LevelUp: Mastering Leadership in Finance Amidst Disruption With Andrew D. Platt

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Andrew D. Platt is the Chief Financial Officer at Freed Associates, a healthcare consulting firm specializing in strategic advisory and operational improvement for healthcare organizations. With over 20 years of finance and business experience, he helps organizations bring order to complexity and build strong financial discipline. During his career, he has worked across consulting, e-commerce, logistics, and business-to-business service industries. Andrew holds an MBA from the R.H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, a BA in history and politics from Oberlin College, and a certificate in financial accounting from Harvard Business School. 

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [00:00] Introduction
• [7:47] Andrew D. Platt explains why hands-on experience beats spreadsheets for finance leaders  
• [10:46] How personal values and tradeoffs shape long-term career decisions 
• [14:19] The shift from transactional to relational finance leadership  
• [18:49] Traits Andrew seeks in peers and his finance team  
• [23:06] Andrew talks about the accounting talent pipeline crisis  
• [26:26] Why mid-market companies need CFOs who live the numbers  
• [35:05] Practical tips to anticipate risk and build CFO “sixth sense”  
• [41:51] Andrew’s advice for bold, values-driven career transitions

In this episode…

Leadership in finance has never been louder or more crowded with opinions. With new tools, new risks, and constant disruption pulling attention in every direction, how do leaders decide what actually matters when the pressure is on?

According to Andrew D. Platt, a seasoned finance leader shaped by time in the trenches, the answer is staying anchored to fundamentals. He believes real leadership isn’t about chasing every new trend but about creating value with imperfect data and having the credibility to challenge assumptions. By focusing on what he calls the “big fish below the surface,” leaders can cut through noise and guide their teams with clarity when uncertainty is highest.

In this episode of the Level Up, Nick Araco is joined by Andrew D. Platt, Chief Financial Officer at Freed Associates, to discuss mastering leadership in finance amid disruption. They explore how CFOs make decisions without perfect information, why legitimacy comes from real operational experience, and how leaders balance speed with discipline. Andrew also shares advice on building resilient teams and preparing finance organizations for an AI-driven future.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Nick Araco on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-araco-jr-37b834
• CFO Alliance - https://www.thecfoalliance.com
• Andrew D. Platt on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewdavidplatt/
• Freed Associates - https://www.freedassociates.com/
• “Reimagining Finance Leadership in a Disrupted, Tech-Driven World With Sam Levy” on the Level Up - https://sites.libsyn.com/302459/reimagining-finance-leadership-in-a-disrupted-tech-driven-world-with-sam-levy
• “Why Modern CFOs Must Master Relationships, Storytelling, and AI With Sumeet Agrawal” on the Level Up - https://sites.libsyn.com/302459/why-modern-cfos-must-master-relationships-storytelling-and-ai-with-sumeet-agrawal
• “How People-First Leadership Defines Modern CFO Success With Ilana Esterrich” on the Level Up - https://sites.libsyn.com/302459/how-people-first-leadership-defines-modern-cfo-success-with-ilana-esterrich 
• “Scaling Mission-Driven Work Through Financial Discipline and Innovation With Aaron Wilkins” on the Level Up - https://sites.libsyn.com/302459/scaling-mission-driven-work-through-financial-discipline-and-innovation-with-aaron-wilkins
• “Building Clarity and Strategic Value in the Finance Function With Daniel Nelson” on the Level Up - https://sites.libsyn.com/302459/building-clarity-and-strategic-value-in-the-finance-function-with-daniel-nelson
• Tableau - https://www.tableau.com/

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Sponsor for this episode...

Level Up is proudly brought to you by Oracle NetSuite — the #1 cloud ERP trusted by thousands of high-growth, finance-led companies around the world.

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