Sounds Accurate

BlackLine

Sounds Accurate cuts through the noise in Finance & Accounting to bring today's Office of the CFO the conversations that truly matter.

Each episode features candid discussions with industry leaders, innovators, and experts tacking real challenges - efficiency, transparency, technology.

No buzzwords, just clarity and insights you can act on to lead with confidence in a fast-changing world.

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16 episodes
monthly
Avg 34 min
English

Episodes 16

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S1 · E10
Wednesday · 36 min
EP 10: Kay Firth-Butterfield - Governing the Age of Agentic AI
Episode 10: Kay Firth-Butterfield - Governing the Age of Agentic AI Kay Firth-Butterfield - CEO of Good Tech Advisory, former Head of AI at the World Economic Forum, and the world's first Chief AI Ethics Officer - joins BlackLine CMO Emily Campbell, to break down the real risks of probabilistic AI and how companies can govern autonomous agents before they become a liability. In this episode we cover: Why "shadow AI" creates legal and financial exposure How AI agents degenerate over time and lose their constraints Why a "glass box" approach builds trust that a black box never can
S1 · E9
July 22 · 33 min
EP9: Monica Boydston, CPO Kyriba: Confessions of a CFO Turned CPO
What happens when a CFO decides to stop buying financial software and starts building it instead? This week, we are joined by Monica Boydston, Chief Product Officer at Kyriba. Monica brings a rare and incredibly valuable perspective to the table: she began her executive career as a CFO before pivoting to product leadership in the tech sector. In this episode, Monica unpacks her unique career journey, shares her insights on female leadership across the finance and technology landscapes, and dives deep into the future of treasury. Fresh off the stage from KyribaLive 2026, she explores how Agentic AI is moving from a buzzword to a practical, trusted orchestration layer for global liquidity. In this episode, we cover: The mindset shift required when transitioning from finance leadership to product leadership. Actionable advice for women aspiring to reach the C-suite in finance and tech. How Agentic AI is actively transforming cash management and treasury operations today. The steps leaders can take to build trust in AI-powered financial tools.
S1 · E8
June 24 · 21 min
EP8: Devon Briggs, ATS Corporation: Compliance as Catalyst
Our guest this week is Devon Briggs, Director, Corporate Financial Reporting & Compliance at ATS Corporation; a global industrial automation company operating across more than 100 business units worldwide. The core of the conversation is “Compliance as Catalyst”: how SOX requirements across 100+ global business units became the forcing function for real, lasting automation and standardization at ATS. Devon’s story challenges the assumption that compliance and transformation are in tension. In our conversation, we explore: Why the leaders who get the most out of standardization are the ones who treat compliance as a foundation, not a finish line. How automating Journals, not just reconciliations, became the real unlock for shortening the financial close. What a grounded, governance-first approach to AI actually looks like in a complex, multi-entity finance function.
S1 · E7
May 26 · 25 min
EP7: Amanda Roush, RSM: From Manual Close to Digital Teammate: Architecting the AI-Powered A-Team
The future of finance is building amore powerful team. What if your best people had digital teammates to handle the repetitive, manual work, freeing them to focus on strategy and insight? This week, we're joined by Amanda Roush, Director of Finance Transformation at RSM and a leader who has seen thisevolution from every angle. She started her career on the front lines of accounting, led major automation projects as a BlackLine customer, and now advises companies on their own transformation journeys as a key BlackLine partner. Amanda brings the concept of the "AI-Powered A-Team" to life, sharing insights on: The real-world frustrations thatmake automation a strategic necessity. What a "day in the life" with a digital teammate actually looks like for a process like the financial close. Why the goal of AI is augmentation, not replacement, and how it elevates the role of the finance professional. The practical steps to move from a manual past to an automated future.
#6
April 24 · 30 min
EP6: Quest Playbook: From Centralized Accounting to a Center of Excellence
How do you turn a standard accounting team into a powerhouse of innovation for the entire business? This week, we're getting the playbook from Quest Diagnostics. Our guests are Michael Heeney, Controller, and Adam Dabbeekeh, Senior Manager of Centralized Accounting. They walk us through the incredible evolution of their team, from a cost-saving project to a strategic Center of Excellence. This is a masterclass in practical application, focusing on the why behind their choices, with lessons for any finance leader. In our conversation, we explore: -The business case for rethinking the purpose of a finance team. -Their "modernization equation" for combining different technologies. -The 'why' behind empowering people and moving them to higher-value work. - How to build a value proposition that gets buy-in from other teams.
S1 · E5
March 24 · 26 min
EP5: The People-First CFO with Craig Richey, Americas CFO of Accenture
This week, host Emily Campbell, CMO at BlackLine, sits down with Craig Richey, the Americas Chief Financial Officer at Accenture. His career offers a powerful roadmap for any leader navigating the profound shifts in the finance profession. The core of our conversation is the journey of reinvention—how finance leaders can transform their teams from a traditional back-office function into a strategic, front-office architect of enterprise value. Craig argues that this transformation is not about technology alone, but is fundamentally centered on people, talent, and culture. In our conversation, we explore: The key moments that define a modern CFO's journey. What the "back-office to front-office" shift actually looks like in practice. How to balance the demand for innovation and speed with the need for absolute control. How AI is reshaping the future of finance and the talent required to lead it.
S1 · E4
February 24 · 29 min
EP4: Tim Harford: The Automation Paradox & the Dangers of “Good Enough” AI
The better an automated system gets, the more it can degrade our skills and attention. Bestselling author and Financial Times columnist Tim Harford joins Emily Campbell to unpack this "Automation Paradox." We explore why a "good enough" AI with an engaged human might be safer than a state-of-the-art system with a complacent one, the danger of relying on "black box" algorithms, and how to build a finance culture that questions data instead of blindly trusting it.
S1 · E4
January 26 · 31 min
EP3: Mo Gawdat on AI Twins: Trust, Control, and What Comes Next
Mo Gawdat explains “AI Twins” and why their rapid progress challenges expertise and control in finance. We explore how to partner with black-box models, protect trust and accountability, and prepare teams to collaborate with their digital colleagues. Hosted by Emily Campbell, with practical mental frameworks for leaders.
S1 · E2
Dec 3, 2025 · 24 min
EP2: Why AI in Accounting Demands Precision (with Cheri Hewlett)
Forecasting rewards prediction; accounting demands precision. Emily Campbell and Cheri Hewlett break down AI built on controls, not just flexibility, and what to do when AI exposes gaps in your data and processes. Learn how to build trust on your team and measure strategic impact beyond hours saved.
S2 · E1
Sep 25, 2025 · 33 min
EP1: How SAP Runs Finance: Dr. Christopher Sessar’s Gold-Standard R2R
SAP’s CAO, Dr. Christopher Sessar, reveals the “gold-standard” record-to-report model powering SAP’s own books. We unpack trusted AI that delivers real ROI, the controls that matter, and how to future-proof your accounting team before 2026. Hosted by Emily Campbell, with candid insights you won’t find in case studies, including why SAP bets its own finance on BlackLine.
S1 · E6
Aug 12, 2025 · 44 min
Heather Vertin: Pausing is Poison in Finance Transformation
Pausing is Poison: Why Iteration Outperforms Inertia in Finance Transformation Transformation doesn’t stall because of bad ideas, it stalls because someone hit the pause button. In this punchy, no-fluff episode, Heather Vertin from Clearsulting and Joseph Voss unpack why waiting for “readiness” is actually a risk, not a strategy. Think of inertia as the silent killer of Finance progress, while you’re pausing, your competitors are iterating. If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “Let’s wait until after the ERP upgrade,” this one’s for you. Tune in to hear what happens when finance keeps moving and when it doesn’t. Spoiler alert: momentum wins.
S1 · E5
May 20, 2025 · 39 min
Trust in AI: Is your financial data accurate and secure?
In this episode, we’re joined by Jeremy Ung, Chief Technology Officer, and Jill Knesek, Chief Information Security Officer at BlackLine, to explore how organizations can responsibly adopt AI without compromising on data integrity or security. We dive into the unique challenges finance and accounting leaders face when integrating AI, the trade-offs between speed and security, and why even small lapses in accuracy can have significant consequences. Key themes include: - The role of data integrity in delivering reliable AI outcomes - Security risks of fast-tracking AI features without safeguards - Why 95% accuracy is not enough in finance and accounting - Best practices for secure, auditable AI development - How BlackLine’s disciplined, transparent approach sets it apart If you’re looking to implement AI responsibly—without sacrificing trust, transparency, or control—this is the conversation you won’t want to miss.
S1 · E4
May 7, 2025 · 43 min
Anders Liu-Lindberg: Is there an R2R and FP&A execution gap?
Is your finance team caught between reporting the numbers and turning them into strategic action? You're not alone. Many organizations face an execution gap between Record-To-Report (R2R) and Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) - and that disconnect is costing impact at the executive level. Join us LIVE as Joe sits down with renowned finance voice Anders Liu-Lindberg to unpack this critical challenge. With 13 years at A.P Moller-Maersk and over 400,000 followers on LinkedIn, Anders brings real-world insights and practical solutions to help finance leaders close the gap. Together, we'll explore: - Why finance presentations often fall flat with executives -The 5-step method to turn data into insight and insight into action - How better communications bridges the R2R and FP&A gap - The mindset shift from 'nice analysis' to 'Lets take action' Whether you're in FP&A, R2R, or a finance leadership role - this session is your roadmap to becoming a more impactful communicator and decision-maker in your business. PLUS: get a sneak peak into Anders' new book - Communicating Financials to Executives, and learn how to move from reporting to storytelling that drives results. Invite your finance team, bring your questions. Let's make finance future-ready, together.
S1 · E3
Apr 1, 2025 · 46 min
Chris Barton, Shazam Founder: The bold moves that built a tech revolution
Chris Barton, Founder of Shazam: HEAR ME OUT - The bold moves that built a tech revolution. “What if we could teach a computer to recognize music?” This bold question sparked the creation of Shazam, and the rest, as they say, is history—or is it? In this episode of Faces of the Future-Ready, Chris Barton, the visionary founder of Shazam, takes us behind the scenes of the groundbreaking AI innovation that defined the company. But this isn’t just a story about technology—it’s about persistence, ingenuity, and the journey of turning an ambitious idea into a global phenomenon. Chris shares how Shazam uncovered the unique opportunity AI presented, transforming a bold concept into a world-changing product. But great technology alone doesn’t build a business—strategy, execution, and resilience do. Shazam’s path to its remarkable $400M acquisition by Apple is a masterclass in vision, timing, and staying ahead of the curve. In this episode, we explore: How Shazam went from an ambitious idea to an industry-changing success The challenges of pioneering AI before it was mainstream Lessons in balancing vision, execution, and scalability in tech This is a can’t-miss conversation about innovation, risk-taking, and the boldness to think differently.
S1 · E2
Feb 18, 2025 · 37 min
Marc Ursick: Shaping the Future of Financial Operations
Calling all Finance & Accounting Teams! Tune into Episode 2 of our Faces of The Future Ready live series, with guest speaker Marc Ursick, Founder & CEO of Clearsulting. Join us as Marc shares game-changing insights on how CFOs can embrace automation, AI, and strategic transformation to unlock new opportunities & discover how Clearsulting is empowering the office of the CFO to become more agile, innovative, and future-ready. Follow our host, Joseph Voss https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmfvoss/ Find out more about BlackLine’s future-ready approach https://www.blackline.com/
S1 · E1
Nov 28, 2024 · 44 min
Russ Laraway: Is your Leadership Future-Ready?
“The world doesn’t need another podcast about opinions onleadership.” The words from our pull-no-punches guest Russ Laraway show this isn’t your average leadership puff piece. Russ Laraway, is the author of the critically acclaimed “When You Win, They Win”, a former Marine Corps Company Commander, and the co-founder of Candor, Inc., alongside Kim Scott. In this first episode of Faces of The Future-Ready, Russdestroys some big leadership myths. For Russ, a key reason that leadership standards are dropping—in spite of the wealth of content on the subject—is that no one holds any of those opinions to account in any meaningful way. But there is a structure at the heart of great leadership,something simple, measurable, coherent, and a whole lot lessopinion-based. That’s what we explore in this scintillating 45-min piece. In this episode you’ll learn: Russ’ two measurable pillars future-ready leadership How get the most from leadership training The importance of employee engagement and how to increase it How to create relationships that improve retention What leaders can learn from the Marine Corp How to face your fears as a leader Top tips for up and coming leaders Follow our host, Joseph Voss ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmfvoss/⁠ Use Russ’ “Quick and Dirty Management Effectiveness Index” ⁠https://www.whentheywinyouwin.com/tools⁠ Find out more about BlackLine’s future-ready approach ⁠https://www.blackline.com/

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