Capital & Confidence Podcast

Cutting through the numbers; amplifying the voices of finance leaders
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Platforming CFOs and other finance leaders to share perspectives on career, mentoring, capital allocation, resilience, growth, volatility and other hot finance topics More specifically, this podcast avails you rare opportunity to have a peep into the minds of CFOs and other finance leaders who are traditionally reclusive; their work ethics; their day to day; the technical financial topics that shape their work; their view on global topics; their troubles, survival and triumph in the trouble waters of corporate boardroom politics. sikirusalami.substack.com

Episodes

  1. Oct 26

    Is the Accounting Profession Still Worth it in the AI Era?

    If you were starting your accounting career today, would you make the same choice? Artificial intelligence can analyse transactions, prepare reports, build financial models and answer technical accounting questions. Tasks that once took hours can now take minutes. For young accountants, this raises a difficult question: what will the profession look like in the years ahead? In this episode of Capital & Confidence, I sit down with Levi Kalejaye, Partner, Finance and Tax at Lenox and Bakewell Consulting, for a practical conversation about the future of accounting and what it will take to build a valuable career in an AI-driven workplace. We go beyond the familiar debate about whether AI will replace accountants. We examine what accountants must learn, how their roles may change, and where human judgement will continue to matter. Our conversation explores five important questions: * Is accounting still worth pursuing? What does the profession offer young people entering the workforce today? * Which skills will matter most? We examine commercial acumen, critical thinking, communication, professional scepticism, and data and technology. * How can accountants move beyond reporting? Levi shares how experience in financial analysis, modelling and business advisory can broaden an accountant’s contribution. * What should young African accountants learn over the next three years? We discuss the capabilities that can help them remain relevant and competitive. * What will an entry-level accountant do in 2030? And what changes should accounting education make now? We also consider a difficult question for professional services firms: if AI reduces the need for large teams of junior staff, can the traditional partnership model remain sustainable? My view is that this conversation deserves more than a simple prediction about jobs. It calls for an honest look at how accountants learn, work and create value. If you are studying accounting, building your career, leading a finance team or advising businesses, this episode is for you. Welcome to Capital & Confidence, where we cut through the numbers and amplify the voices of finance leaders. Join the conversation: Is AI a threat to the accounting profession, or an opportunity for accountants willing to adapt? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sikirusalami.substack.com

  2. Oct 9

    What Keeps CFOs Awake at Night?

    From the outside, the CFO’s job can look like a numbers game. Revenue, profit, cash flow, budgets and forecasts. But behind those numbers are decisions that can affect the entire business. What happens when the assumptions behind the plan suddenly change? How do you balance growth with risk? How do you know which risks need immediate action and which ones need close monitoring? What happens when the numbers look fine, but something else does not? In this episode of Capital & Confidence, Sikiru Salami speaks with Sulaiman Iromini, MBA, FCA, CISA, Chief Financial Officer of Chemical and Allied Products Plc (CAP Plc). With more than 16 years of experience spanning audit, financial reporting, treasury, FP&A, enterprise risk management and corporate governance, Sulaiman brings a broad perspective on what it means to sit in the CFO seat. The conversation goes beyond the numbers to explore the pressures, risks and judgement calls that rarely make it into an annual report. They discuss: * The risks that genuinely concern CFOs * Managing uncertainty and foreign exchange volatility * Balancing financial discipline with business growth * The early warning signs CFOs should not ignore * Building resilient finance teams and systems * How a CFO’s judgement changes with experience * The difference between what the numbers say and what they may be hiding What keeps CFOs awake at night may have very little to do with the numbers themselves. Welcome to Capital & Confidence, where we cut through the numbers and amplify the voices of finance leaders. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sikirusalami.substack.com

  3. Sep 25

    The First 100 Days as CFO

    In this episode of Capital & Confidence, I go behind the scenes of one of the most important transitions in a finance executive’s career. Joining me on this call is Mr. Olajide Adamolekun, a senior finance leader with experience that cuts across multiple sectors. Olajide also holds a special place in my own career journey as a mentor who supported me when I took on my first CFO role a few years ago. Together, we explore the practical questions that may confront any newly appointed CFO: * What should you look at first? * What should you resist changing too quickly? * What should you promise the CEO and the board? * How do you assess the finance team? * What mistakes can damage a new CFO’s credibility? * What should a CFO accomplish by Day 30, Day 60 and Day 100? This is a practical conversation about entering the CFO role with clarity, building trust, making the right early decisions and setting the foundation for the years ahead. Welcome to Capital & Confidence, where we cut through the numbers and amplify the voices of finance leaders. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sikirusalami.substack.com

  4. Sep 7

    Building a Great Career in Accounting

    Accounting is changing. The best finance professionals today do far more than record transactions or prepare reports. They understand business, influence decisions, navigate regulation, build trust and create value. In the maiden edition of Capital & Confidence, I sat down with Afeez Balogun, a senior tax strategy and compliance expert, and Babatunde Adeniyi, a Big Four audit professional with experience across three continents. We discussed what it really takes to build a great career in accounting and finance, including the transition from technical work to strategic influence, the value of tax expertise, the skills that travel across borders, working in international finance environments, becoming globally competitive from Africa, and navigating Nigeria’s changing tax and financial reporting landscape. The conversation also got personal at some point discussing career decisions, mistakes, habits, lessons and a practical five-year roadmap for a young accounting graduate. If you are starting or building a career in accounting, finance, tax or audit, this is a conversation worth watching. Real stories. Practical lessons. Limitless possibilities. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sikirusalami.substack.com

    Building a Great Career in Accounting

  5. May 7

    Building a Great Career in Accounting

    In this maiden edition of the Capital & Confidence podcast, I had a big pleasure to sit with Afeez Balogun and Shakur Babs and discuss what it takes to build meaningful career in Accounting. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sikirusalami.substack.com

  • 5 Episodes

About

Platforming CFOs and other finance leaders to share perspectives on career, mentoring, capital allocation, resilience, growth, volatility and other hot finance topics More specifically, this podcast avails you rare opportunity to have a peep into the minds of CFOs and other finance leaders who are traditionally reclusive; their work ethics; their day to day; the technical financial topics that shape their work; their view on global topics; their troubles, survival and triumph in the trouble waters of corporate boardroom politics. sikirusalami.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Cutting through the numbers; amplifying the voices of finance leaders
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Sikiru Salami
  • Show Website
    Capital & Confidence Podcast