Tom is joined by Patrick Villanova, CFO of BlackLine. Patrick shares how his path through 15 years at PwC and BlackLine's own controllership shaped his accountant's-eye view of risk, and how that background informs everything from platform strategy to M&A. Patrick digs into the real math behind build-versus-buy decisions, why private company valuations still haven't caught down to depressed public multiples, and why he's convinced this disconnect can't last. He also explains how BlackLine is deploying AI agents cautiously and deliberately — keeping a human in the loop at every step — and why that same "lean in, but verify" mindset is exactly what he'd tell any accountant or CFO trying to future-proof their career.

Guest quotes:
“ With any technological disruption, there are winners and losers. Those companies that avoided it or were afraid of it or didn't believe it, most of them went the way of the dinosaur.”

“Trust is something that takes years to build up and a nanosecond to destroy. We're bringing our customers along, building that trust, giving them a sampling, and then once we've established that, you have the S-curve of adoption that we've seen multiple times in history.”

“ The more diverse opinions you can get from a talent perspective within your culture, within your organization, the stronger your ultimate product and platform will be.”

Links & Resources:

Connect with Tom Gavaghan

Connect with Patrick Villanova

Learn more about Kyriba

Learn more about BlackLine

YouTube Timestamps:

00:00 Show Intro and Guest Overview

01:05 Patrick's background: BlackLine, PwC, accounting roots

02:03 BlackLine's evolution beyond financial close

03:19 Studio360 as the connective data layer

04:43 Single data source as the key to safe AI agents

05:32 Point solution perception vs. broader platform value

08:34 Why BlackLine stays ERP-agnostic

09:35 The BlackLine-Kyriba partnership model

12:24 Build vs. buy: weighing cost, speed, and talent

15:22 Why private valuations remain disconnected from public multiples

17:46 Engineering productivity gains from AI at BlackLine

19:10 Why "just build it" often underestimates true cost of ownership

23:22 Multiples: 2021 peak to the post-AI-narrative reset

26:53 The reckoning over real AI token costs

30:53 Balancing AI speed with accuracy and trust

34:35 Building customer trust through gradual AI adoption

36:07 Advice for CFOs resistant to change

39:38 Why evaluating security and partnerships matters as much as software

41:20 Advice for young finance professionals in the AI era

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Tom is joined by Kartik Kaushik, Managing Director and Head of RBC Clear. Kartik shares how he went from building India's first e-commerce platform at Unilever to reimagining corporate transaction banking in the US — and why that unconventional path gave him the customer advocate lens the industry desperately needed. He breaks down why corporate onboarding still takes 45 to 60 days, what it took to compress that to same-day, and how parallel processing and intelligent validation replaced an army of operations staff. Kartik also explains why he rebuilt RBC Clear as fully cloud-native from day one, how co-developing the platform with 28 of their largest clients shaped every product decision, and why the real unlock for treasury isn't just better technology.

Guest quotes:
“ Technology is only as good or as valuable as what the business case or the business intent or the need that you're solving for.”

“ You have to rethink policy, you have to rethink process, you have to rethink everything that's sacrosanct or held as the gold standard in the past. Everything has to be questioned.”

“ All the great products, we become part of their life as a customer, and the customer forgets we exist. That is the best state of any product.”

Links & Resources:

Connect with Tom Gavaghan

Connect with Kartik Kaushik

Learn more about Kyriba

Learn more about RBC Clear

YouTube Timestamps:

00:00 Show Intro and Guest Overview

00:26 Kartik's Background

01:44 Building the First E-Commerce Platform in India (1999–2000)

03:17 From Unilever to Citi to RBC

04:28 The Customer Advocate Lens in Corporate Banking

06:23 What Is RBC Clear? Putting Clients in Control of Working Capital

07:27 Co-Developing with 28 Client Advisory Firms

08:42 Why US Corporate Banking Is So Archaic

12:38 Re-Imagining Onboarding: From 67 Days to Same-Day

14:10 Time and Motion Study: The File Was Touched for Only 10.5 Hours

16:50 Pre-Populating Client Data and Intelligent Document Validation

19:58 Parallel Processing: How RBC Eliminated Sequential Handoffs

22:00 Pricing Transparency: Why Bank Invoices Require a PhD to Read

27:46 Flipping from Reactive to Proactive: The "Where Is My Payment?" Problem

29:20 No Published 1-800 Number: Zero Client-Facing Ops After 24 Months

32:14 What Had to Break Internally to Achieve Same-Day Onboarding

37:13 First Fully Cloud-Native Core Banking Payments Business

42:01 Lessons from Unilever: Start with the "So What"

43:50 The Three Types of Workers in an Agentic AI World

49:25 Outro and Wrap-Up

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Tom is joined by Natalie Derse, CFO of Gen. Natalie shares how she and her CEO delivered $330 million in cost synergies in under 18 months following Gen's merger with Avast, and what made that execution possible. She also breaks down her approach to AI-native finance, why the CFO is becoming the de facto Chief Trust Officer, and how real-time data from GE and eBay shaped her modern playbook. Natalie also shares her take on talent — what she looks for in every hire and how mentorship, not just work ethic, is what actually accelerates careers.

Guest quotes:
“ One of the biggest responsibilities I hold is to give the business as much clarity as I possibly can.  I don't know how you do that without a great hunger for more technology and data to help you guide.”

“We achieved $330 million of cost synergies in less than an 18-month period."

"You cannot be successful just running your own playbook and running your own game. You've got to connect and you've got to embrace, and really be humble enough to be coached."

Links & Resources:

Connect with Tom Gavaghan

Connect with Natalie Derse

Learn more about Kyriba

Learn more about Gen

YouTube Timestamps:

00:00 Show Intro and Guest Overview

00:36 Natalie's Background: GE, eBay, and Becoming CFO of Gen

01:15 Leadership Philosophy: Why She Refuses the Corner Office

02:43 Data-Driven Mindset Across Industries

04:11 CFO as Business Partner, Not Just Finance Leader

06:49 The Avast Merger: $330M in Synergies in Under 18 Months

08:49 Execution Strategy: Alignment, Clarity, and Relentless Commitment

10:44 Transparency as a Leadership Tool

11:18 Leveraging 500M Subscribers: Customer Data as a Leading Indicator

14:01 Cybersecurity Retention Rates Through Economic Cycles

16:23 MoneyLion and Financial Wellness: Two Sides of the Macro Spectrum

18:54 AI-Driven Fraud and the CFO as Chief Trust Officer

24:55 The Jellycorn Concept: AI and the Future of Headcount

28:49 Redesigning Finance Functions with AI

33:26 AI Adoption: Milestones, Not Light Switches

35:54 Building Human Talent: Curiosity and Engagement Over Credentials

40:30 Future Skills for Finance Leaders: Tech Fluency and Human Connection

35:54 Fasting, Family, and Staying Balanced as a CFO

37:04 Career Advice: Work Ethic + Mentorship = Acceleration

39:06 Wrap Up and Where to Follow Natalie and Gen

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