The Finance Chief Podcast

In this episode of the Finance Chief Podcast, host Ella Wilkinson invites Karen Tan, General Manager of Strategic Procurement and Workplace at Rest, to share her journey of transforming procurement in financial services from the ground up. Growing up across Malaysia and Hong Kong before moving to Sydney, Karen brings a uniquely diverse and adaptable perspective to her leadership style. She discusses navigating her unconventional path from a background in mathematics and literature to a varied corporate banking career, eventually taking on the monumental "greenfields" challenge of establishing Rest’s first-ever procurement and governance framework. Karen reveals her practical strategies for chunking down the overwhelming scale of managing funds for over two million members, emphasising the critical value of leveraging professional networks and embracing vulnerability by asking for help. Moving beyond traditional cost-cutting metrics, she explains how modern successful procurement must pivot toward long-term portfolio resilience, ESG sustainability principles, and strong corporate citizenship. Listeners will gain valuable insights into entering high-stakes commercial negotiations with transparency, navigating organizational change, and viewing procurement as a collaborative, global financial lever.

In Episode 4 of the Finance Podcast, Coupa’s Chief Product Officer Rajiv Ramachandran explores how AI transforms finance operations and business spend strategy.

Hosted by Charlie King, Episode 3 welcomes Cara Williams, Global Head of Climate and Sustainability at Mercer. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in investment consulting and sustainability strategy, Williams shares insights into how climate risk, ESG evolution and data-driven investment models are reshaping modern finance.

The transition from legacy technical debt to a modern, agile tech stack requires a shift in leadership mindset as much as a change in software. In this episode of the Finance Chief Podcast, host Matt High sits down with Jody Bhagat, President of North America at Engine by Starling, to discuss his twenty-five-year veteran journey through banking and fintech. Drawing on a "fusion" of experience across McKinsey, major US digital banking, and now the SaaS world, Bhagat explains why traditional banks must move beyond incremental upgrades to survive an existential threat from digital challengers. From the impact of AI-driven money movement to the specific "speed metrics" every CFO should be tracking, Bhagat shares his philosophy on why curiosity and a bold appetite for transformation are the only ways to stay ahead in an industry that can no longer afford to stand still.

In Episode 1, titled “Finance Can Help Businesses Move Faster and Make Better Decisions,” host Matt High speaks with StJohn Richardson, Chief Financial Officer at BizClik, to explore how the modern CFO role is shifting far beyond traditional reporting and number-crunching.