Editor’s note: In today’s A Day in the Life, Razzak Jallow (pictured), chief financial officer at FloQast, shares with FutureCFO audiences how his experiences shaped his perspective on finance and sparked his interest to help companies make better financial decisions and create stronger foundations for success.
FutureCFO: What does a typical day look like for you?
Razzak Jallow (RJ): Each day is different for me as a CFO.
A big part of my role involves collaborating with others, and these interactions often don’t follow a set cadence. My schedule depends on the needs of the week, month, or the people I’m meeting with, which means I frequently have to adjust my schedule to accommodate meetings with other C-level executives, customers, or other team members.
For example, if the only available time to meet is at 7 a.m., my usual 6-8 a.m. routine of responding to emails has to shift to another time.
Because of this variability, it’s hard to define a typical day.
However, I do structure my time into broad buckets. I allocate blocks for email, deep work, one-on-ones with my team, and synching cross-functionally. But the reality is, my schedule is rarely fixed. That’s one of the reasons I rely on an admin to keep me on track.
FutureCFO: What excites you the most when you work with CFOs and Finance Function?
RJ: I absolutely love it when other CFOs tell me that our software is able to solve their pain points.
We market ourselves as “by accountants for accountants,” which is critical. I can’t tell you how much accounting/financial software out there is just horrible to use. It was designed by someone who’s never done the job before, someone coming at it from an engineering or technical perspective instead of a human one.
And when you talk to customers, it’s amazing to see their reaction when they find a product that aligns with how they work. It’s like, “Yes, this is how I want to work. You’re automating this in a way that makes sense for me, rather than forcing me to think like an engineer.” Hearing that feedback from CFOs is incredible.
I also love working with business partners who see the value in what finance can bring to the table.
Sometimes, a little bit of ROI analysis or a simple suggestion like, “Hey, this is how everyone else does it—want to explore doing it this way too?” can really help leaders focus more on building and leading a great organisation, rather than getting stuck in the weeds.
Or, conversely, “This is where we’re different, we really *shouldn’t* do this like everyone else.” Leaders often need a trusted partner who can dive in and provide insights like, “Maybe your team hasn’t mentioned this, but this area is performing well, while this one needs attention.”
FutureCFO: Can you share an experience which was key to your professional growth?
RJ: The experience I often highlight is my time at Adobe, where I served as an analyst on the Creative Suite Business Unit.
I played a key role in the transition from perpetual licensing to the Creative Cloud subscription model under our CFO’s leadership. My focus was on building a model that estimated how each customer used our products, when & how they purchased, how the transition would impact them, and how we could effectively move them to a model that would deliver more value.
This experience reinforced a core belief: finance should always be customer-first. Our role is to help deliver the best value and experience for customers while enabling the company to monetise effectively. When we deliver real value, customers are happy to pay for it.
Razzak Jallow, CFO, FloQast
Witnessing an entire organisation shift from a 25-year-old business model to something entirely new was transformative.
Mark Garrett, the CFO at Adobe, not only guided the company through this transition but also managed investor expectations. This experience shaped my perspective on finance as a strategic business partner and a leader within the company. It showed me how great companies operate by prioritising customer success and adapting to deliver long-term value.
FutureCFO: Is there anything outside work--such as travelling, a book, or a sport event--that serves as an important inspiration to your work or life?
RJ: Growing up, my mom was a single parent who owned a pet store.
She worked seven days a week and was incredibly hardworking, but she had no formal business training or experience. That’s where my interest in finance began.
By the time I was 12 or 13, I was working the cash register at her store, and those early experiences inspired me to study finance in college. I wanted to help companies make better financial decisions and create stronger foundations for success.
A key takeaway from working at my mom’s store was the importance of having a customer-facing job at some point in your life.
Dealing with difficult customers—like someone taking out their bad day on you—teaches resilience and patience. If you can handle those situations with a smile, you can handle almost anything.
I believe everyone should experience this because it builds perspective. It’s easy to take good bosses or comfortable jobs for granted, but retail teaches you to stay calm under pressure and not get emotional when things go wrong.
This mindset has helped me in every role I’ve had. It has taught me to compartmentalise, put myself in others’ shoes, and not escalate situations unnecessarily.
For example, I once had a customer yell at me for no reason. I stayed calm, kept smiling, and moved on.
A week later, that customer came back and apologised, explaining they were just having a terrible day. Moments like that remind me not to take things personally and to focus on solving problems rather than overreacting.
