How do you lead finance in a global human rights organisation, protect independence, and make sure every pound supports the mission?

Is there someone you’d like to see on The CFO Playbook? Email us at: pr@soldo.com

In this episode of The CFO Playbook, David McClelland is joined by Rohan Hewavisenti, CFO at Amnesty International, one of the world’s most recognised human rights organisations.

Rohan shares what financial discipline looks like when the stakes are not measured in profit, but in people’s lives. He explains how Amnesty International’s International Secretariat operates as a £100 million organisation, working as part of a wider €400 million global movement, and why preserving independence shapes everything from funding decisions to resource allocation.

In his conversation with David McClelland, Rohan reflects on his career across the not-for-profit sector, from ActionAid and Breast Cancer Care to the British Red Cross, RNIB and Amnesty International. He discusses managing volatility, rebuilding from a £20 million deficit, investing in future areas of human rights work, and keeping finance closely connected to mission impact.

Rohan also explores the role of generative AI in a human rights organisation, from the ethical questions around bias, data, and autonomous weapons to the internal opportunities for improving efficiency and accessing decades of research. He explains why CFOs need to understand the cost of AI, build data skills across their teams, and stay open to technology by using it regularly.

Rohan’s CFO Playbook principle: Understand the organisation deeply, from what drives income and costs to what drives good performance in mission-related work.

About Soldo
Soldo is the proactive spend management solution that frees progressive businesses to accomplish more.

Learn more: https://www.soldo.com/en-gb/

Useful Links 🔗

Amnesty International – https://www.amnesty.org/en/
Rohan Hewavisenti – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohan-hewavisenti-b716617/

How do you rebuild a heritage automotive brand, manage risk through volatility, and keep finance close to the factory floor?

Is there someone you’d like to see on The CFO Playbook? Email us at: pr@soldo.com

In this episode of The CFO Playbook, David McClelland is joined by Andy Mullineaux, CFO at MOKE International, the British automotive brand reimagining the iconic MOKE as a fully electric, modern vehicle built in the Midlands.

Andy shares what it takes to build a lean finance function inside a niche automotive business, from keeping teams small and data clean to making sure finance processes are embedded across operations, manufacturing, supply chain, and risk management. He explains why good inputs matter more than trying to predict the future of AI, and how preparing data properly today can make finance teams more effective tomorrow.

In his conversation with David McClelland, Andy reflects on his journey from PwC to McLaren and then MOKE, including the lessons learned from scenario planning through crisis, navigating funding gaps, and working with world-class engineers. He also discusses the challenge of scaling a beloved heritage brand, the impact of US tariffs, why CFOs need to get out from behind the spreadsheet, and how asking “stupid” questions can be one of the smartest things a finance leader can do.

Andy’s CFO Playbook principle: Get yourself a rubber duck, explaining the problem out loud might just solve it.

Chapters:

(00:00) Intro: from supercars to a heritage electric automotive brand

(04:15) The story of MOKE, from failed military project to holiday icon

(10:58) Building a lean finance function from a blank sheet of paper

(14:00) AI, clean data, and preparing finance for future tools

(20:30) Lessons from McLaren and the challenge of independent automotive brands

(24:21) Why Andy’s CFO role is deeply embedded in operations

(38:35) Scenario planning, funding gaps, and the arrival of the pandemic

(46:11) Risk management, curiosity, and asking the obvious questions

(59:31) MOKE’s US ambitions, tariffs, and market diversification

(01:09:08) Rubber duck programming as a CFO leadership principle

About Soldo

Soldo is the proactive spend management solution that frees progressive businesses to accomplish more.

Over 25,000 organisations across 31 countries use Soldo to end slow, messy, and inefficient spending, bringing financial agility and control over every expense.

Soldo frees finance with a uniquely proactive approach to managing decentralised spending with real-time expense reporting. By combining a powerful spend management platform, a user-friendly mobile app, and prepaid and virtual cards, Soldo automates expense administration to eliminate inefficiencies in managing business spending.

By proactively managing decentralised spend, organisations empower employees to spend when and where it's needed, keeping productivity high while avoiding month-end surprises.

Founded in 2015 by Italian digital innovator Carlo Gualandri, Soldo is headquartered in London, with offices in Dublin, Milan, and Rome.

Learn more: https://www.soldo.com/en-gb/

Useful Links 🔗

MOKE International – https://mokeinternational.com/
Andy Mullineaux – https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-mullineaux-aca-27b32060/

How does a CFO help turn startup chaos into scale-up structure, translate numbers into action, and support growth across every part of the business?

In this episode of The CFO Playbook, David McClelland is joined by Brad Channer, CFO at UBIO, the automation company helping businesses connect systems that were never designed to work together.

Brad shares why the CFO role in a startup or scale-up is far broader than finance alone. At UBIO, that means working across fundraising, sales, legal, HR, operations, board reporting, and exit planning — often all at once. He describes the CFO as the “glue” in a business: the person who connects teams, brings clarity, and helps turn data into decisions.

A key theme in the conversation is Brad’s idea of “narrating the numbers.” He explains why finance leaders must do more than report figures — they need to communicate them in ways that founders, boards, and investors can understand and act on. For Brad, strong finance leadership combines technical accuracy with empathy, storytelling, and an understanding of what matters most to each audience.

Brad also reflects on his unconventional route into finance. Before becoming a CFO, he trained as an actor, worked in hospitality and street sales, launched startups, and learned fundraising and resilience through experience. That background still shapes how he leads today, particularly in communication, confidence, and understanding motivation.

The episode also explores fundraising, founder-CFO relationships, and the future of finance in an AI-driven world. Brad argues that early-stage fundraising is often about belief in the founder as much as the business, and that AI will increasingly automate junior finance work — making judgment, adaptability, and communication even more valuable.

Brad’s CFO Playbook principle:

Communicate clearly, know your objective, and make sure the numbers tell a story people can act on.

Useful Links 🔗

UBIO – https://ub.io/

Brad Channer – https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradchanner/

About The CFO Playbook

The CFO Playbook is hosted by David McClelland, exploring how world-class finance leaders use technology, set goals, plan, lead teams, and drive growth.