How do you balance cost optimization, business value, and innovation in the age of AI?
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sat down with Emily Cornock, Executive Manager of Core Data Platforms and Cloud FinOps at Suncorp Group, to explore how her team is embedding FinOps principles into everything they build — from data platforms to AI systems.
Emily shares her journey from early cloud adoption to becoming a FinOps leader, including how she shifted conversations from “why is it costing so much?” to “what value are we getting from this?”
We also discuss how Suncorp builds FinOps into its AI and data DNA, the realities of managing large-scale data platforms, and how empathy and education transform FinOps from “the bad guys” into trusted partners.
Here’s what we talked about:
If you’re working on FinOps in complex data or AI environments, this episode offers a masterclass in how to align cost, performance, and business impact.
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What does good FinOps look like inside a large engineering organization?
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with Idaliz Baez, Founder and Director of RealOps, who has one of the most fascinating journeys into FinOps — from contamination engineer at NASA to FinOps instructor and leader.
Idaliz has trained more than 200 FinOps practitioners worldwide and brings a unique perspective on how education and awareness can unlock collaboration across engineering, finance, and procurement teams.
We dive into:
If you're growing your FinOps team, building better collaboration between tech and finance, or just starting your FinOps journey, this episode gives you the mindset and methods to build smarter from day one.
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What does good FinOps look like inside a large engineering organization?
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sat down with Tom Cross, FinOps Lead at Aer Lingus and a member of the FinOps Foundation Technical Advisory Council, to talk about building FinOps culture, engaging engineers, and shaping the global FinOps framework.
Tom shared how he transitioned from software engineering to FinOps leadership, why optimization became his passion, and how he balances governance with empathy to drive adoption without slowing delivery.
We also discussed what’s next for the FinOps Framework, how usage-based anomaly detection is changing cost management, and why the future of FinOps is as much about relationships as it is about data.
Here’s what we talked about:
If you’re leading a FinOps practice or trying to make engineering collaboration part of your culture, this episode is full of practical, hard-won insights.
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Should you build your own FinOps tool or buy one?
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sat down with Peter Crenshaw, Manager of FinOps and M&A at IEM, to unpack one of the biggest questions I hear from FinOps leaders everywhere: when does it make sense to build, and when should you buy?
Peter shared his journey leading FinOps at UKG and IEM, including what he learned from building an in-house FinOps platform and why simplicity, scalability, and resource awareness matter more than any feature list.
We also dove into how FinOps connects with M&A, how to educate teams across finance and engineering, and what it really takes to show ROI — even when your FinOps practice is still maturing.
Here’s what we talked about:
If you’ve ever wondered where to start with FinOps tooling or how to build the right foundations for scale, this episode is packed with hard-won lessons and practical guidance.
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Is hosting a podcast really just about questions and prep work or is it more about building a community, elevating leaders, and learning to listen?
In this special bonus live stream for National Podcast Day, I, Alon Arvatz, stepped into the guest seat to be interviewed by Casey Cheshire. After nearly 50 hours of conversations, I shared my journey and my biggest takeaways from interviewing top FinOps leaders this year.
We explored the core of what FinOps truly is and what it takes to drive action:
If you're a FinOps practitioner who needs a platform to learn and grow, or if you're trying to figure out how to drive real engagement with your engineering teams—this conversation is packed with personal stories and industry insights.
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What does FinOps look like in highly regulated industries — and why is speed so critical when managing commitments and anomalies?
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sat down with Gordon Douglass, VP of Cloud Assets & Risk Management at SAP NS2, to talk about the real-world challenges of running FinOps in government and enterprise-scale environments.
Gordon shares why commitments are one of the scariest parts of FinOps, how to balance anomaly detection with meaningful action, and what it means to wear “many hats” as a FinOps leader. He also explains how regulations, procurement, and engineering collaboration add layers of complexity — and how to navigate them successfully.
Here’s what we talked about:
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"We have regular cadences both internally within my group itself in addition to that also with engineering and operations, just to see and make sure that they understand or can justify what's going on. " - Gordon DouglassLinks:
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Is FinOps only about cloud usage optimization or does it go deeper?
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I was joined by Tim Nolan, Senior FinOps Engineer at DataRobot, who saved over $1M in AWS costs in just four months and achieved 99% tagging compliance.
Tim shares his journey from engineering to IT finance to FinOps, and why negotiation skills, procurement partnerships, and tagging discipline are just as critical to FinOps success as cloud cost visibility. He explains how to approach AWS renewals, build efficiency projects that scale, and why engineers and FinOps must work hand-in-hand.
Here’s what we talked about:
If you’re navigating cloud negotiations, tackling tagging compliance, or partnering with procurement—this episode is full of practical FinOps insights you can apply today.
🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://www.finopsinaction.com/
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency
Is cloud always the right move? And what happens when governance is missing?
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sat down with Peter Brauer, Senior Enterprise Architect at T-Mobile, who has led FinOps governance frameworks responsible for over $150M in savings.
Peter shares lessons from his transition from TBM (Technology Business Management) to FinOps, and why shadow IT has become one of the most overlooked yet critical costs in the cloud era. He explains why governance isn’t just rules but remediation and flexibility, and why not everything belongs in the cloud despite the hype.
Here’s what we talked about:
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How do you build a FinOps practice that actually engages engineers, delivers business value, and grows with the help of the community?
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sat down with Swapna Samuel, Head of FinOps and Clarity Business Management at BMO and FinOps Foundation Ambassador, to explore how culture, collaboration, and community have been key drivers in her FinOps journey.
Swapna shares how joining the FinOps Foundation helped her avoid common pitfalls, why engaging engineers with transparency and the “why” is crucial, and how BMO uses office hours to create a safe space for collaboration. She also dives into her passion topic: business value — why cost alone isn’t the full picture, and how to build KPIs that truly measure impact.
Here’s what we talked about:
If you're trying to scale a FinOps practice, engage engineering teams, and reduce cloud waste—this conversation is packed with insights you can use right now.
🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://finopsinaction.substack.com/
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Is FinOps really just about dashboards and tools, or is it more about people, culture, and governance?
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sat down with Ben de Mora, former FinOps Lead at GitLab, to explore how FinOps needs to evolve beyond tooling into governance, collaboration, and product management thinking.
Ben shares his unique journey from security and engineering into FinOps, and explains why champions programs, federated FinOps models, and executive sponsorship are essential for success at scale. He also dives into how sustainability metrics can engage engineers, and why policies and governance need to evolve — not just be written once and forgotten.
Here’s what we talked about:
If you're trying to scale a FinOps practice, engage engineering teams, and reduce cloud waste—this conversation is packed with insights you can use right now.
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Where can a FinOps career take you? And how do the roles differ between small companies, global enterprises, and vendors?
In this special episode of FinOps in Action, I sat down with Taylor Houck, FinOps Specialist and co-creator of the Cloud Efficiency Hub at PointFive, to trace his career journey across the FinOps landscape: starting as a practitioner at a mid-sized company, scaling cost optimization at NBCUniversal, and now working on the vendor side.
Taylor shares the pros and cons of each career path, what he learned along the way, and how the FinOps role changes depending on scale, complexity, and organizational goals. Whether you’re just getting started or considering your next move, this episode is a roadmap for building a FinOps career that lasts.
Here’s what we talked about:
If you're trying to scale a FinOps practice, engage engineering teams, and reduce cloud waste—this conversation is packed with insights you can use right now.
🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://finopsinaction.substack.com/
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How do leading global companies engage engineers in FinOps and build a sustainable culture of cloud efficiency?
In this special compilation episode of FinOps in Action, we bring together insights from FinOps leaders at Choice Hotels International, Sysco, Under Armour, and Carlsberg Group.
Featuring:
These experts share how they’ve built trust with engineering teams, reduced cloud waste, and created a culture where FinOps thrives. From communication strategies and gamification to accountability and long-term adoption, this episode shows what it really takes to make FinOps work at scale.
Here’s what we talked about:
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How do you build a FinOps practice that balances cloud cost optimization, sustainability, and deep cross-functional engagement?
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I am joined by TJ Johnson, Lead Architect for Platform Economics at MGM Resorts International. With over 25 years in IT and 15 years focused on public cloud and optimization, TJ shares a refreshing look at what really drives impact in FinOps—from relationship-building and soft skills to sustainability reporting and unit economics.
TJ breaks down how to move from KPI-driven thinking to momentum-based KMI frameworks, why partnership language changes FinOps collaboration, and how to engage engineers in meaningful ways—without relying on one-off gamification tactics.
Here’s what we talked about:
If you're trying to scale a FinOps practice, engage engineering teams, and reduce cloud waste—this conversation is packed with insights you can use right now.
🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://finopsinaction.substack.com/
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How do you scale FinOps in a way that actually engages engineers, reduces waste, and drives cloud efficiency without sacrificing velocity?
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sat down with Sridhar Ayala, Director of FinOps at Adobe, to explore how Adobe approaches FinOps at scale—shifting the focus from just cost savings to enabling engineering efficiency, reducing waste, and expanding margin.
Sridhar shares Adobe’s unique FinOps strategy, including how they define waste as "unintentional spend," how they use gamification and marketing to drive adoption, and why understanding engineering context is critical to long-term success. He also reveals Adobe’s flagship initiatives like “ARM 24 for 24” and “CPU 26 for 26,” designed to drive cloud efficiency and reduce environmental impact.
Here’s what we talked about:
If you're trying to scale a FinOps practice, engage engineering teams, and reduce cloud waste—this conversation is packed with insights you can use right now.
🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://finopsinaction.substack.com/
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FinOps isn’t just about tools—it’s about culture, structure, and long-term trust.
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sat down with Matan Ben-Ishay, FP&A, Engineering at Credit Karma, to explore what it really takes to build a cost-aware engineering culture and scale FinOps sustainably across an organization.
Matan shares his approach to balancing developer velocity with cloud governance, managing GCP commitments strategically, and why FinOps can’t live only in finance or engineering—it needs both.
We discuss:
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FinOps isn’t just about saving money — it’s about managing financial risk.
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I’m joined by Victoria Levy, FinOps Engineering Lead at Alteryx, to explore how FinOps teams can learn from security, prioritize cost optimization alongside engineering, and get serious about forecasting cloud and SaaS spend.
Victoria shares her journey from physics to FinOps, lessons learned working with engineering and product teams, and why organizations should stop calling it "cost optimization" and start treating it like a "risk to the budget."
You’ll hear:
- How to build a culture of accountability for cloud cost optimization
- What security teams do better than FinOps—and how to apply it
- How FinOps can approach SaaS spend like Snowflake and Datadog
- Real-world FinOps for AI: what tracking and optimization looks like today
- The role of anomaly detection, cost spikes, and "major incident" policies
If you're a FinOps practitioner, cloud engineer, or cost-conscious leader—this one’s for you!
Subscribe to our Substack for more FinOps conversations: https://finopsinaction.substack.com/
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How can strong tagging practices make or break your FinOps strategy?
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sat down with Sherri Wooldridge, Manager of Cloud FinOps at Carnival Cruise Lines and former FinOps lead at 3M, to explore the foundational role of data classification and tagging in cloud cost management. Sherri shares early lessons from her FinOps career, explains why weak tagging can derail M&A activity, and stresses the importance of aligning with finance teams on how costs are tracked and reported.
Together, we dive into key topics, including:
Sherri also touches on the future of FinOps in AI, and shares a glimpse into her life in Utah—from book recs to downtime between initiatives.
Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more real-world FinOps insights, cloud cost best practices, and expert leadership strategies!
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How can enterprise FinOps drive change across cloud, culture, and leadership?
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sat down with Scott Linn, Cloud and Services Optimization Manager at Chevron, who shares how he helped launch the company’s first FinOps function after decades in cloud operations. Scott reflects on the mindset shifts, executive support, and automation strategies that helped Chevron turn FinOps into a company-wide responsibility.
Together, we dive into key topics, including:
Whether you’re launching a FinOps program or improving an existing one, this episode offers hard-earned advice from a seasoned leader who helped shift cloud strategy in one of the world’s largest energy companies.
Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more expert interviews, FinOps leadership strategies, and cloud cost optimization insights!
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency
How is FinOps evolving to meet the rising challenge of data spend management?
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sat down with Alex Landis, Senior Finance Manager, and Simar Aurora, Value Engineer at Snowflake, to explore how FinOps is being applied to the fast-growing world of data usage and cost optimization. Together, they share how Snowflake’s internal FinOps practices—like “Snowflake on Snowflake”—help improve visibility, efficiency, and scalability for both their teams and customers.
Together, we dive into key topics, including:
Alex and Simar also share personal stories about their careers, life in California, and the practices that keep them grounded—from hiking and family time to yoga and mentoring.
Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more expert conversations on FinOps best practices, cloud and data spend management, and the future of financial operations at scale!
Quotes of the Show:
“Our finance team are some of the most technical folks in finance that I've ever met. I think that needs to be more and more the norm as we continue moving forward in this overall cycle.” - Alex Landis
“The practitioner's role is expanding to be more cloud plus. So a lot more FinOps practitioners are also reaching out saying, ‘I'm starting to manage data spend now.’ So it's a two way thing that is happening here. ” - Simar Arora
Links:
Alex’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alandis/
Simar’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simarpreet-arora/
Website: https://www.snowflake.com/en/
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Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808
iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/
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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t
Substack: https://finopsinaction.substack.com/
Transistor: finopsinaction.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency
How can FinOps culture shift cost from a finance problem to an engineering mindset?
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sat down with Amy Ashby, FinOps and Software Asset Management Lead at Under Armour, who shares her journey from IT data centers to cloud infrastructure and FinOps leadership. Amy unpacks the realities of building a FinOps practice from scratch—and why presenting data alone isn’t enough to inspire change.
Together, we dive into key topics, including:
Amy also shares personal reflections on life in Milwaukee, her love for restoring vintage homes, and performing live music with her band, The Incorruptibles. Whether you’re new to FinOps or deep into SaaS optimization, this episode is filled with practical insights on driving cost-aware engineering cultures.
Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more expert interviews, FinOps strategies, and real-world cloud cost optimization advice!
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