In this episode of Speaking C-Suite, hosts Johnnie Walker (Rooled) and David Hemenway (The Angel Nest) sit down with Katie Royce, Chief Financial Officer at ZenBusiness, to break down how modern finance leaders build scalable operations, evaluate tech platforms, and turn finance into a strategic growth engine — not just a reporting function. Katie shares an inside look at how she helped transform ZenBusiness into a subscription-first, tech-enabled platform serving nearly one million entrepreneurs. She explains why great CFOs don’t just communicate numbers — they provide context — helping teams, boards, and product leaders “see around corners” and make smarter decisions. The conversation dives into how emerging finance tools are evaluated, how to balance customization versus scale, why “boring infrastructure wins,” and what it really takes to drive adoption across cross-functional teams. Katie also discusses where AI is genuinely delivering ROI today (and where it isn’t), how to think about data privacy in a shifting tool landscape, and why judgment will always remain a competitive advantage for finance leaders. Whether you’re a CFO, FP&A leader, founder, or operator, this episode offers a grounded, experience-driven playbook for building a modern finance function that informs product, accelerates strategy, and scales without adding unnecessary headcount. Key topics include:

1. How to evaluate finance tech platforms without getting lost in edge cases
2. When rigidity in product strategy becomes a scaling advantage
3. The hidden cost of implementations: change management vs. configuration
4. Why adoption determines ROI — not just feature lists
5. Where AI is delivering real productivity gains in finance today
6. Data security and privacy considerations for AI-enabled platforms
7. How to build high-leverage finance teams and identify SME hires
8. Why context (not reporting) defines modern CFO leadership

Speaking C-Suite is proudly supported by Aleph, Tabs, and Rillet — thank you for helping make this series possible! Subscribe on YouTube and follow Speaking C-Suite for more conversations with operators shaping the future of finance and growth.