What a Berkshire Hathaway CFO Taught Me About Strategic Finance Leadership

Описание: Dave Schurch served as CFO of Scott Fetzer, a Berkshire Hathaway company, and spent his career leading finance inside complex manufacturing businesses.

In this episode, we break down how finance leaders move from technical execution to real business influence. Dave shares practical lessons on ERP implementation, working capital optimization, cost discipline, M&A decision-making, cybersecurity, and what it actually means to be a strategic finance business partner.

This is not theory. These are lessons learned inside real businesses operating at scale.

What you’ll learn in this conversation:

• Why finance leaders must become part of the business team, not just report numbers
• ERP implementation lessons, including why consultants should support, not lead
• The importance of process mapping and understanding how transactions truly flow
• How to control costs fast when revenue drops
• Working capital levers most finance teams underutilize
• How to reduce excess inventory and protect cash flow
• Lean manufacturing cost savings and separating real savings from soft savings
• M&A discipline and why staying in your lane matters
• Cybersecurity basics finance leaders cannot ignore
• What the finance leader of the future looks like in an AI-driven world

If you are a senior accountant, controller, FP&A leader, or CFO who wants to increase your influence inside the business, this episode will challenge how you think about your role.

Chapters:

00:00 Why finance must be part of the solution
03:38 Career path to CFO of a Berkshire Hathaway company
08:11 ERP implementation and process alignment
16:10 Cost control during downturns
20:15 Working capital and cash flow strategy
24:12 Inventory surge and debt reduction
36:34 Lean manufacturing cost savings
40:30 M&A sourcing and acquisition discipline
50:18 When to insource vs outsource
56:04 Building a realistic business case
1:00:56 Cybersecurity and IT leadership
1:06:15 Building a high-impact finance function
1:10:13 The future of finance leadership
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If you want to move from technical execution to strategic finance leadership:

Finance Leader of Influence Roadmap: https://alecborlin.me/book

Free guide: The 3 biggest career mistakes that quietly stall accounting and finance professionals: https://alecborlin.me/FIN

Connect with Alec on LinkedIn
  / alec-borlin-cpa-aa141482  

About this channel:

This channel is built for experienced accounting and finance professionals who want to increase their influence inside the business.

You will hear directly from CFOs, controllers, and finance leaders about how they solved real challenges involving forecasting accuracy, ERP implementations, M&A integration, close process improvements, and operational finance in growing companies.

Topics include:

Senior accountant to controller progression
Controller to CFO progression
Strategic finance leadership
Forecasting and financial planning improvement
ERP implementation lessons
Finance transformation
Adding measurable value from the finance function
Building influence inside the finance function