COO & CFO Perspective

COO & CFO Perspective: 10 Coffee Chat Questions

1. Coffee or tea? And how do you usually take it during a busy workday?

Coffee, with oat milk. But a busy schedule has also produced an unexpected habit: sparkling water. Our office dispenser pours it faster than still water, and that small nudge changed my routine entirely. Sometimes operational efficiency finds you in unexpected places.

2. You’ve taken on the combined role of CFO & COO – what excites you most about this expanded scope?

Over the years, my work naturally broadened beyond finance into the systems, processes, and commercial rhythms that keep the firm running. The combined role simply formalizes a journey already in motion. What excites me is the proximity to the full value chain – from how we generate demand to how we deliver and capture value. Finance, operations, technology, data: they are less separate domains than the connective tissue of a healthy organization. Being able to shape that end‑to‑end system is both a privilege and a responsibility I deeply enjoy.

3. As your remit grows, which ways of working are essential to maintain alignment across teams?

Alignment isn’t created by just enforcing process; it’s created by understanding purpose. When people know why something exists, the how becomes far easier to follow. My focus is always on clarity of intent: what problem we are solving, and why it matters. Once that’s transparent, collaboration becomes more natural and less prescriptive.

4. How do you prioritize improvements when there are opportunities across finance, operations, and technology at the same time?

I prioritize what creates the most value – as simple as that. And value is rarely created by technology alone. Well‑designed processes, understood by the people who use them, come first. Only then does technology become a multiplier. Without that foundation, even the most sophisticated system will underperform. So, my sequence is deliberate: define the process, understand the problem, evaluate the technology rigorously, and ensure any investment is implementable on time and on budget.

5. Where do you see technology having the biggest impact on a-connect’s next phase of operational excellence?

Operational excellence isn’t an end state; it’s a platform for growth. At a‑connect, strong processes and skilled people have been in place from the start – one of the advantages of being built by consultants. So technology’s role now is evolutionary, not revolutionary. Small, well‑targeted adjustments can sharpen how we work, but technology won’t replace deep expertise or the relationships that underpin our business. Because our business model is intentionally lean, our biggest opportunity remains growth, not cost‑cutting.

6. What role does data-driven decision-making play in building trust and clarity across the organization?

Transparency starts with having one trusted version of the truth. As AI and automation proliferate, the risk of fragmented or conflicting sources increases. Reliable, shared data is what enables teams to prioritize effectively and make decisions quickly. It avoids parallel narratives and allows everyone to calibrate around the same facts. Data alone doesn’t replace judgement, but it sharpens it and it builds confidence across the organization.

7. How do you see client expectations evolving, and what does that mean for firms like a-connect?

Clients have always expected consulting firms to be at the frontier of new thinking. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is the availability of data and analytic capability, which compresses the advantage large firms once had simply by scale. Processing information is no longer the differentiator. Making sense of it, translating insight into decisions, remains scarce. That’s where smaller firms like ours thrive: we combine expertise and agility with genuine partnership and senior attention.

8. In your view, which operational capabilities will matter most as the consulting market continues to change?

Speed & Agility – both in delivery and in adjustment. The companies that will thrive are those able to make decisions without waiting for perfect conditions. Current environment moves too quickly for that. Strong operational capabilities will increasingly mean the ability to cut through noise, act with discipline, and refine continuously as you go.

9. What’s one lesson from your career that shapes how you approach leadership today?

Meaningful change is rarely delivered in one dramatic move. It comes from steady, focused, incremental progress. Decide what matters, identify the champions, and keep going. Leadership is often about patience and persistence – directing energy, not just providing direction.

10. Finally, what’s your “a-connect superpower” as CFO & COO?

When I see something that will benefit the company or our people, I focus, I dive in, I learn what I need to learn, and I make it happen. I’m relentless about follow‑through. Some people call it being a “maker”, I simply see it as doing the work that needs to be done.