Automation, Storytelling, and the Future of Finance With Anna King, CFO of Mesh

In this episode, CJ interviews Anna King, CFO of Mesh, a spend and travel management platform. They explore changes in the CFO tech stack in recent years and how automation and storytelling can greatly complement each other. Anna explains how she got to revenue recognition on a daily basis, the importance of connecting production data with financial data for better insights, and the advantages of automation for driving value. They discuss the future of physical credit cards, the enduring role of cash, why some countries are more forward thinking in terms of payments than others, and how Anna would like to see the current finance ecosystem disrupted. Anna also shares her experience at Freddie Mac during the mortgage crisis and the lessons learned about economic change. This episode tackles imposter syndrome, fostering inclusion for women in finance, and finding your voice as a leader.

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SPONSORS:

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Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust®; Members FDIC.

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Maxio is the only billing and financial operations platform that was purpose built for B2B SaaS. They're helping SaaS finance teams automate billing and revenue recognition, manage collections and payments, and put together investor grade reporting packages. 🚀 Request a demo at www.maxio.com/runthenumbers for 10% off your first year.

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@cjgustafson222 (CJ)

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Preview and Intro

(02:19) Sponsor - Mercury | NetSuite

(04:57) Balancing Storytelling and Automation as a CFO

(07:11) How Anna Got to Revenue on a Daily Basis

(08:05) The Important Role of Production Data

(10:27) Automation for Driving Value

(11:46) Changes in the CFO Tech Stack in Recent Years

(14:49) Disruption in the Finance Ecosystem

(17:42) Sponsor - Maxio | Leapfin

(21:12) The Evolution of Fraud

(22:28) Why Some Countries Are More Forward-thinking About Payments

(23:32) The Future of Physical Credit Cards and Cash

(25:51) Working at Freddie Mac During the Mortgage Crisis

(28:20) The Importance of Regulation and the Pitfalls of Comparison 

(33:20) Fostering a Culture of Inclusion for Women in Finance

(37:42) Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

(40:57) Finding Your Own Voice in a New Role

(43:02) An Inspirational Story That Impacted Anna’s Journey

(45:05) Long-ass Lightning Round: Two of Anna’s Biggest Mistakes

(46:38) The Importance of Networking and Other Advice

(48:16) Anna’s Finance Software Stack

(48:51) Craziest Expense Story

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