Hello everybody! Welcome to another episode of Generation CFO. Joining me today is Mark Neil – VP Finance at A+E Networks UK. With more than 25 years of experience working in media and telecommunications companies, Mark has a lot in store for us about finance, CFOs and technology. “You are not just the finance guy” - Finance professionals must understand the business Finance is the fulcrum of any business. Being a finance professional is not just about presenting spreadsheets and charts. It is understanding the business as a whole and knowing what the business wants. As what Mark says, “The quicker we can provide strong and correct information then we are more ahead of the game.” And this will only happen if you have a reliable team. It is about the right people doing the right jobs. Join us in this episode as Mark and I discuss about automation of finance roles, building a team that you can rely and trust, and hear Mark’s advices for young accountants when it comes to accelerating their career path. Episode Quotes "Once you have a foundation and professional qualification like accountancy, it does make you very mobile" "It is trying to understand the context of someone's question. If they give you the context, then you can provide the answer much quicker" "Sometimes finance can be seen in a very old school way - pay bills, collect money among others" "Finance is a value adding function... It is the fulcrum of any business" "Automation frees individuals to do other things, and those things should be value adding" "The quicker we can provide strong and correct information then we are more ahead of the game" "Finance can fail if you do not have the right people doing the right jobs within the team" "Get out of your finance mindset and start to understand what the business wants" "I still believe that you have to put the time in. There are no shortcuts" "I do not think there are any limits unless you limit yourself" Listen to Learn 05:49 Getting to know Mark Neil - career journey 10:58 Neil's experience working outside the finance department 13:30 Working in the telco industry (Blackberry) 16:10 Critical moment in Neil's career path 18:28 High 5 Questions 21:11 Neil's daily functions as a finance professional 24:54 Strategic business partnering 27:36 Automation of finance roles 33:07 Dynamic culture and innovative workplace 36:55 Building a team that you can rely and trust - right people doing the right jobs 38:15 Understanding the business - "You are not just the finance guy" 42:28 Neil's career path advice for finance people/young accountants 47:24 Where does the CFO role going in the next 10 to 20 years?