Spend Culture: Conversations on Spend Management, Procurement, and Finance Leadership

The Future of Budgeting and Forecasting with Evan Wells of Jirav

In this episode, Evan Wells, the VP BizOps & Financial Services at Jirav shares the biggest challenges organizations face when budgeting in a remote world.

We discuss how finance leaders can make accurate forecasts when we're still in a world of uncertainty, and how Jirav is also navigating the new year as an organization.

How Small-Medium Businesses Can Make the Road to Recovery in 2021 With Scott Omelianuk, Editor-in-Chief of Inc.

In this episode, Scott Omelianuk, Editor-in-Chief of Inc. joins us to chat about the biggest learnings business owners had from 2020, and strategies on how small-medium businesses can regain momentum for success in a new year.

Scott also shares his lessons as an entrepreneur himself, and how he helped other companies pivot and scale even within a crisis.

Leading the Finance Function at a People-First Tech Company With Pinder Sekhon, Sr. Director of Finance at Unbounce

In this episode, Pinder Sekhon, the Sr Director of Finance at Vancouver-based company Unbounce shares her experience as a people-first finance leader who made her transition from the more bureaucratic, traditional industries to the agile, fast-paced culture at Unbounce.

She shares how to build a proactive spend culture using technology, and how finance leaders can balance control with trust in fast-scaling organizations.

How to Onboard as a New CFO While Leading a Remote Team With Shouvik Roy, CFO at Drop

Shouvik Roy, the CFO of Drop joined the company during the 2020 pandemic, having to adapt to a new team and environment while being completely remote.

As a seasoned financial executive in the fintech sector, Shouvik discusses the challenges in tech startups during downturns, as well as the CFO's role in setting vision, strategy, and fundraising in 2021

CFO Lessons Learned from Zapier and Mailchimp With Jenny Bloom

In this episode, Jenny Bloom, the Chief Financial Officer at Zapier shares her learnings as a seasoned finance executive at multiple fast-growing tech companies.

She chats with us about how to support team members during remote work, how Zapier has adapted throughout the downturn, and their plans for growth in 2021.

How to Prioritize People and Manage Financial Operations in a Remote Work Culture

Wajdi Goussoub, the Director of Finance at Plooto gets honest about the changes and sacrifices made during the pandemic, and how he built a successful spend processes that empowers the individual team members within the company. Wajdi also draws to his prior experience as a VC and identifies what makes successful startups stand out from the rest.

Managing Hypergrowth and Achieving IPO in a Downturn Economy - Jim Kelliher, CFO at Drift

Managing Hypergrowth and Achieving IPO in a Downturn Economy

In this episode, Jim Kelliher, the CFO at Drift shares how Drift became the fastest growing tech company in Boston, and how they navigated strategic challenges during a downturn by being customer-centric, trusting the team, and investing in the right processes and people.

In addition, Jim shares his advice on IPO best practices from his previous CFO roles, and what a finance executive needs to think about before going public.

Speakers: Jim Kelliher, Chief Financial Officer, Drift

Jim Kelliher is the Chief Financial Officer at Drift, a Boston-based tech company. Drift is a Revenue Acceleration platform that uses Conversational Marketing and Conversational Sales to help companies grow revenue and sales. He is an expert at building tech startups through escalating organizational processes and expanded systems of growth as a financial executive. Jim shares his skill set on adapting towards long term market scale and how investing in people-based training and development aligns with the strategic goals in a growing company.

Why Finance Leaders Should Stay Informed, Connected, and Humble With Kingsley Chan of Finn AI

Why Finance Leaders Should Stay Informed, Connected, and Humble

In this episode, Kingsley Chan, Director of Finance at Finn Ai shares his insights on what makes a forward-thinking, strategic finance leader, and why being informed, connected, and humble and keys to success. In addition, he shares his remote work tips on how Finn Ai was able to adapt with agility to the downturn.

Speakers: Kingsley Chan, Director of Finance, Finn Ai

Kingsley Chan, CPA, CA is currently the Director of Finance at Finn AI with 14 years of work experience in a variety of company sizes and sectors. With experience in public companies to private companies, the energy sector to the technology sector, he is currently heavily involved in the Vancouver startup scene specializing in scaling companies for hyper-growth. An alumni from UBC's Sauder School of Business, he is both a mentor of CPA students and a creator looking to disrupt the information flow within the finance tech realm through Disrupt Finance, an organization he co-founded. On the side, he founded an apparel brand called The Uglies Brand, which looks to inspire self-confidence by preaching "you are safe to be who you are, we all have our inner uglies."

Category Management Must Knows for Biotech Procurement Professionals

In this episode, Dana Small, the Senior Category Manager, Head of Global Commercial Strategic Sourcing at BioMarin Pharmaceuticals, and procurement blogger join us to chat about how women in procurement can thrive in the profession and the category management must-knows for biotech procurement leaders.

Speaker: Dana Small, Senior Category Manager at BioMarin Pharmaceuticals & Blogger at Ms. Category Management

Dana Small is the current Senior Category Manager, Head of Global Commercial Strategic Sourcing at BioMarin Pharmaceuticals. Dana has over 13 years of experience in finance, with 10 supporting the sales and marketing function including FP&A and Global Category Management Procurement/Sourcing, and over 17 years of experience within the Pharmaceutical / Biotech (BioPharma) Industry. Also known as “Ms. Category Management” on LinkedIn, Dana is also a blogger and public speaker who is passionate about sharing her learnings with the audience.  Please visit her on her website at - https://mscategorymanagement.com/

Why Building a Brand is the Best Investment Against a Downturn - John Tabis, Founder & Chairman of the Bouqs Company

In this episode, John Tabis, the Founder of The Bouqs Company shares his thoughts on why building a long-lasting brand is the best investment against a downturn, and his fundraising journeys through Shark Tank and beyond. In addition, he shares why a vision-driven CFO is the best business partner a CEO can get, and what traits to look for in a CFO hire. 

Speaker: John Tabis, Founder and Chairman of The Bouqs Company 

John is a proven brand builder and entrepreneur with deep experience in innovative media ventures and consumer products, John Tabis is the Founder and Chairman of The Bouqs Company. In 2012, along with co-founder Juan Pablo Montúfar, Tabis launched the Marina del Rey, California-based company, now an industry leader in the online floral space that delivers flowers and plants fresh from eco-friendly, sustainable farms around the world to doorsteps nationwide. Prior to launching Bouqs, Tabis worked in corporate brand strategy for Disney and ShoeDazzle and advised Fortune 100 clients at Bain & Company.