The Growth-Minded CFO10 Dec 2025

Leveraging Data Insights for Smarter Business Decision Making, with Jim Cook and Winnie Aoieong

This week on The Growth-Minded CFO, we’re sharing a special podswap with our friends at the FP&A Unlocked podcast (formerly FP&A Tomorrow).

Host Paul Barnhurst sits down with two finance leaders who’ve shaped how modern FP&A operates: Jim Cook (former CFO of Mozilla, with leadership roles at Netflix and Intuit) and Winnie Aoieong (VP of Business Finance at PowerSchool).

Together, they explore what great FP&A looks like today - and why the function’s real power goes far beyond data analysis.

Jim and Winnie unpack how to build decision-making systems, create trust-based business partnerships, and balance technical depth with clear, actionable communication. They also dive into the growing role of generative AI, and why “progress over perfection” is now the mindset every high-performing finance team needs.

If you’re a CFO, FP&A leader, or operator who wants to elevate how your team influences decisions, this conversation is packed with practical insights.

Check out the full feed of other great episodes on the FP&A Unlocked podcast:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xu3W2R4oCbCm6L8k8XY1x
Website: https://www.thefpandaguy.com/fpa-unlocked-podcast

What you’ll learn:

Why world-class FP&A teams build decision-making systems, not just reports
How trust and communication fuel strategic partnership across the business
The power of community and crowdsourcing for problem-solving
Why “perfection is a prison” - and how continuous improvement drives real impact
Practical AI use cases already improving FP&A efficiency today

A thoughtful and inspiring conversation with two leaders who’ve lived through hyper-growth, transformation, and the evolution of the finance function.

Follow Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cookflix/
Follow Winnie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/winnie-aoieong-6852212/
Follow Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefpandaguy/

The Growth-Minded CFO podcast challenges the status quo and explores how the best CFOs approach their work and lives. Hosts Lauren Pearl (Fractional CFO, 3-time Founder, and Startup Finance Instructor at NYU) and Alex Louisy (Fintech CEO and Y Combinator graduate) talk with inspiring finance and business leaders about what it takes to support high-performing organizations.

The Growth-Minded CFO podcast is powered by Upflow - a Financial Relationship Management platform enabling faster payments, stronger customer relationships, and efficient growth for your business.

Join thousands of next-level finance leaders and go from chasing invoices to engaging customers. Find out more at ⁠upflow.io⁠.

Want to get in touch? Reach out to our producer at ⁠joseph.sweeney@upflow.io⁠

Want to recommend a guest for a future episode? Apply via our form: https://insights.upflow.io/apply-to-be-a-guest-on-the-growth-minded-cfo-podcast

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