for ESG reporting with the insights needed to execute on their strategy, and much more. 00:00- Adam’s introduction to Finance in 15 and guests Sarah Marsh and Arlind Sulaj 01:50- Sarah explains the growing intersection between financial performance and sustainability 03:07- Sarah discusses the future of ESG reporting 04:32- Arlind discusses ESG reporting from the perspective of the CFO role 06:01- Sarah explains how CFOs can know which ESG reporting framework is right for their organization 07:19- Sarah explains the roadmap for ESG reporting beyond the first report 09:07- Sarah discusses the type of data companies are reporting on currently 10:08- Arlind explains current trends in data reporting overall 12:14- Sarah explains the role of comp in communicating a company’s ESG priorities 13:21- Arlind discusses new developments in reporting automation 15:01- Sarah discusses current trends in data collection and reporting 17:14- Arlind shares his recommended approach for building robust reporting models 19:00- Sarah offers tips for companies developing their ESG data strategies 19:49- Arlind offers tips for companies developing their ESG data strategies 20:22- Adam shares his closing thoughts and conclusions

In the last episode of 2021, host Adam Boutros sits down with the CFO of PwC Canada, Alaina Tennison, on the Finance in 15 podcast. During the episode, Alaina provides listeners with an overview of her CFO role at PwC, her playbook for leadership, and the future of the finance function. In advance of the release of PwC’s CFO Insights this coming January 2022, Alaina shares her perspectives for CFOs, emphasizing the importance of staying in close communication with finance teams, importance of data and analytics, how ESG is entering the CFO mandate and valuing people above all else. Show Notes: 00:00- Adam’s introduction to Finance in 15 and Alaina Tennison 01:13- Alaina provides an overview of her role as CFO 03:30- Alaina discusses the challenges she and her team have navigated during the pandemic 04:57- Alaina discusses her leadership strategy and tips for staying in close contact with her team 06:15- Alaina outlines the changes that have occurred within her team during the pandemic 08:33- Alaina discusses the increase in productivity she’s seen within her team 10:32- Alaina discusses ESG data and reporting 14:06- Alaina shares her top tips for finance leaders 16:08- Adam shares his closing thoughts and conclusions

To kick off season two of Finance in 15, host Adam Boutros sits down with PwC Partner Marino Fremis and Helen Brand, the chief executive of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the global body for professional accountants. During the episode, Marino and Helen share their perspectives on some of the findings from the 2021 CFO survey conducted by the ACCA and PwC. They also share their insights about the importance of ESG investing moving forward, and what we can expect to see in the future with regards to the typical finance function and CFO role. 00:00- Adam’s introduction to Finance in 15 and Marino Fremis 01:51- Helen introduces herself and her role at the ACCA 03:05- Helen discusses the work she has been doing with CFOs in particular 05:04- Helen discusses some of the findings from the 2021 CFO survey 06:42- Marino shares his take on the survey findings 10:02- Helen discusses the role of ESGs in the future of finance 13:05- Helen shares her perspective on the future of the finance function and how she sees the CFO role evolving overtime 16:15- Helen and Marino share their final key takeaways from the survey 17:27- Adam’s closing thoughts and conclusions

The results are in, and Canadians have elected a Liberal minority government. The election campaign featured vigorous debate about several issues that Canadian chief financial officers and business executives will want to pay attention to, especially when it comes to tax policy changes as the government looks to manage rising debt obligations. In a special episode of our Finance in 15 podcast, Dean Landry, PwC Canada’s National Tax Leader, and Finance in 15 host Adam Boutros discuss the issues that matter most to executives like Canadian CFOs and the key impacts of policy changes on businesses. They also explore how businesses can prepare for what comes next and the importance of trust and collaboration among the government and business leaders. 00:00- Adam’s introduction to Finance in 15 00:51- Dean shares his key takeaways from the election 02:29- Dean offers his tips for how finance teams can prepare for the future and beproactive 04:26- Dean shares his thoughts on the key policy proposals in the election platform thatbusinesses need to pay attention to 07:02- Dean outlines how finance teams can measure success in the face of uncertaintyand ambiguity, and the importance of being proactive with your tax function 08:49- Adam shares his advice for how teams can be more proactive 09:27- Dean discusses the importance of integrating the tax and finance functions 10:40- Dean shares his thoughts on the impacts the election will have on tax from aglobal perspective 11:43- Dean shares his final thoughts on the issue, underscoring the importance ofbuilding trust and collaboration among government and corporations 12:31- Adam’s closing thoughts and conclusions

In the final episode of the first season, host Adam Boutros reviews some of the highlights from the Finance in 15 podcast so far. The episode reviews key takeaways and insights from episodes one through six, including concepts like the 3Ps of finance: people, process and performance, the process pillar and the ultimate goal of transformation in finance. Featuring snippets from guests Samir Bishara, Lee-Anne Kovacs, Kevin Ng, Marino Fremis, Marilyn Wang, Sebastien Doyon, Michelle Bourgeois and Alaina Tennison, the final episode provides a recap of the best learnings and nuggets of wisdom from the season. Be sure to tune into season two this fall for new episodes exploring emerging topics like ESG, developing the workforce of the future and cybersecurity. 00:00- Adam’s introduction to Finance in 15 00:21- Adam discusses how listeners have responded to the season 00:52- Adam discusses what will be happening in today’s episode- exploring key points from previous episodes and guests 01:27- Samir Bishara discussing the finance transformation journey 02:06- Adam reviews the three Ps of finance transformation and introduces the next clip from episode 3 with Lee-Anne Kovacs 2:56- Lee-Anne talks about the “People” aspect of finance transformation 04:06- Adam introduced the next clip with Kevin Ng 04:56- Kevin reviews the savings and efficiencies for automating tax processes 06:24- Adam introduces the next clip with Marilyn Wang 06:58- Marilyn reviews points about how to start improving data capabilities 08:33- Adam introduced the next clip with Alaina Tennison  09:05 Alaina speaks about her experiences with significant finance transformation 10:20- Adam’s closing thoughts and conclusions

According to PwC’s Finance Effectiveness Benchmarking report, leading organizations take less than three days to close. They also have fewer errors for first-time processing of journal entries, and they spend an average of three times more effort on reporting and analytics for improved business performance. For many finance companies, accelerating the close is an ongoing challenge. In this episode, host Adam Boutros sits down with Jill Satre, a partner in Risk Assurance Services at PwC Canada and Marino Fremis, Finance Transformation Lead at PwC Canada, to explore the compliance processes that can slow down the close and opportunities for improvement to ultimately deliver more value to the business. We offer tips for speeding up the process without compromising on quality, and why accelerating the close is such a crucial opportunity for finance companies. 00:12- Adam introduces the theme of today's episode: accelerating the close 00:34- Adam introduces today's guests: Jill and Marino 00:48- Jill and Marino provide background on what they do at PwC 02:15- Marino dives into the meaning of "accelerating the close" and what it means to him 03:22- Jill explores the role of compliance in the close process 04:47- Marino discusses opportunities that usually have the biggest impact 06:17- Jill and Marino discuss how companies can get deeper insights for running their businesses by reimagining their compliance processes. 08:10- Marino offers his take on where companies should start with accelerating the close 09:34- Jill and Marino discuss strategies for working with organizations that help them through change management 11:29- Jill shares her final thoughts on accelerating the close 12:11- Adam's closing reflections