Beyond the Numbers - The Strategic CFO, with Andrew Timlin

In this eye-opening episode of FinTalk, our Co-Founder and CEO, Ivan Jesus, sits down with Andrew Timlin, a transformational CFO with over 20 years of experience across the UK, Europe, and the Middle East, and formerly CFO at NEOM. Together, they explore why the CFO role is still misunderstood and underleveraged - and what it takes to turn finance into a true strategic powerhouse.

From building trust with CEOs to leading finance transformation programmes across sectors, Andrew shares how today’s CFOs must evolve beyond reporting numbers to driving commercial value, operational performance, and long-term strategy.

Whether you’re leading finance at a scale-up or navigating complex transformation in a large organisation, this episode delivers a roadmap for modernising the CFO function and maximising its business impact.‍

Key Highlights

From Cost Controller to Commercial Leader

Andrew breaks down the outdated view of the CFO as a back-office cost guardian - and how this mindset holds companies back. The modern CFO must be proactive, commercially astute, and operationally embedded.

He shares how structuring finance to include clear accountability for both FP&A and controllership enables strategic decision-making without sacrificing governance.

Automating 70% of Finance to Unlock Talent

Drawing on his experience implementing tools like OCR and UiPath, Andrew reveals how automation has freed up his teams to focus on insights rather than input.

This shift hasn’t just improved accuracy - it’s created space for talent to develop, reduced errors, and allowed finance to play a bigger role in shaping business outcomes.

Why CFOs Lose Trust - And How to Earn It Back

Finance functions often struggle to gain trust because they miss deadlines, provide inconsistent data, or overcomplicate reporting. Andrew shares how aligning on clear definitions, consistent reporting cadences, and investing in offline stakeholder relationships can reposition finance as a dependable, strategic partner.

Structure, Not Just Strategy

Transformation isn’t just about vision - it’s about team design. Andrew explains how separating roles like FP&A and commercial business partners can help finance stay lean and strategic.

He also highlights the importance of creating career progression paths that take team members from operational execution to strategic influence.

Finalytics Perspective

At Finalytics, we see the same pain points in our client base: CFOs stuck in reporting mode, under-resourced teams firefighting instead of forecasting, and finance functions siloed from commercial and operational decisions.

Our Finance-as-a-Service (FaaS) model fixes this. We redesign finance functions to move faster, communicate clearly, and deliver insight at the speed the business needs - without bloating headcount.

Whether it’s structuring teams, implementing systems, or redesigning reporting, we help CFOs shift from reactive to proactive.

Key Lessons for Finance Leaders

• ‍Redefine the CFO Role: You’re not a bookkeeper - you’re a business leader. Step into that role.‍

• Automate First, Then Optimise: Use tech to remove friction and redirect your team’s focus.

• Trust is a Deliverable: Build it through clarity, consistency, and follow-through.

• Structure Drives Strategy: Design your team for scale, not survival.

• Finance is a Function, Not a Department: Embed it into commercial, operational, and strategic workflows.
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Practical Takeaways

• Run a Finance Function Audit: What’s being reported? By whom? Is it trusted?‍

• Automate the Repetitive: Start with manual invoice processing, reconciliations, and reporting packs.

• Establish a Data Dictionary: Align definitions across finance, sales, and operations to avoid reporting friction.

• Separate FP&A and Accounting: Let each team go deep, not wide - then connect them through governance.

• Invest in Playbooks and Cadence: Weekly reviews, quarterly forecasts, and aligned metrics drive accountability.

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🎧 Tune In Now

This episode with Andrew is essential listening for CFOs, finance managers, and founders ready to elevate their finance function. Learn how to win trust, lead transformation, and build the kind of finance team that actually moves the business forward.

Listen now on Spotify, YouTube, or your favourite podcast platform - and subscribe for future episodes of FinTalk.