From Data Pusher to Risk Leader: Vlado Novotný on Governance, AI & Redefining the Role
“If you don’t speak the same language across teams, all the AI in the world won’t save you.”
In this episode, Chris, Mike, and guest co-host Vlado Novotný dive deep into data, governance, risk—and how doing “invisible work” can create real transformation. Vlad, a risk management director and data expert based in Prague, shares how he led his team away from being just data movers and into becoming critical thinkers and collaborators. Together, they reflect on what happens when teams stop pushing spreadsheets and start building shared understanding—across functions, systems, and silos.
The conversation covers everything from AI’s role in risk to Vlad’s personal journey from corporate life to contemplating a data-driven startup. They explore how good governance fuels better decisions, why trust is the first casualty of bad data, and why leadership at the board level must go beyond titles and into curiosity. It’s a candid, thoughtful discussion on the future of data, decision-making, and leadership—with a few side quests into house renovations, Czech recycling stats, and teenage driving lessons.
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Author
“Chris Argent isn’t here to play by finance’s old rulebook - he’s here to rewrite it.” From challenging outdated corporate thinking to rallying finance leaders around a more connected, adaptable future, the founder of GENCFO is leading a quiet revolution in how CFOs and finance leadership work, think, and influence. Chris Argent, founder of GENCFO, is a finance leader redefining the role beyond business partnering. A self-described “reluctant accountant,” he’s built a global community for progressive accounting and finance leaders who value connection over competition and action over tradition. Chris believes the greatest risk to the profession is clinging to outdated norms, and that mindset and adaptability outpace any technological change. His work champions leaders who turn new ideas into real-world change, blending people-centred strategies with new ways of working and technology. In conversations, he challenges, provokes, and inspires - proving that the future of finance belongs to those ready to lead it together.