Greg Wheeler on the CFO Access Podcast

Greg Wheeler joined the CFO Access Podcast with host Jeff Robson to reflect on the leadership choices that shaped his career, and why the CFO role is shifting beyond reporting and into forward-looking strategy.

A key theme was saying yes to opportunities that stretch capability.

“Sliding door decisions for me were often about saying yes to new roles. I was learning all of the time, but those opportunities had a big impact on where my career went.”

Listen to the episode:

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Greg also spoke about the importance of empowering people and backing new ideas, even when they challenge the usual way of doing things.

“I’ve been very fortunate to work with smart, talented people and to build a team mentality that constantly challenges how we do things and how we can do them better. Along the way, we made mistakes, and that’s the way you learn. You just make sure you don’t make the same mistake twice.”

Jeff shared a story from early in his career working under Greg, where Greg encouraged him to challenge the status quo, leading to improvements that were eventually rolled out nationally.

“You came in with a passion for Excel at a time when everything was paper-based. You developed a process that improved our work and delivered additional value to clients through graphs, analytics and forecasting. It was ahead of its time, but it worked.”

The discussion also explored how CFOs can move into more strategic roles by deliberately shifting their focus away from purely historical reporting.

“The challenge for CFOs is that the role naturally pulls you into looking backwards. To be more strategic, you have to create time to look forward and get involved in scenario planning and strategic thinking.”

Greg stressed the value of clarity over volume when it comes to reporting and decision-making.

“There’s usually three to five drivers that really matter. If you can show those clearly, people get it quickly. If they’re all heading up, great. If they’re heading down, then the real question is what you’re going to do about it.”

A more personal moment came when Greg reflected on how health challenges reshaped his view on time and leadership.

“One of the things that shaped me most is realising that time is limited. There are no guarantees in life. Enjoy what you have, appreciate the people around you, and share your experience and your time.”

Listen to the full conversation with Greg Wheeler on the CFO Access Podcast on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3CfNZkQIei4EPFwNOlxOiS