The surprising way one CFO grows her network and her knowledge

Sponsored by Thomson Reuters

Wassia Kamon, CPA, returned as a guest on the Journal of Accountancy podcast to preview her sessions at the CFO Conference and ENGAGE.

Kamon also discussed the growing expectations placed on today’s CFOs and how those expectations helped shape one of her conference sessions. Kamon also reflected on how launching her podcast, The Diary of a CFO, has expanded her network and grown her knowledge.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• Kamon’s summary of her session with Paul Young at the CFO Conference in April.
• Why she says her podcast “is almost like a business card.”
• The importance of a true reset and how a reset is different from rest.
• What she’s most looking forward to at ENGAGE in June.
• Why sessions related to artificial intelligence will be particularly relevant this year.

Play the episode below or read the edited transcript:

— To comment on this episode or to suggest an idea for another episode, contact Neil Amato at Neil.Amato@aicpa-cima.com.

Transcript

Neil Amato: Hello and welcome to the Journal of Accountancy podcast. Thanks for coming back for another episode. I’m Neil Amato with the JofA. Today, we’re going to preview the April CFO Conference with one of its speakers and hit on some highlights from other recent conferences with one honoree in the AICPA and CIMA Global Women to Watch Program. You will hear that conversation right after this message from our sponsor.

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Amato: Welcome back. Our guest today is Wassia Kamon, a CPA, a CFO, and a podcaster herself. Wassia, we are glad to have you back on the Journal of Accountancy podcast.

Wassia Kamon: Thank you so much for having me again. Thank you, Neil. Happy to be here.

Amato: Yeah, we mentioned the CFO Conference. That’s April 13 to April 15 in Miami Beach. You are speaking at that event. Do you want to tell me some about the focus of that session, if it is only one session, at CFO?

Kamon: Yes, it’s only one session. I may be doing Jeopardy!, but that’s outside of scope. The main session I’m presenting is actually on April 13, and it’s titled “Strategic by Design: How CFOs Structure Their Teams and Planning Processes for Strategic Impact.” Really, the focus is about the fact that the CFO role itself has evolved faster than the finance function supporting them, and so we want to dive into why is it so.

Then, how can we close the gap, especially on the talent side? Because when you think about it, as a CFO is being asked to be more strategic, then everything below, the people, the systems, and processes also have to be strategic. That’s what we’ll dive into.

Amato: I think that’s a good preview. We will put a link to the CFO Conference agenda in the show notes for this episode. You’re not presenting on that topic alone, by my understanding. You’re speaking with Paul Young. He’s been a guest on this podcast. Tell us something about Paul, and I guess, do you recall when you first met him?

Kamon: Yes. Paul Young, we initially met at the Future of Finance Summit about three or four years ago. At that particular conference, it was my first time there, and we connected because the Future of Finance allows you those roundtables, where you’re able to talk. It’s not a big, big conference. We’re able to connect, and then after that, we found ourselves in other AICPA events. Eventually, we struck a friendship. He came on my podcast, The Diary of a CFO, and then after that, we kept talking, and I was like, “This would be a great session.” And he joined in, and that’s how we’ll be presenting together in April.

Amato: That’s great. I mentioned Paul’s been on this show. We’ve talked about apprenticeships with him. He is, I think, unofficially known as “The Apprenticeship Guy.”

Kamon: Yes.

Amato: His official title is CFO of Liberty Bank. But what do you like about presenting with Paul?

Kamon: He’s an amazing human being, period, but also he is experienced, and really the heart he has for talent development. Some people, they say it with words. Paul is really intentional about building up his team. Like everything from how we design the talent pipeline, with the apprenticeship program, he really spent time and resources to grow his team. And I just love that, because I think when we think about digital transformation or AI, we tend to forget the human element and how it’s so important for all of those other things to work.

Amato: That’s a great point, and I definitely feel that when I talk to Paul, and I think a lot of people feel those emotions when they’re around him as well. Thank you for that. Let’s talk some about your podcast. You mentioned the title, The Diary of a CFO. Why did you decide to start a podcast?

Kamon: It started when I became a CFO. Going to be almost two years ago, and I was like, oh, let me start a podcast. I’m going to journal my journey as a CFO and also have the opportunity to interview other CFOs and thought leaders in the space. That’s how I was able to just start the podcast. Does it take time? Yes. Do I have a team helping me? Absolutely.

But it’s been great to be able to connect with people like Tom Hood [executive vice president–Business Engagement and Growth at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants], having those conversations with him, with Dave [DeFreitas] from Caterpillar, the former CFO, and so many other leaders that, otherwise, I don’t think I’ll have the chance to talk [to], so now the podcast is almost like a business card, and I’m able to say, “Hey, I would like to have you on my podcast.”

So I’m learning, but I’m also helping others learn at the same time, and it’s just been great. It’s been great. Now, I have more CFO friends, and also it keeps me relevant in the sense of learning how different people think from different organizations, different industries, and keeping me sharp because this role is a lot.

Amato: It is a lot, and that idea of continuing to have the conversations not only benefits your listeners, but you’re right, it benefits you as well. That’s a good point. I think it’s not easy to start and keep going with a podcast, but I hope you have some staying power.

You mentioned some of those people you’ve had on. We’ve talked about Paul, Tom Hood, a regular on this show. Dave DeFreitas, I believe is how you pronounce his name. He’s a good resource as well, and you’ll continue to have others. Tell me this, I don’t know: Is it monthly, every couple of weeks, or what’s the frequency?

Kamon: Every two weeks. Releasing episodes every two weeks on Apple, Spotify, YouTube. Initially, I was like, let me be bold, let me start every week. Then I burned out. I was like, let’s do every two weeks.

Amato: It’s not easy. We applaud you on doing it, and I think it’s good because it gets more of those conversations out there for CFOs, who are, as we’ve mentioned, undergoing a role change pretty rapidly.

Kamon: Yes.

Amato: Looking back to the Future of Finance Summit in December in Denver, you were part of a workshop, I guess, a women in finance workshop. Do you want to tell me something about some of the key points that came out of that and any other highlights you got from the Future of Finance Summit?

Kamon: Oh, yeah. My session was titled “Ready, Reset, Go.” It was really for us to take a moment because, at the end of 2025, a lot had happened in the economy, politics, that all these things were going on. Really wanted to take some time to think about, yes, celebrate the success we had, but also have a reset. Because we often rest, but we don’t reset. When you rest or take a break, for example, you are basically catching your breath because you just go, go, go.

When you’re doing a reset, you pause long enough to wonder, am I still running in the right direction? What is it that I need to let go? Because the future of finance is requiring us to be agile, to be able to adapt. But if we have too much baggage and we’re carrying things we don’t need to carry, then it’s hard to be effective as finance leaders in that realm. That’s really what it was about. What are the things that we are ready to reset and let go to really move forward with confidence.

Amato: That was the Future of Finance Summit in December. Looking ahead to June, June is the 10th edition of ENGAGE. It is June 8–11 in Las Vegas. You’re part of the ENGAGE planning committee. You’re moderating a panel. Tell me something about those roles and your excitement about this year’s ENGAGE.

Kamon: Oh, gosh, my first time going to ENGAGE was last year, and I was in edition nine, now I’m in No. 10. I will say one of the things I’m most excited about is having Ryan Reynolds because I’m a huge Marvel fan, so having Deadpool, I’m like, yes, absolutely.

But then, on the finance side, because I’m on the corporate finance track planning committee, I’m moderating a session about making the leap to the CFO role. How do you move from controller to CFO or from FP&A to CFO? I’ll be joined by three CFOs. Two of them went the CPA controller route, and one of them went the FP&A route.

Really excited to have Jessica McClain, Janice Stucke, and James Miln on that panel because they’ll be able to talk about what helped them get hired. What are some of the things that helped them succeed in their role, anything that took them by surprise, and also advice for the audience about what they could have done differently.

Amato: That’s great. When you look at the ENGAGE agenda, it can be overwhelming because there are just so many sessions, but just that one example is a great one for all the fantastic content that’s coming from ENGAGE this year. Anything in particular besides Ryan Reynolds and your session that you’re looking forward to in ENGAGE?

Kamon: Oh, gosh. We’re going to have a lot of sessions about AI. This time is not the “we don’t know how” or “AI is a buzz” or “what are we going to do,” but actual case studies and people that have been using it, actually implementing it in their organization. I really look for more practical use cases of using AI.

There’ll be a lot of sessions around that and how you can, of course, build and get your team ready to be effective because AI is just one part of the equation, just technology. Now you have the people and all the other good stuff you have to bring on board to make it work, so very excited about that as well.

Amato: That’s great. Wassia, we look forward to seeing you at ENGAGE in June. Anything else you’d like to add as a closing thought to this conversation? I’ve really enjoyed it.

Kamon: Oh, thank you. Same here. I just want to say that I’m super grateful for the AICPA and all the events, like the conferences and the resources. They really helped me in my career in ways I can’t even begin to say. Thank you so much for having me. I’m really excited about this conference and looking to make great friendships and build stronger relationships with the ones I already have.

Amato: Thanks to Wassia Kamon for her time and insights. Again, she’s at the CFO Conference, which starts April 13, and ENGAGE, the 10th edition of which begins June 8. Look for a link to both conferences in the show notes for this episode.

Also a reminder to listeners: We encourage you to follow the show on your favorite podcast app and to give our show a rating and to write a review.

Later this year, we will hit the 500-episode milestone. If there’s a topic or a guest you’d like for us to consider for a future episode, you can contact me, Neil Amato, at Neil.Amato@aicpa-cima.com. Thanks for listening, and we will talk again next week.