CFO Leadership at Public Firms: Strategy, Scale & AI

Amartya: Hello everyone. Welcome to the 11th episode of Inside the CFO Office. I’m Amartya Singh, Co-founder and CEO of FinFloh, a product built by and for modern finance teams. In this episode, we explore the journeys of finance leaders, the challenges they’ve overcome, and the future of finance.

Today, I’m joined by Gary Lu, a seasoned CFO with expertise in public company finance, strategic transformations, and operational excellence. He has led finance teams at Biomerica, Happy Money, Warp Technology, First Service Residential, and Broadcom, driving strategy, compliance, and growth.

Gary is also passionate about mentorship and founded Forge Optima, a network dedicated to advancing finance professionals through collaboration and learning. Today, we’ll discuss CFO leadership at public firms—strategy, scale, and AI—and how finance leaders navigate growth, compliance, and financial scale while embracing AI and automation.

Welcome, Gary. Great to have you here.

Gary: Thanks, Amartya. Excited to be here!

Amartya: Let’s start with your career journey. You’ve worked across consulting and finance leadership. How did your path evolve from EY to becoming a CFO?

Gary: Yeah, great question. I’d say my journey started in a pretty traditional way, but like most finance executives, there were twists and turns that helped me grow. I studied economics and accounting at UCLA, then went through EY’s mentorship and internship program before transitioning into a full-time role.

Client service was great, but I wanted to be embedded in a company—understanding the products, working cross-functionally, and contributing beyond just finance. Tech was always something I was drawn to, so I joined Broadcom, where I started in SOX and IT audits. That experience opened doors for me.

I went through a corporate rotation—working in accounting, finance, business unit product finance, and strategic consulting. But the real game-changer was leading the PMO for a major SAP implementation, overseeing sales finance and business intelligence. That was the first time I really understood how finance, tech, and operations connect at a deep level.

From there, I moved into mid-market and public company finance, growing through different roles. But I had this itch—I had experience in enterprise and public finance, but I wanted to understand startups. How do companies start? What’s it like from zero to Series D? That led me to Happy Money, where I was part of the journey from a lower valuation to a unicorn.

At Biomerica, I found the perfect blend—it’s a public company but also has an emerging commercialization phase, like a startup within an established business. That mix of R&D, product commercialization, and public finance is what really attracted me to the role.

Amartya: That’s fascinating. I love how you’ve navigated both structured enterprise finance and the fast-paced startup world. You also mentioned data architecture and tech stacks, which is rare in finance leadership. Most CFOs leave that to IT. What pushed you to get deeper into technology?

Gary: It really started when I was leading the SAP implementation at Broadcom. Up until that point, I understood financial models, accounting, and business operations, but I didn’t fully appreciate how data flows across an organization.

Being at the center of an ERP rollout forced me to understand data architecture, system integrations, and end-to-end finance workflows. That gave me a completely different perspective—finance isn’t just about numbers, it’s about how information moves, how decisions are made, and how automation can eliminate inefficiencies.

I think this is where many finance leaders struggle. We’re often seen as the "no" people—the gatekeepers, the ones setting financial guardrails. But in today’s environment, that mindset can be limiting. The best CFOs embrace technology and look for ways to leverage AI, automation, and SaaS solutions to improve efficiency.

ERP implementations, for example, can be extremely expensive and time-consuming. But today, SaaS solutions allow you to solve specific problems without committing to a full-scale ERP overhaul. That kind of agility is something every finance leader should be thinking about.

Amartya: Completely agree. The role of finance is evolving fast, and CFOs who don’t embrace technology risk falling behind. Now, let’s talk about public vs. startup finance leadership. You’ve worked in both—what are the biggest differences?

Gary: Public companies and startups operate with completely different mindsets. In public firms, there’s a huge focus on regulatory compliance, SEC filings, and investor relations. Managing shareholder expectations, preparing earnings calls, and ensuring transparency are all critical.

Startups, on the other hand, are all about agility, execution, and scaling fast. You’re wearing multiple hats—sometimes you’re the CFO, strategist, operator, and data analyst all in one. You rely more on SaaS tools instead of complex enterprise systems, and you have more freedom to innovate.

That said, the best CFOs know how to blend both mindsets—bringing financial discipline to startups and agility to public firms.

Amartya: That’s a great breakdown. Speaking of finance systems, let’s talk about ERPs vs. SaaS solutions. What’s your take?

Gary: ERPs are powerful but rigid, expensive, and time-consuming to implement. You can customize them endlessly, but every customization adds cost and complexity. If you’re not ready to invest millions into an ERP, it can become a bottleneck instead of an enabler.

SaaS solutions, on the other hand, are modular, cost-effective, and deploy quickly. In the past, SaaS tools solved specific, isolated problems, but now they’re expanding into end-to-end solutions. For example, a SaaS product might start with AP automation, but then grow into procure-to-pay, credit risk management, or cash forecasting.

This shift is important because finance teams don’t always need a massive ERP overhaul—sometimes, plugging in the right SaaS tool can solve the problem faster and more efficiently.

Amartya: That makes a lot of sense. Now, let’s talk about AI in finance. How do you see AI changing the game?

Gary: AI is already transforming reconciliation, AP automation, fraud detection, and predictive analytics. What used to take hours—manual invoice approvals, transaction matching, credit risk analysis—can now be automated in minutes.

Take AP automation—OCR started the process, but now AI can predict coding, automate approvals, and even flag anomalies. The same thing is happening in forecasting, compliance, and risk assessment.

That said, many finance teams are still hesitant to adopt AI. Some worry about losing control, others assume automation will replace finance roles. But the truth is, AI doesn’t replace CFOs—it enhances decision-making, reduces manual effort, and allows teams to focus on strategy instead of busywork.

Amartya: Couldn’t agree more. AI is an enabler, not a replacement. Before we wrap up, what’s your advice for finance professionals looking to advance their careers?

Gary: First, have a clear vision for your career—be intentional about where you want to go. Second, master the fundamentals—technical expertise is non-negotiable. Third, embrace technology—finance is evolving, and those who don’t adapt will fall behind.

And finally, think beyond numbers—finance leaders today need to be strategists, not just financial gatekeepers.

Amartya: Love that. Gary, this was a fantastic conversation. Thanks for sharing your journey and insights!

Gary: Thanks, Amartya! I really enjoyed it.

Amartya: And thanks to everyone for tuning in! Stay tuned for the next episode of Inside the CFO Office!