A letter from our CEO

Recently, our sales teams held their 2023 Kickoff meetings – a day of rallying the organization, goal setting and collaboration. The theme selected for the session and for the year ahead was, ‘It’s Showtime’ and focused the team on coming together as a collective group and using everything they have at their disposal to execute throughout the year.

For CFOs and their teams embarking on a year of anticipated economic uncertainty, I see a lot of parallels. For the last several years, finance has worked to shift its role from that of business guardian to that of transformational change agent and business partner. Now, It’s Showtime. Time for finance teams to use everything at their disposal to guide their businesses through the year ahead.

The more I have talked to CFOs over the last month or two, the more it’s been clear that identifying and solving a number of operational problems quickly is delivering substantial benefits and is easier than trying to start big, multi-year, transformational programmes right now. I am also hearing and seeing a real focus on risks carried on the balance sheet which, in normal times, would not have gotten anywhere near the scrutiny they are getting today. For CFOs, this is the time to identify opportunities to squeeze value out of every investment, to focus the business on the areas that can make the biggest impact and to invest in systems and solutions that progressively improve access to data, drive automation and reduce the cost of finance.

We kick off this issue with an excellent interview with TradeXBank CFO, Ekaterina Emelianova, who shares perspectives on the Banking industry and how her organization is making the most of disruptive, innovative technologies.

Additional articles include a look at the ever-evolving ESG regulations and what’s in store for CFOs in this space, a dive into the rise of data fabrics and an overview of our recent Women in Leadership Roundtable which brought together an exceptional group of executives around the topic of helping women rise through the ranks.

And of course, what’s a new year without a few predictions – in this case provided by Aptitude’s own Deputy CEO and CFO, Philip Wood.

Wishing you all an exciting and successful 2023!

Jeremy Suddards CEO, Aptitude Software

Planning for the day after tomorrow

Christophe Kasolowsky speaks with Ekaterina Emelianova, CFO at TradeXBank, on what it means to be a Digital CFO. “Today it’s one crisis after another but technology and digitalization are enablers for the CFO.”

Rising through the ranks

Themes and takeaways from women leaders across the banking, insurance, technology, consulting and telecommunications sectors.

New year, new CFO insights

As we enter 2023, Aptitude Deputy CEO and CFO, Philip Wood, shares his predictions for the year ahead. “It’s not necessarily the breadth of scenarios a company can prepare but more the speed at which teams can tweak assumptions and data points and advise the business on the best course of action.”

Is your finance team ready for ESG?

The development of ESG regulations by standard-setting boards is likely to be a dynamic, evolving journey and is only just beginning. One thing is for certain: it will fall to Finance teams to meet expected regulations and reporting.

Data fabric means big business value for CFOs

For CFOs who look after complex data and finance IT landscapes, data fabrics provide easy access to data and increased performance and business agility while minimizing the total cost of finance.

What happened to all the SPACs?

A quick look back at the past, an assessment of the present and a peek into the future of this IPO vehicle.

Five Minutes with...

Going beyond the business to get to know Lesley Smith, recent VP Corporate Communications & Public Affairs at Revolut.