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How do you turn a standard accounting team into a powerhouse of innovation for the entire business? This week, we're getting the playbook from Quest Diagnostics.Our guests are Michael Heeney, Controller, and Adam Dabbeekeh, Senior Manager of Centralized Accounting. They walk us through the incredible evolution of their team, from a cost-saving project to a strategic Center of Excellence. This is a masterclass in practical application, focusing on the why behind their choices, with lessons for any finance leader.In our conversation, we explore:-The business case for rethinking the purpose of a finance team.-Their "modernization equation" for combining different technologies.-The 'why' behind empowering people and moving them to higher-value work.- How to build a value proposition that gets buy-in from other teams.

This week, host Emily Campbell, CMO at BlackLine, sits down with Craig Richey, the Americas Chief Financial Officer at Accenture. His career offers a powerful roadmap for any leader navigating the profound shifts in the finance profession.The core of our conversation is the journey of reinvention—how finance leaders can transform their teams from a traditional back-office function into a strategic, front-office architect of enterprise value. Craig argues that this transformation is not about technology alone, but is fundamentally centered on people, talent, and culture.In our conversation, we explore:The key moments that define a modern CFO's journey.What the "back-office to front-office" shift actually looks like in practice.How to balance the demand for innovation and speed with the need for absolute control.How AI is reshaping the future of finance and the talent required to lead it.

The better an automated system gets, the more it can degrade our skills and attention. Bestselling author and Financial Times columnist Tim Harford joins Emily Campbell to unpack this "Automation Paradox." We explore why a "good enough" AI with an engaged human might be safer than a state-of-the-art system with a complacent one, the danger of relying on "black box" algorithms, and how to build a finance culture that questions data instead of blindly trusting it.

Mo Gawdat explains “AI Twins” and why their rapid progress challenges expertise and control in finance. We explore how to partner with black-box models, protect trust and accountability, and prepare teams to collaborate with their digital colleagues. Hosted by Emily Campbell, with practical mental frameworks for leaders.

Forecasting rewards prediction; accounting demands precision. Emily Campbell and Cheri Hewlett break down AI built on controls, not just flexibility, and what to do when AI exposes gaps in your data and processes. Learn how to build trust on your team and measure strategic impact beyond hours saved.

SAP’s CAO, Dr. Christopher Sessar, reveals the “gold-standard” record-to-report model powering SAP’s own books. We unpack trusted AI that delivers real ROI, the controls that matter, and how to future-proof your accounting team before 2026. Hosted by Emily Campbell, with candid insights you won’t find in case studies, including why SAP bets its own finance on BlackLine.

Pausing is Poison: Why Iteration Outperforms Inertia in Finance TransformationTransformation doesn’t stall because of bad ideas, it stalls because someone hit the pause button. In this punchy, no-fluff episode, Heather Vertin from Clearsulting and Joseph Voss unpack why waiting for “readiness” is actually a risk, not a strategy.Think of inertia as the silent killer of Finance progress, while you’re pausing, your competitors are iterating.If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “Let’s wait until after the ERP upgrade,” this one’s for you. Tune in to hear what happens when finance keeps moving and when it doesn’t. Spoiler alert: momentum wins.

In this episode, we’re joined by Jeremy Ung, Chief Technology Officer, and Jill Knesek, Chief Information Security Officer at BlackLine, to explore how organizations can responsibly adopt AI without compromising on data integrity or security.We dive into the unique challenges finance and accounting leaders face when integrating AI, the trade-offs between speed and security, and why even small lapses in accuracy can have significant consequences.Key themes include:- The role of data integrity in delivering reliable AI outcomes- Security risks of fast-tracking AI features without safeguards- Why 95% accuracy is not enough in finance and accounting- Best practices for secure, auditable AI development- How BlackLine’s disciplined, transparent approach sets it apartIf you’re looking to implement AI responsibly—without sacrificing trust, transparency, or control—this is the conversation you won’t want to miss.

Is your finance team caught between reporting the numbers and turning them into strategic action?You're not alone. Many organizations face an execution gap between Record-To-Report (R2R) and Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) - and that disconnect is costing impact at the executive level.Join us LIVE as Joe sits down with renowned finance voice Anders Liu-Lindberg to unpack this critical challenge. With 13 years at A.P Moller-Maersk and over 400,000 followers on LinkedIn, Anders brings real-world insights and practical solutions to help finance leaders close the gap.Together, we'll explore:- Why finance presentations often fall flat with executives-The 5-step method to turn data into insight and insight into action- How better communications bridges the R2R and FP&A gap- The mindset shift from 'nice analysis' to 'Lets take action'Whether you're in FP&A, R2R, or a finance leadership role - this session is your roadmap to becoming a more impactful communicator and decision-maker in your business.PLUS: get a sneak peak into Anders' new book - Communicating Financials to Executives, and learn how to move from reporting to storytelling that drives results.Invite your finance team, bring your questions. Let's make finance future-ready, together.

Chris Barton, Founder of Shazam: HEAR ME OUT - The bold moves that built a tech revolution.“What if we could teach a computer to recognize music?” This bold question sparked the creation of Shazam, and the rest, as they say, is history—or is it?In this episode of Faces of the Future-Ready, Chris Barton, the visionary founder of Shazam, takes us behind the scenes of the groundbreaking AI innovation that defined the company. But this isn’t just a story about technology—it’s about persistence, ingenuity, and the journey of turning an ambitious idea into a global phenomenon.Chris shares how Shazam uncovered the unique opportunity AI presented, transforming a bold concept into a world-changing product. But great technology alone doesn’t build a business—strategy, execution, and resilience do. Shazam’s path to its remarkable $400M acquisition by Apple is a masterclass in vision, timing, and staying ahead of the curve.In this episode, we explore:How Shazam went from an ambitious idea to an industry-changing successThe challenges of pioneering AI before it was mainstreamLessons in balancing vision, execution, and scalability in techThis is a can’t-miss conversation about innovation, risk-taking, and the boldness to think differently.

Calling all Finance & Accounting Teams!Tune into Episode 2 of our Faces of The Future Ready live series, with guest speaker Marc Ursick, Founder & CEO of Clearsulting. Join us as Marc shares game-changing insights on how CFOs can embrace automation, AI, and strategic transformation to unlock new opportunities & discover how Clearsulting is empowering the office of the CFO to become more agile, innovative, and future-ready.Follow our host, Joseph Voss https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmfvoss/Find out more about BlackLine’s future-ready approach https://www.blackline.com/

“The world doesn’t need another podcast about opinions onleadership.” The words from our pull-no-punches guest Russ Laraway show this isn’t your average leadership puff piece.  Russ Laraway, is the author of the critically acclaimed “When You Win, They Win”, a former Marine Corps Company Commander, and the co-founder of Candor, Inc., alongside Kim Scott. In this first episode of Faces of The Future-Ready, Russdestroys some big leadership myths. For Russ, a key reason that leadership standards are dropping—in spite of the wealth of content on the subject—is that no one holds any of those opinions to account in any meaningful way. But there is a structure at the heart of great leadership,something simple, measurable, coherent, and a whole lot lessopinion-based. That’s what we explore in this scintillating 45-min piece. In this episode you’ll learn: Russ’ two measurable pillars future-ready leadership How get the most from leadership training The importance of employee engagement and how to increase it How to create relationships that improve retention  What leaders can learn from the Marine Corp How to face your fears as a leader Top tips for up and coming leadersFollow our host, Joseph Voss ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmfvoss/⁠Use Russ’ “Quick and Dirty Management Effectiveness Index” ⁠https://www.whentheywinyouwin.com/tools⁠Find out more about BlackLine’s future-ready approach ⁠https://www.blackline.com/