EP 018 - The Infra SaaS CFO With Rakib Azad, CFO At Alkira Strategy Of Finance podcast

EP 018 - The Infra SaaS CFO with Rakib Azad, CFO at Alkira

10M ago 1:21:56

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Rakib Azad shares his career journey from studying medicine to becoming a CFO in the tech industry. He discusses his transition from medical studies to finance and how he discovered his passion for numbers and business. Rakib also talks about his experiences at MongoDB, Chain Analysis, and Alkira, highlighting the similarities and differences in the infrastructure software space. He explores pricing models in the industry and the challenges of building a winning finance team while scaling a company. In this episode, Rakib Azad, CFO of Alkira, discusses the importance of building a diverse and well-rounded team, hiring for diversity and fit, investing in talent for an IPO, implementing systems and processes, navigating the IPO process from an FP&A perspective, the role of a modern CFO, the first 90 days at a new company, defining a successful career, advice for his younger self, and what keeps him going as a CFO.

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Takeaways

Building a diverse and well-rounded team is crucial for success in finance organizations.
Hiring for diversity and fit is important to create a healthy and productive work environment.
Investing in talent for an IPO should be done strategically and well in advance of the IPO.
Implementing systems and processes is essential for scaling a company and optimizing financial operations.
Navigating the IPO process from an FP&A perspective requires deep understanding of the business and close collaboration with stakeholders.
The role of a modern CFO goes beyond numbers and involves being a strategic business partner.
The first 90 days at a new company should be focused on listening, learning, and building relationships.
A successful career is defined by making a meaningful impact and building great companies.
Advice for a younger self includes being patient and diving deep into learning opportunities.
What keeps a CFO going is the challenge of solving new problems and contributing to the growth of a company.

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Quotes

“I just love operations and how the numbers tie back to it.”

“Being in the tech world is unbelievable because it's things that you wouldn't have imagined 15, 20 years ago, some of the tech that's coming out. And now, I'm helping these companies become seminal companies and it's a great feeling.”

“I pay a lot of attention to the go-to-market org and how that needs to evolve.”

“It's a hard buy at first because sometimes it is transformational… So the logo land is tough. So that's been a theme I'm seeing. But then the economics are tremendous. So it's a high cost to acquire. But the LTV gets delivered in spades once you have the right solution.”

“I love to have a well-rounded team because I think you get the best work from some of the parts who are really different.”

“You want processes and automations that actually make people's lives easier while also building the backend guardrails and then compliance that are required.”

“If you are an FP&A team that is very proactive in the business, you're gonna be everywhere in the IPO process.”

“Obviously you want that you're the guy who knows numbers and you have the foundation of us understanding how P&L and everything works. But now you are that strategic business partner with that acumen.”

“I'm gonna be a guy who's gonna have empathy and also hold you accountable. So that's what I pride myself on. I think the modern CFO needs to have those two aspects in them.”

“It's up to the modern CFO to deliver the company's strategy in a way that's digestible for each of the leaders.”

“The more you put your effort in and learn more, the better your future self is going to be.”

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Where to find Rakib Azad:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rakibazad/

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Where to find Alkira:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alkiranet/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alkiranet

Website: https://www.alkira.com/

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Where to find Rohit:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohitagarwal001/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/podcast_SoF

Email: rohit@strategyoffinance.com

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Sponsor:

This show is brought to you by Krayo - the Unified Operating System for Corporate Spend. Krayo is bringing together the whole journey of Corp Spend - Buy > Pay > Manage - into one single platform in an intelligence-first and automated design. We promise to make you more profitable. Visit at https://www.krayo.io/

42 episodes

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Takeaways

Building a diverse and well-rounded team is crucial for success in finance organizations.
Hiring for diversity and fit is important to create a healthy and productive work environment.
Investing in talent for an IPO should be done strategically and well in advance of the IPO.
Implementing systems and processes is essential for scaling a company and optimizing financial operations.
Navigating the IPO process from an FP&A perspective requires deep understanding of the business and close collaboration with stakeholders.
The role of a modern CFO goes beyond numbers and involves being a strategic business partner.
The first 90 days at a new company should be focused on listening, learning, and building relationships.
A successful career is defined by making a meaningful impact and building great companies.
Advice for a younger self includes being patient and diving deep into learning opportunities.
What keeps a CFO going is the challenge of solving new problems and contributing to the growth of a company.