The CFO Review Podcast

Finance leaders don't earn a seat at the table by having all the answers.They earn it by asking better questions.In Episode 3 of The CFO Review, Paul Lynch sits down with Peter Pixton, CFO of Plus One Robotics, to discuss an unconventional journey from molecular biology to Fortune 20 finance, Rackspace, healthcare, and robotics.Together, they explore:Why curiosity is a finance leader's greatest advantageHow to make the leap from analyst to strategic CFOLessons from AT&T, Rackspace, and AI-driven roboticsWhy taking calculated risks matters more than waiting for perfect dataHow AI will reshape the future of financeIf you're an FP&A professional, Controller, Finance Director, or aspiring CFO, this conversation is packed with practical lessons you can apply today.The CFO Review — bi-weekly conversations with finance leaders who've already made the jump.👉 Subscribe for new episodes 🔔

Bo Meissner never planned to be a CFO. Before his first finance job, he'd already survived bear country in the Northwest Territories, built and sold a roofing company at 22, and circled the globe twice on his own dime. By the time he sat down in his first CFO chair, he'd spent 12 years at Procter & Gamble, helped steer an $8B global division, navigated eight acquisitions, taken a company through an IPO, and made a career-defining lateral move most people would have called a step down.In this episode of the CFO Review, host Paul Lynch sits down with Bo Meissner, CFO of Grassroots Carbon and former CFO of Vital Farms, to trace the unconventional path that built one of the most well-rounded finance leaders in the game.If you're a finance professional trying to figure out when to take the title versus when to take the experience, this one's for you.What you'll take away:→ Why Bo turned down a CFO title to take a VP role — and why it was the right call→ How 12 years at P&G shaped a "business person with finance expertise" mindset→ What it actually looks like to be CFO at a public company on IPO day→ Why mission-driven companies changed what Bo was willing to work on→ The future of finance — automation, merging roles, and why curiosity is the real edgeThe CFO Review — bi-weekly conversations with finance leaders who've already made the jump.👉 Subscribe for new episodes 🔔

In 2006, Karl Pichler had a job offer from Lehman Brothers. He turned it down. Two months later, Rackspace came calling — and that decision set off a chain of events that took him from corporate finance consultant to CFO of a billion-dollar public company, through an IPO, and ultimately a $4.5B leveraged buyout from Apollo Capital.In this episode of the CFO Review, host Paul Lynch sits down with Karl Pichler to unpack the career moves that built toward the CFO seat — and the principles that drove $80M to $2.1B in revenue at one of the most interesting companies in tech services history.If you're in finance and wondering whether the opportunity in front of you is the right one — this conversation is worth your time.What you'll take away: → Why the CFO seat is a leadership job first and a finance job second → How broad exposure across the finance stack separates real contenders from candidates → Why your goal should be getting into the consideration set — not just landing the job → What scaling from $80M to $2.1B actually looks like from the inside → The future of finance — and why Karl thinks most functions are still being run like it's 2005The CFO Review — weekly conversations with finance leaders who've already made the jump.👉 Subscribe for new episodes 🔔