The CFO Track

Tom Hunter
  • 0.0 (0)
  • CAREERS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Most finance people never get mentors who have lived and learnt through capital raises, IPOs, administrations or ACCC scrutiny. The CFO Track changes that. I am Tom Hunter, and every week I sit down with top Australian CFOs to unpack what happened and what they learned. Clear steps, real lessons and as always, free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and LinkedIn Live.

  1. 6 DAYS AGO

    Episode 15: Michael Oraniuk (CFO – JAM TV Australia)

    Michael Oraniuk provides an interesting perspective of finance in sport. He completed two stints working in London, before returning to Australia and landing at Jam TV; the media production business behind the NBL, A-League and AFL W, where he now serves as CFO. In Episode 15 of The CFO Track, Michael shares what it's like to step into the CFO role at a business built entirely around live sport, one month before COVID shut it all down. He goes through managing cash flow week by week, when forward visibility barely stretched beyond three months. The business has now grown from a seasonal, winter-skewed operation into a year-round production house behind some of Australia's biggest broadcast moments. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS · Pivoting from architecture to accounting in Year 11, spending six years at Pitchers Partners before two stints in London including leading a DD project on a virtual casino venture for an online gaming business. · Joining Jam TV within six weeks of returning from London, stepping into a business built on winter sport and growing it across the NBL, A-League, AFLW and major documentary productions. · Stepping into the CFO role one month before COVID: no live sport, no broadcasts, and a team whose entire purpose had temporarily disappeared. · Keeping every person in the business employed: restructuring the whole team's days and output week by week to match whatever revenue remained. · Managing production P&Ls in live sport: each production runs as its own mini P&L, with cash flow, ratings exposure, and seasonal revenue cycles all requiring close management simultaneously. If you're navigating a career move into a non-traditional industry or leading through a business crisis, this one is worth your time. Stream the full episode now on Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts.

    41 min

  2. 4 MAR

    Episode 14: Abhishek Singla (CFO – Toshiba Australia)

    Abhishek Singla moved from India to Australia as a student, completed his Master of Accounting and his CPA, before working his way up through multinationals and landing his first CFO role at Toshiba Australia. In Episode 14 of The CFO Track, Abhishek shares how he stepped into a Japanese business after a career built inside American multinationals. Which meant navigating a deeply hierarchical culture where long-tenured staff had to be brought on a journey of change rather than pushed through it. He goes through the cultural and leadership adjustments required to manage functions well outside his finance background. While also focusing on why communication is the only thing that makes managing up across international borders actually work. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS · Starting out with no clear plan: following his brother's lead into accounting in India before migrating to Australia as a student, landing his first role as an accounts payable officer at Nestle, and using that multinational brand name as the foundation to build from regardless of how junior the entry point was. · First management role at Valeant Pharmaceuticals: stepping into a finance manager position inside a business that grew its share price from $25 to $350 in two years through an acquisition-a-year strategy. · Six and a half years at Leica as Financial Controller: taking on warehousing, customer care, and service alongside finance in a lean Australian operation, then stepping in as acting GM for six months and learning to lead sales and service teams by relying on strong functional leaders rather than pretending to be the subject matter expert. · Navigating Japanese corporate culture at Toshiba: shifting from the open, cutthroat pace of American multinationals to a hierarchical environment where staff of 30-plus years needed to be taken on the change journey. · Building a broader CFO remit: managing supply chain, warehousing, logistics, IT, and property across a 300-person business while building AI capability within each of those teams. If you're navigating an international career path or stepping into your first CFO role, this episode is full of practical value. Stream the full episode now on Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts.

    37 min

  3. 25 FEB

    Episode 13: Rob Doyle

    Rob Doyle spent 15 years at Vodafone, moving from Group Finance through to leading a finance transformation programme, before going on to CFO roles at Domain and Articore Group. In Episode 13 of The CFO Track, Rob shares his experience deputising for a CFO during one of the largest telco mergers in Australian history. The challenges of managing broken processes and a demoralized team while navigating the iPhone launch and the pricing decisions that came with the explosion of mobile data. He goes through securing double-digit millions in board investment to build a BI and analytics function from scratch at Fairfax during aggressive cost-cutting. Before building Domain's entire finance function in the six months before its ASX separation and listing, and turning around a $400 million-plus e-commerce business to cash neutrality within three to four months. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS · Starting out with an English Literature and Philosophy degree before stumbling into accounting at a university careers fair, joining Vodafone Group just as mobile penetration was taking off and two transformative M&A transactions doubled the size of the group twice over. ·Navigating the Vodafone merger: deputizing for the CFO while half the combined team exited, managing two of everything; systems, processes, and people, and finding ways to keep a team engaged when they felt like they couldn't get ahead of it. ·Leading finance transformation with no playbook: building the pillars of a high-performing finance function from scratch at Vodafone, then repeating the process at Fairfax Media across a team of 150, outsourcing transactional work to a shared service center in India, and securing board investment for a BI and analytics build during a period of aggressive cost-cutting. · Building and listing Domain: constructing the full finance function in six months before ASX separation, managing PE due diligence simultaneously, and diversifying revenue beyond listing volumes through SaaS, mortgage broking, and data products to reduce dependence on uncontrollable market factors. · Turning around Articore Group: restoring a $400 million-plus e-commerce business to cash neutrality within three to four months post-COVID revenue collapse, improving unit economics, and knowing when to put yourself on the cost-out when the value you can add has largely been given. If you're leading finance transformation or navigating structural change across a business, this episode is worth your time. Stream the full episode now on Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts.

    43 min

  4. 18 FEB

    Episode 12: Ben Watiwat (SVP Finance - Immutable)

    Ben Watiwat moved through audit and M&A advisory at Deloitte before joining multiple high-growth tech companies reaching unicorn status, now serving as SVP Finance at Immutable, Australia's largest Web3 gaming platform valued over $2.5 billion. In Episode 12 of The CFO Track, Ben shares his experience in navigating acquisitions every six to eight months while refinancing banks annually and raising capital every 18 months. Including growing the business from 50 people to 2,500, and why expectations reset to zero the moment you close a capital raise. Ben goes through the 3-4 year runway needed before starting fundraising because investors are pickier and cost of capital is higher. Then building Slack bots with AI tools in hours instead of waiting three weeks for IT and why lean teams need people who can handle ambiguity rather than those who want checklists. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS · Moving from audit into M&A advisory at Deloitte to get commercial overlay and breadth of experience, then jumping into high-growth startups where you're building the plane while flying it. · Navigating hyper-growth velocity: managing acquisitions every six to eight months, refinancing banks annually, and raising capital every 18 months while growing from 50 to 2,500 people, learning to make constant trade-offs with "future Ben problems." · Capital raising fundamentals: started fundraising at three or four years of runway instead of 12 months, understanding expectations reset to zero post-raise, and getting organisedwith data rooms and foundational documents before the process starts. · Surviving crypto boom and bust cycles: experiencing three or four boom-bust cycles in three years that flush out weak competition and prove sustainable business models, shifting from "growth at all costs" to smart capital allocation. · Building lean teams with AI: hiring people with technical pedigree who can handle ambiguity and think commercially, using AI tools like Cursor to build automations in hours that previously took three weeks, focusing on high-value work instead of pedestrian tasks. If you're navigating high-growth environments or planning to raise capital, this episode will give you what you are looking for. Stream the full episode now on Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts.

    41 min

  5. 11 FEB

    Episode 11: Retief Lampen (CFO - iion)

    Retief Lampen moved from South Africa to Australia, starting as a contractor commercial accountant after being told he needed local experience, before his way to his current role as CFO at Iion, an ad tech startup in gaming industry, which operates remotely across the globe. In Episode 11 of The CFO Track, Retief shares what it's like to step into a CFO role at 25 with just two and a half years post-qualification experience, working seven days a week during a $350 million USD acquisition that led to to him experiencing burnout, and taking 10 months off to travel South America and Europe before committing to fully remote work. He goes through managing a Series A raise while working from Bali, navigating the intense six-month post-IPO audit where everything in the prospectus gets checked, and building company culture remotely through trust rather than micromanagement. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS • Stepping into a CFO role at 25 managing 200-300 employees across a family business group with no mentor, relying on chartered accounting training and checking in with yourself constantly about imposter syndrome. • Moving countries and starting over: taking several steps down to contractor commercial accountant level when arriving in Australia without local experience, spending nine months building credibility before moving back up to finance manager. • The $350 million acquisition burnout: working around the clock seven days a week as a small finance team managed the sale process, learning to recognise signs before it happens again. • Taking 10 months to travel the world: visiting most of South America and Europe between roles after an intense IPO and audit period, bringing interpersonal experiences back to corporate life while committing to fully remote work going forward. • Building remote culture with trust: managing a startup team spread across Asia, Europe, and Australia with quarterly OKRs requiring every team to build AI improvements, maintaining eNPS above 8-9 by giving teams outputs to deliver rather than micromanaging how they work. If you're navigating early CFO opportunities or considering fully remote leadership roles, this episode is full of value Stream the full episode now on Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts.

    43 min

  6. 4 FEB

    Episode 10: David Prince (CFO - Marley Spoon)

    David Prince moved through consumer goods for 15 years before becoming CFO at Marley Spoon Australia, navigating from finance into property, supply chain, and IT across multiple business models and ownership structures. In Episode 10 of The CFO Track, David shares what it's really like to step beyond finance into running the property function for a retail business, navigating administration and delisting of a household brand while welcoming his first child, and taking his first CFO role as a contractor because it's easier to get the role once you have the title. He goes through expanding into the US market and rebuilding pricing models every time tariff announcements hit, transitioning from ASX-listed to private to German-listed businesses across different reporting standards, and why the human connection with customers differs fundamentally between physical stores and pure-play e-commerce. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS ·Career inflection points: stepping from finance into running the property function by bringing commercial modelling skills to capital investment decisions, then expanding into supply chain and IT by putting a hand up for cross-functional projects. ·Navigating administration and delisting: working through the restructure of a household brand, recognising that sharp downturns lead to slow rebuilds rather than V-shaped recoveries, and understanding how debt structure can push even beloved brands into trouble. ·Getting the CFO title through contracting: taking a contract CFO role to break through the barrier where businesses won't take the punt on someone without the title, even when you've done the work as an FC. ·Expanding into the US market: managing the complexity of 330 million consumers while dealing with constant tariff announcements that require reworking entire pricing models overnight, understanding why so many Australian brands fail despite the lucrative opportunity. ·Transitioning across reporting standards: moving from Australian ASX-listed to Taiwan-headquartered to German-listed businesses, navigating IFRS interpretations that differ across markets and learning to communicate financial positions differently for each ownership structure. David is an expert in the Retail and E-Commerce world, so if you're looking to step beyond traditional finance roles or navigating business restructuring, this episode is one you definitely do not want to miss. Stream the full episode now on Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts.

    41 min

  7. 28 JAN

    Episode 9: Sam Nagra (CFO - Sonic Healthcare Australia)

    Sam Nagra has spent 23 years with Sonic Healthcare, moving from Financial Controller at the largest pathology practice in Sydney to CFO of the Australian Pathology Division managing across seven countries. In Episode 9 of The CFO Track, Sam shares how he navigated several due diligence projects in a decade while building for successful integrations and stepping into a CFO role five months before COVID hit. He goes through why culture beats strategy when deciding which acquisitions to walk away from and why staying 23 years at one organisation builds understanding that accelerates decision-making in ways job-hopping can't. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Career inflection points: spending 17 years as Financial Controller at one practice before stepping up to divisional CFO, questioning whether staying too long would hurt career progression but recognising the privilege of being in a globally successful Australian healthcare company.Navigating seven M&A projects in a decade: learning that success is measured not by deals completed but by deals walked away from, focusing on cultural alignment and balance sheet quality over P&L promises when assessing acquisition targets.Managing industry consolidation: transitioning from straightforward acquisitions when smaller to navigating formal processes and providing granular data as the market leader. How to avoid creating delays and uncertainty that will require new frameworks for integration planning.COVID baptism of fire: becoming CFO in October 2019, then facing massive uncertainty five months later when scaling COVID testing at enormous volumes, while also maintaining existing testing levels and managing PPE shortages with financial consequences then taking a back seat.The benefits of 23 years at one organisation: building deep understanding that accelerates conversations, developing strengths through multiple business cycles, and establishing cultural norms that align teams toward patient outcomes rather than short-term metrics. If you're navigating high-growth M&A environments or leading through industry consolidation, this episode is one to keep an eye out for. Stream the full episode now on Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts.

    33 min

  8. 21 JAN

    Episode 8: Laavanya Pari (CFO - Beforepay Group)

    Laavanya Pari moved through four completely different industries before becoming the CFO of Beforepay, a high-growth, ASX-listed fintech. In Episode 8 of The CFO Track, Laavanya shares what it's like to transition across shipping, digital media, and fintech. Then navigating the shift from non-stop work travel to choosing part-time work for a better work-life balance. While at the same time, she learnt to build forecasts for digital businesses with zero historical data to work from. Laavanya goes into detail about her progress across five different roles in eight years with the same business, the year-long process of getting to know a CEO before accepting the CFO role, and why weighing up your priorities matter more than chasing the perfect role. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS • Career inflection points: moving through shipping, digital media, and fintech by prioritizing learning from people outside your immediate team rather than staying siloed in traditional finance roles. • Choosing work-life balance: transitioning from constant travel to moving part-time while her partner went full-time, finding a structure that worked for their family. • Building forecasts without data: stepping into digital businesses with no historical financial data, pulling metrics from different systems to create dollar-per-listen models that adapt rather than become obsolete immediately. • Transitioning between industries: writing down your honest top three priorities instead of chasing the full wishlist, finding transitional stepping stones rather than waiting for the perfect role at the perfect company. • Taking a year to assess fit: spending almost 12 months in conversations with a CEO before accepting a CFO role, getting to know leadership style and team dynamics before committing to the move. If you're navigating industry transitions or balancing career progression with personal priorities, this episode is one you don’t want to miss. Stream the full episode now on Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts.

    42 min
See All (15)

About

Most finance people never get mentors who have lived and learnt through capital raises, IPOs, administrations or ACCC scrutiny. The CFO Track changes that. I am Tom Hunter, and every week I sit down with top Australian CFOs to unpack what happened and what they learned. Clear steps, real lessons and as always, free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and LinkedIn Live.

Information

  • Creator
    Tom Hunter
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Tom Hunter
  • Show Website
    The CFO Track