🎧 Listen to the full FEI Podcast episode: https://feipodcast.fireside.fm/177
Carr’s journey began with night jobs and minimum wage work before progressing through PwC, the SEC, regional bank CFO, and ultimately Wells Fargo.
Her core message for financial leaders:
Advocates open doors. Performance and results keep them open.
Career progression, she explains, is not a straight ladder. It’s about building “range” – gaining experience across auditing, regulation, financial reporting, and executive financial leadership. That breadth sharpens judgment and strengthens long-term leadership impact.
Leadership: Blending Logic and Emotional Intelligence
Carr acknowledges that emotional intelligence was developed over time. Through personal and professional growth, she learned that technical excellence alone is not enough.
Modern accounting leadership requires:
- Logical rigor in decision-making
- Emotional intelligence in motivating teams
- Self-awareness in adapting leadership style
Financial leaders must bring the right version of themselves to the right conversation – balancing logic with connection.
The Future of Finance: AI Is an Enabler, Not the Strategy
While AI dominates industry conversation, Carr emphasizes that AI in finance is only as powerful as the systems and operating models underneath it.
She calls for:
- Modernized finance and accounting architecture
- Strong data foundations
- End-to-end product understanding
- Greater integration between finance and accounting teams
Historically siloed disciplines must converge. When accountants understand the business and finance professionals understand accounting rigor, enterprise decision-making improves.
Her advice:
Treat AI as an enabler that elevates finance work – not a replacement for professional judgment.
Paying It Forward
Now leading approximately 1,600 professionals, Carr focuses on simplifying processes, strengthening talent, and expanding impact. Education transformed her trajectory, and she remains committed to opening pathways for others.
She closes with a leadership principle grounded in gratitude: recognizing every chapter – difficult or formative – as part of the foundation for future growth.
This episode is part of a special FEI Podcast ICONS series featuring past speakers from FEI’s ICONS: Leaders in Finance event, designed to spotlight the leadership lessons and real-world strategies shaping today’s finance profession.
Learn more about the upcoming ICONS: Leaders in Finance event here:
https://www.financialexecutives.org/icons2026
🎧 Listen to the full conversation here: https://feipodcast.fireside.fm/177