Cambridge Dictionary defines the term Influencer as “a person or group that has the ability to influence the behaviour or opinions of others”. In the age where everything happens online, it’s more important than ever to stay up to date with the latest trends and news of the Finance world. And when everything changes in the blink of an eye, following the right Finance influencers might be key to stay up to date on all the latest changes happening around you.
But finding the right people to follow can be tricky, especially as more and more people try to join in on the conversation. But just like finding the right finance podcasts and finance blogs to follow, you just need to know where to look.
From business developers with over 500k followers on LinkedIn to people who share insights on how to leverage AI to streamline your work in Finance, here are some of the Finance influencers you might want to follow in 2024. With their insights, it is guaranteed that you will always be on top of your game where Finance topics are concerned.
Linas Beliūnas
Linas is a business developer and FinTech strategist from Lithuania who specialised in Economics but has been working in Financial Services since his first year at university. He has since gathered almost 500k followers on LinkedIn and over 60k subscribers to his newsletter Linas’s Newsletter, where he shares stories that intersect Finance & Technology.
On his LinkedIn profile, Linas often shares stories regarding the FinTech world, like how Elon Musk’s company, Neuralink, has implanted its first brain chip into a human.
Secret CFO
You’ll never know his name or see his face, but the Secret CFO has gathered over 20,000 hours as CFO of multibillion dollar businesses. He started sharing his thoughts on X (Twitter) in August 2022, and got over 100k followers in just one year.
As mentioned on LinkedIn, the Secret CFO believes most content written about the CFO role is “based on textbook theory, written by people who have never done the job”, and wants to share his experience by bringing content such as summaries of finance concepts or how to make great finance career decisions. He’s been doing just so on his blog, CFO Secrets.
If you want a true and honest representation of what the CFO life is like, follow his LinkedIn, X profile and his blog.
Sloane Kolt
With over 15 years of experience in the world of Finance and technology, the New York-based VP of Datarails brings a unique blend of finance and operational expertise to the content she shares on social media.
Sloane Kolt aspires to “be a positive force on the people around me at work”, and she believes “AI will help transform finance teams from reactive workers to strategic centres of their business”. Over the last few years, she has also worked on the great potential of AI apps on corporate finance.
Follow Sloane on LinkedIn to keep track of all the webinars she participates in.
Nicolas Boucher
ChatGPT might not be a new tool, but do Finance professionals know how to use it to its fullest potential? That’s what Nicole Boucher, who worked in corporate finance for over 15 years, teaches at the AI Finance Club, which he founded in 2023. “It’s the place where Finance Professionals can stay updated and learn about AI in Finance”, Boucher wrote on LinkedIn, where he has over 775k followers.
He offers courses such as “ChatGPT for Finance”, “Become a High Performing Finance Professional” and “Financial Analysis for FP&A”. You can find all the courses on the AI Finance Club website, along with blog posts on various AI and Finance-related topics.
If you want to keep track of all the latest news and trends related to AI and Finance, follow Nicolas on LinkedIn.
Chris Ortega
“I use my passions, skills, talents, and experiences to help others realize and achieve greatness”, that’s Chris Ortega’s mission as stated on his LinkedIn profile, where over 20k people follow his insights.
Chris is a fractional CFO, and after gathering experience in the Finance world since 2006, he founded his company, — a full-service company that provides accounting, finance, and FP&A — in January 2022. On his posts, Ortega shares professional tips in the field and talks about how to improve yourself as a leader. He’s also an advocate for inclusion and diversity in the Finance world.
You can follow his insights through LinkedIn profile or his podcast, “CFO Trends”.
Kathy Svetina
With over 13k followers on LinkedIn, Chicago-based Kathy Svetina is a fractional CFO — a finance leader who provides a range of financial expertise to startups and fast-growing companies — who specialises in women-owned businesses.
On her profile, Kathy states that she is “committed to providing women-owned businesses the same level of financial insights and strategy that are typically reserved only for larger corporations”. For that, her posts discuss the opportunities of working with companies which see $1M to $10M in annual sales, and the FP&A challenges of companies in “growth mode”.
Check out her LinkedIn profile, her website, New Castle Finance and podcast, “Help! My Business is Growing”.
Aliyyah Abdullah
With more than 13k followers on LinkedIn, Aliyyah Abdullah’s LinkedIn provides a glimpse of her 14 years’ worth of insights into supply chain value and even tips on how to gain experience has a finance professional.
She’s been a freelance writer and active blogger since 2020. In that year, she started the adjunct West Indian Project which highlights West Indian talent within the Finance Industry.
You can follow Aliyyah on LinkedIn and find her eBook, “Management, Influencing and Finance: An Introductory Behavioural Approach”, through her website, Finance Geek.