Kim Jeanneret | BioPak
Founded in 2010, BioPak has always been ahead of the curve, driving innovations that reduce plastic dependence whilst striving for a sustainable future. Read more about the BioPak story.
Kim Jeanneret, CFO of BioPak, shared her take on the role of the CFO at BioPak’s headquarters in Bondi.
“A CFO needs to keep growing. A CFO needs to keep learning. You need to be at the forefront of everything that’s going on in your business.” Kim Jeanneret CFO, BioPak
Kim Jeanneret: The role is broadening more and more. Five years ago, we were seeing the CFO becoming more involved in corporate services and the wider business, whereas now this role really drives these functions as well as driving strategy, risk and change.
Jeanneret: Technology makes the CFO’s role so much easier. It can alert you to trends before you even know the trend. It will be sitting there, and you have everything at your fingertips.
Jeanneret: Technology and data. We need to be extremely tech savvy to utilise tools that improve decision making.
Jeanneret: Every instance is different, and we need to base decisions on their merit. Ultimately, we always need to focus on long-term goals, sometimes at the expense of short-term targets. Companies focusing on short term objectives are unlikely to survive. We need to stay ahead of the game, keep thinking of the future and be curious about what is around the next corner.
Jeanneret: Every single one. We must show leadership and be decisive—firm but fair. Balancing running a business and ensuring compliance and audit, whilst being approachable and human.
Jeanneret: Most discussions with potential candidates seem very robotic—candidates need to be themselves. It comes back to being human rather than rehearsing what they think a recruiter wants to hear. Be unique.
Jeanneret: I think the future CFO needs to have great soft skills. They need to be a people person. They need to be creative, they need to work across all aspects of a business and they need to be tech savvy.
