Tomá? Otava: “Financial team is the conscience of the company”

The days of the idea that the CFO is only an accountant are over. More important is the ability to work with change and overall orientation in technology, says Tomá? Otava, the new CFO of Mind2FLO.

We are introducing you a man who has taken on the key role of group CFO since April. By its nature and approach, it breaks down the surviving ideas about the role of the financial director. For example, he says in exaggeration that the financial team is the company's conscience, and people are a more important indicator than numbers. That is why it will probably not surprise you that Tomá? Otava is also a certified coach.?

How has the role of CFOs changed in recent years??

It has changed fundamentally because the business has changed just as significantly, and the CFO is a position that directly reflects the current state of the business. It is nothing new that a CFO is no longer just a person focused on numbers. Still, it should also be a person who can quickly adapt to new conditions, use new technologies, and work with colleagues across the company. The CFO usually knows the most about the company because he needs it for his work.?

“People are a more important indicator than numbers.”

How will you incorporate coaching experience into your role??

I think the worst coaching is the unrequested one so that it won't be so hot with the connection of my two professions (laughs). But on the other hand, some colleagues know about my second profession and have already expressed an interest in coaching sessions or want to talk about coaching and how it works. So I hope that in Mind2FLO, we will be able to develop a coaching culture because I believe that it is a method that can help individuals, teams, and the whole company grows.?

That sounds a bit abstract. What can we imagine under the contribution of coaching culture??

Personally, coaching practice helps me verify that we are on the right path. From the point of view of the whole company, it is a matter of working with change. One of the important areas that coaching works with is change. And our group will go through many changes, both internal and external. If we can be prepared for them, I believe that we will be able to fulfill our vision much more easily. ?

In our conversation, you describe your role as a mission. What did you mean by that??

Mind2FLO has big plans ahead and is going to connect several worlds. However, in practice, many positions here have vast fields of application. And in such situations, one needs to rely on inner settings and approaches to solving tasks never solved before. In this, I see the example of a separate mission.?

What is your idea about the operation of your finance team??

My team shapes the strategy of the whole group and thus determines the path we all go on together. These people go first and may deviate from the original plan without corresponding to the company's goals. Then, the finance team is supposed to correct the direction of the road related to the plan. It's such conscience of the company but in a good way.?