The Next Moves

The Private Equity Turnaround Playbook for CFOs with Ashley Dafel

What does it really take for a finance leader to step into a private equity-backed company and turn it around fast?  In this episode of The Next Moves, Joe Diubaldo sits down with Ashley Dafel for a candid, high-level conversation on what senior finance leaders need to assess before accepting a PE-backed role and what separates successful operators from those who get stuck in execution. If you are a CFO, finance leader, operator, or executive considering a PE-backed opportunity, this episode is a must-listen.  Ashley breaks down the importance of understanding the private equity firm’s mandate, evaluating governance, clarifying your role beyond the spreadsheets, and building alignment across ownership, leadership, and the board. He also shares real examples from turnaround situations where cash was tight, teams lacked critical capabilities, and major decisions had to be made quickly. From customer profitability to leadership vulnerability, this episode is a practical playbook for leaders navigating high-stakes change.  ____________________________________  Chapters   00:00 Intro   01:01 Why the mandate comes first  03:09 What to assess before taking a PE-backed role  06:23 How urgency changes in private equity  09:05 Walking into a turnaround crisis  12:10 The first priority: cash flow  15:29 Missing capabilities inside struggling teams  20:35 Customer profitability changes everything  25:49 How fast a turnaround can happen  29:38 From CFO to Chief Business Officer  37:05 Why alignment matters across leadership and ownership  49:33 Vulnerability, trust, and stepping into bigger roles  ____________________________________  Watch the full interview and subscribe for more conversations with the operators behind the world’s most resilient businesses.    Connect with guest Ashley Dafel on LinkedIn ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-dafel [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-dafel]     Connect with Host Joe Diubaldo on LinkedIn ➡️  https://www.linkedin.com/in/joediubaldo/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joediubaldo/]     Read the Full Blog Summary ➡️Before You Touch the Spreadsheet: Ashley Dafel on What Actually Decides a PE-Backed Turnaround - Clarity Recruitment [https://findingclarity.ca/blog/ashley-dafel-pe-cfo-turnaround/]   🔔If this conversation resonated with you, like the episode and subscribe to stay up to date on future conversations with founders and operators.    Joe Diubaldo, host of The Next Moves and Founder of Clarity Recruitment, has made it his life to help people build better careers and better companies. Along the way, there’s been one lesson that always stands out… We all get stuck. The Next Moves podcast has been curated to help you get unstuck; to help you plan the next move and then the move after that.

Why Smart Leaders Struggle With Multigenerational Teams with Giselle Kovary | EP 18

If you’re leading a team where communication feels off and momentum keeps stalling, this episode is a must-listen. Joe Diubaldo sits down with Giselle Kovary, Head of Learning and Development at Optimus SBR and co-founder of NGen People Performance, to break down what actually causes generational friction at work and how leaders can turn it into clarity, engagement, and performance. They unpack what generational intelligence really means, why it is not about stereotypes or labels, and how five generations working side by side can either slow organizations down or become a serious competitive advantage. Joe and Giselle explore why communication is the biggest friction point inside growing companies, the real cost of disengagement, and how leaders can adapt without creating perceptions of unfairness. This conversation is especially relevant for founders, CEOs, and executives navigating growth, integration, or tension across teams. You will also hear Giselle share her journey from building and selling NGen People Performance to stepping into an intrapreneur role at Optimus SBR, along with what the future of work, learning, and leadership demands next.

How CFOs Lead Through Risk and Constraint: Adam Kozak on Running Toward the Burning Building

The organization you’re building today won’t look the same 12 months from now — and that’s exactly why leaders need to hire for the future, not just the present. In this episode of  @TheNextMovesPodcast  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCz5i0vZLGn0xh9yAtTNP8bQ] Joe sits down with Adam Kozak (CFO at PRT Growing Services) to break down how strong operators think about risk, talent, decision-making, and transformation across wildly different environments — from Loblaws (retail + supply chain at scale) to the cannabis industry (high ambiguity, high volatility) to private equity-backed business transformation. We cover what separates leaders who protect the business from those who run toward burning buildings, and how to build teams when you don’t have unlimited budget, time, or perfect conditions. 🔥 In this conversation, we cover: ✅ How to make talent decisions when the business will change fast ✅ The “utopia → reality” method for hiring under constraints ✅ Why finance leaders must start with the business (not spreadsheets) ✅ How to avoid analysis paralysis and course-correct quickly ✅ Navigating ambiguity across industries and operating models ✅ Loneliness in senior leadership (and how to fix it) ✅ What Adam learned from one role that wasn’t what he signed up for ✅ The one low-cost move that creates massive value: communication If you're a leader, founder, CFO, COO, or hiring manager trying to build the right team in an uncertain market - this one will hit. 🎧 Listen, subscribe, and share this with someone building through change. Connect with guest Adam Kozak on LinkedIn ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamkozak1/ Connect with Host Joe Diubaldo on LinkedIn ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/joediubaldo/ Joe Diubaldo, host of The Next Moves and Founder of Clarity Recruitment, has made it his life to help people build better careers and better companies. Along the way, there's been one lesson that always stands out... We all get stuck. The Next Moves podcast has been curated to help you get unstuck; to help you plan the next move and then the move after that. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Hiring for the future (not today) 00:24 Adam’s background: CFO + COO operator mindset 01:12 From Deloitte to Loblaws to cannabis + PE transformation 05:03 Start with the business, then work backwards (finance leadership) 06:57 Best-in-class thinking + solving the “Rubik’s cube” 09:15 When the role isn’t what you expected 11:46 Turning failure into learning 13:09 Staying 11 years at Loblaws 16:40 Breaking silos + earning trust cross-functionally 19:12 Loneliness at senior levels 25:29 Building teams under constraints 28:30 Why every org looks different in 12 months 30:20 Macro uncertainty + looking inward to improve 32:43 Rapid fire leadership questions35:54 The scrappiest value creator: communication

Ep17 How CFO Aaron Watson Transformed a Bootstrapped SaaS into a Global Multi-Entity Group

One lunch changed Aaron Watson’s life. What followed was a rapid rise from senior accountant to CFO IQmetrix and several high-growth SaaS businesses.In this episode, Aaron breaks down the exact systems they used to expand into new verticals, evolve from SMB clients to enterprise carriers, manage capital with discipline, and operate multiple companies under one unified structure.If you're scaling a SaaS business, a founder running multiple entities, or a finance leader building a stronger operating model, this episode delivers practical, battle-tested insight.Chapters:00:00 Intro01:20 Aaron’s journey from accountant to CFO07:45 When the wireless market shifted13:10 Moving upstream to enterprise18:35 Launching new verticals24:50 How they run multi-entity P&Ls30:25 Capital allocation without VC38:40 Building shared ownership culture46:55 Aaron’s rapid-fire insightsWatch the full interview and subscribe for more conversations with the operators behind the world’s most resilient businesses.

Ep 16 Dessalen Wood on Navigating AI, Hybrid Work, and the Future of Leadership

What does it really take to lead in a world reshaped by AI, hybrid work, and constant change? Dessalen Wood has some answers – and they start with people. As Chief People Officer at Syntax, Dess is helping shape how leaders navigate the biggest shifts in today’s workplace: hybrid work, AI, and the evolving expectations of employees everywhere. Tune in for a refreshingly human perspective on the future of leadership.