“Trusted Partner”

Anthony Rose, Chief Financial Officer of Kapitus, has an approach in which he does not see himself as the owner of the company’s finances, but instead operates as a business partner and coach in an advisory capacity to help answer questions and provide expertise to drive results collaboratively. His value is getting each business unit and Finance to see themselves as partners, with the shared goal of servicing the customer. Finance, through management reporting, can operate as a business advisor and accountability expert. “By being a trusted partner to our merchants and using data to anticipate their needs,” says Rose, “we are able to offer a wider variety of products that meet our merchants where they are in terms of their financing needs.”

Kapitus is increasingly focused on the main drivers of their business: People, Processes, and Technology. In New Zealand, there is a Maori saying that translates to “what is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people”. “In a FinTech company, our most important assets are our people and the innovation that comes from them. We are empowering our people to lead and take risks and ensure that everything we do as a company is focused on the customer,” explains Rose. “As for processes, we are heavily focused on ensuring that we are delivering a superior experience and value to our customers in a repeatable and cost-effective way.” Finally, technology is critical in enabling the people and associated processes to deliver value to the customers. “Technology is life sustaining for us in the entire life cycle of the customer, from acquisition, to onboarding, to retention and loyalty,” adds Rose. “Most importantly, it is the interplay of people, processes, and technology that we feel sets Kapitus apart from our peers.”

"Kapitus is increasingly focused on the main drivers of their business: People, Processes, and Technology. In New Zealand, there is a Maori saying that translates to “what is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people”."

Advising new Finance leaders, Rose says while accounting and finance are critical, the modern CFO must have a broad knowledge base to operate as a business advisor. They don’t have to be an expert in operations, technology, or sales, but need a solid understanding of these areas and other areas to engage with the partners in those business units effectively. “Take the time to learn about these areas and build relationships with the leaders. In addition, you must be strategic,” he says. “The CFO has to play a role in strategy and be the person that can connect the strategy to the financials of the company. In terms of strategic thinking, you should also have a solid understanding of the industry and your competitors as both have deep impact on your financials and connect through to the strategic decisions the company makes.”

What COVID-19 taught all CFOs is the adage from General Eisenhower; “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” “We had just prepared our annual plan and, after two months, the world changed; the plan was indeed worthless,” says Rose. “So instead of our 2020 operating plan, we used the planning tools to develop plans for liquidity management, expense savings, risk monitoring of the portfolio, and any number of other contingencies.” COVID-19 also taught everyone the value of agility within Finance and having the ability to react quickly.

Kapitus was the only player to survive the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic unscathed, maintaining their financing vehicles without a default. This allowed them to take advantage of opportunities as they presented themselves when the US economy began to open in the second half of 2020. They are highly confident of a rebound in consumer demand in 2021, which will be translated through small businesses. “Given our successful navigation during the difficult March-June 2020 time period, we feel uniquely positioned to provide the growth capital that our clients will need to take advantage of opportunities,” says Rose. “In addition, Covid-19 unleashed a massive move to digital in the small business market which we feel is permanent. We believe small businesses will need to invest heavily in digital capabilities for their business, and we plan to be a partner to help them on this journey.” IE