Episode #6
The First 90 Days as a CFO: No Induction Period in Private Equity
Jas Burston is CFO of Go City, a PE-backed travel business, having spent over two decades building her finance career at brands including TK Maxx, Domino's and TUI before landing her first CFO role. Her take on stepping into the seat: the buck stops with you, and there's no induction period in private equity — you earn trust by delivering, not by settling in. In this episode of Chat CFO, Jazz breaks down what it really takes to move from a PLC into a private equity environment, why she thinks the skills gap between the two is overstated, and how she rebuilt her finance team's operating model within weeks of joining. She also gets into why cash discipline matters as much as EBITDA, how AI is reshaping the shape of finance teams, and the personal drive behind her career - from growing up in Southall as the child of first-generation immigrants to being a role model for her two daughters. Whether you're building a case for your first CFO role, working inside a PE-backed business, or thinking about what a high-performing finance team looks like in 2026, Jazz's perspective is candid, hard-won, and worth hearing.
