A CFO Who Chose Intacct on Day One (And Would Do It Again)
David Westbrook, CFO of Robertson Stevens, joins Emily and Matt live at Sage Future 2026 to talk about eight years as a Sage Intacct customer, from choosing the platform on day one in 2018 through scaling the firm from $500M to $9.5B in assets.
About this episode
A CFO Who Chose Intacct on Day One (And Would Do It Again)
David Westbrook, CFO of Robertson Stevens, joins Emily and Matt live at Sage Future 2026 to talk about eight years as a Sage Intacct customer, from choosing the platform on day one in 2018 through scaling the firm from $500M to $9.5B in assets.
David started as a Deloitte auditor in South Africa, then built the finance stack at Robertson Stevens from scratch. Intacct was the day-one system in 2018. The episode covers the modules and integrations he actually runs, plus the features he leans on now.
AI is the concrete win he names: cutting a week of quarterly close work down to a single day. That sits next to Copilot, rolling forecasts, scenario planning, and using finance as a business partner while the firm plans for acquisitions.
He is not only complimentary. There is a wishlist (investments and UI), a chapter on implementation and reimplementation, advice for new users, and reporting that non-accountants can read.
CHAPTERS
Listen to learn more about
- (00:00) Live Stage Kickoff
- (00:47) Meet David the Customer
- (01:41) South Africa Roots
- (03:18) Auditor to CFO Journey
- (05:27) Robinson Stevens Story
- (07:06) Choosing Sage Intacct
- (08:51) Modules and Integrations
- (12:34) Power Features Revenue AI
- (14:30) AI Close and Copilot
- (16:32) Finance as Business Partner
- (18:32) Planning for Acquisitions
- (19:24) Scenario Planning Goals
- (20:26) Rolling Forecasts In Practice
- (21:12) Under The Hood Improvements
- (21:31) Vendor Onboarding Due Diligence
- (23:58) Wishlist Investments And UI
- (25:18) Top Loves And Bank Feeds
- (28:33) Implementation And Reimplementation
- (32:12) Advice For New Users
- (36:04) Reporting For Non Accountants
- (37:22) Closing Gifts And Life Advice
Related Industries
- SaaS
- Financial Services
- Technology
- Corporate Finance
Speakers
Emily Madere
Host | Solutions Architect
LinkedIn
Matt Lescault
Host | CEO, Lescault & Walderman
LinkedIn
David Westbrook
Guest | CFO, Robertson Stevens
LinkedIn
Related Resources
FAQ
Questions from this episode
What is a day-one system?
The finance platform you pick when you build the books from scratch. David chose Intacct in 2018 at Robertson Stevens, before the firm scaled.
What is quarterly close in this episode?
The period-end process he used to spend a week on. AI cut that work to a single day. There's a dedicated chapter on AI close and Copilot.
What is a rolling forecast?
A forecast you keep updating instead of a once-a-year budget. He pairs it with scenario planning and Copilot.
What is reimplementation?
Going back through an Intacct implementation after the first go-live. He talks implementation and reimplementation, not only 2018.
IN THIS EPISODE
Host
Emily Madere
Host
Matt Lescault
Founder & CEO at TydeCo
Guest
David Westbrook
CFO at Robertson Stephens
Sponsored by
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