Gen Z and the CPA Shortage: Why Young Talent is the Solution with Paul Peterson, Managing Partner at Wiss & Company, LLP

In this special episode of CFO Weekly, Jack McCullough, Founder and President of the CFO Leadership Council, interviews Megan Weis about Personiv's 2025 CFO Pulse Report, exploring the critical accounting talent shortage with its 150% year-over-year increase in open roles and how modern CFOs are responding through integrated AI, automation, and global talent strategies.

In this episode of CFO Weekly, Soufyan Hamid, Chief of Financial Storytelling Program of The Finance Circle, joins Megan Weis to explore how modern finance professionals are transforming from back-office functions to strategic business partners through financial storytelling, drawing from his decade of experience in corporate finance where he discovered the critical gap between technical expertise and communication skills.

In this episode of CFO Weekly, Nicolas Boucher, a finance AI thought leader who has trained over 5,000 professionals, joins Megan Weis to explore how modern CFOs can transform their finance operations through strategic AI prompting and automation, drawing from his 15 years of finance experience at PwC and Thales, where he developed expertise in both traditional finance and cutting-edge AI implementation.

In this episode of CFO Weekly, Reza Hooda, Founder of The Profitable Accountants Community, joins Megan Weis to explore how modern accounting firm owners are transforming their business models through value-based pricing and strategic specialization, drawing from his experience building a seven-figure practice and helping over 350 firm owners escape the hourly billing trap.

In this episode of CFO Weekly, Kumar Parakala, a distinguished CEO, founder, investor, and board director with 25+ years of experience, joins Megan Weis to explore how modern CFOs are evolving from traditional financial guardians to strategic architects of organizational transformation, drawing from his experience co-founding KPMG's $3 billion technology advisory practice and recently exiting GHD Digital, valued at over $400 million with 700 professionals across nine countries.

In this episode of CFO Weekly, Sara Wyman, CEO & Founder at Stackpack, joins Megan Weis to explore how modern CFOs are transforming vendor management through AI-powered automation and strategic oversight, drawing from her experience as former VP of Strategic Partnerships at Affirm, where she witnessed the chaos of managing hundreds of vendors without proper systems at high-growth companies.

In this episode of CFO Weekly, Apurv Bansal, CEO & Co-founder at Zenskar, joins Megan Weis to explore how modern CFOs are revolutionizing their finance operations through AI-powered billing systems and dynamic pricing models, drawing from his experience as a Harvard Business School graduate and former Google product leader who witnessed firsthand the complexity of modern revenue recognition challenges.

In this episode of CFO Weekly, Paul Peterson, Managing Partner at Wiss and Company LLP, joins Megan Weis to explore how Gen Z represents the solution to the CPA shortage rather than being part of the problem, drawing from his 30+ years of experience in developing talent and fostering innovation in public accounting firms.

In this episode of CFO Weekly, Jessica McClain, Chief Financial Officer at Girl Scouts Nation's Capital, joins Megan Weis to explore the critical importance of continuous learning in financial leadership, sharing insights on emotional intelligence, team development, and adapting to technological disruption in the evolving finance profession.

In this episode of CFO Weekly, Steve Mastin, Chief Financial Officer at 4M Building Solutions, joins Megan Weis to explore how centralization of financial and operational functions drives growth in private equity-backed environments, drawing from his extensive experience in financial transformation and M&A integration across diverse business sectors.