S2, EP 20: Paul Bertie’s Journey of Global Growth, Grounded Leadership & Strategic Shifts

In this episode of From Go to CFO, we sit down with Paul Bertie, a finance and operations leader who’s navigated a dynamic career across Australia and South Africa from growing up in the wine region just north of Cape Town, to leading transformational change in retail, ecommerce, and consumer goods.

With a career that started in finance roles at Puma and Sunglass Hut, and evolved into high-impact leadership across global markets, Paul shares how embracing change, staying grounded, and thinking commercially have shaped his journey.

Key highlights include:

• How his early roles in retail finance built the foundation for operational leadership
• The mindset shift from functional expert to business transformer
• Lessons learned from working across wholesale, ecommerce, and retail media
• Why cross-market experience (South Africa & Australia) sharpened his strategic edge
• His passion for purpose-driven leadership and building high-performance teams

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating a career in finance or operations and looking to lead with both clarity and impact.