Editor’s note: Own your voice early. You don’t need permission to lead, says Lesa Muir, managing director at Pivot2 Solutions.
In today’s Female Leadership in Finance interview, Muir shares her advice for aspiring female finance professionals, how she made her way up through traditional roles before leading global business transformations in the mining and resources sector, and how nature resets her, giving her the clarity she needs to show up with purpose for work.
FutureCFO: What does a typical day look like for you?
Lesa Muir (LM): My days are anything but typical, and that’s what I love about them.
I spend my time creating space for both our team and our clients to thrive. That might look like a strategic conversation with a CFO in the morning about streamlining their planning process, followed by a check-in with one of our consultants to see how they’re tracking professionally and personally.
I anchor my time around connection—whether that’s creating internal alignment, unblocking a delivery path, or celebrating a win.
As a remote-first company, I’ve had to be intentional about fostering culture without an office—so part of each day is ensuring our team feels supported, autonomous, and clear on their priorities.
Most days, I finish up with a ride or a run in the mountains—it's where I do my best thinking.
FutureCFO: What excites you the most when you work with the finance function?
LM: What excites me is helping finance leaders shift from being report generators to strategic partners.
Many CFOs we work with already have the capability and insight—they just don’t have the systems or the time to elevate. That’s where we come in.
We’re not there to take over; we’re there to liberate their expertise.
I love working with finance teams because they sit at the crossroads of every major business decision. When we implement planning and reporting tools that actually work for them, it unlocks a ripple effect of better, faster, more confident decisions across the organisation.
Lesa Muir, Managing Director, Pivot2 Solutions
When a client goes from dreading the month-end cycle to having the headspace to ask bigger, strategic questions—that’s incredibly rewarding.
Ultimately, I’m drawn to helping people feel more in control and more empowered in their roles. That’s the real transformation—not just better reports, but better energy in the team.
FutureCFO: Can you briefly describe your career journey and one or two highlights along that journey?
LM: I started in finance, working my way up through traditional roles before leading global business transformations in the mining and resources sector.
I was drawn to the intersection of people, processes, and systems—helping smart people do smarter work.
A career highlight was leading a major Oracle planning implementation across multiple countries. It was high-stakes, politically complex, and technically demanding. That project taught me the importance of stakeholder buy-in and the power of simple, strong frameworks.
But the biggest highlight has been building Pivot2. We’ve taken a niche area—planning and budgeting—and built a team that’s known for doing it exceptionally well.
Watching our consultants grow into trusted advisors and seeing our clients evolve into more strategic, aligned organisations—that’s the legacy I’m most proud of.
FutureCFO: Can you share an experience which was key to your professional growth?
LM: A pivotal moment for me was transitioning from working inside large organisations to running my own consulting business.
I’ve spent years leading finance transformation projects globally, but launching Pivot2 was a moment of redefining what success looked like.
I wanted to create a company where people didn’t have to choose between doing meaningful work and living a good life. And I wanted to change the consulting experience for clients—less jargon, more humanity.
Less bloat, more outcomes.
That shift taught me to back myself in a completely new way. It also challenged me to think beyond individual delivery and instead build something scalable, with clear roles, a strong culture, and a real sense of purpose.
It’s been the most stretching and rewarding part of my career so far.
FutureCFO: Tell us something about yourself: What are your hobbies? How do some of these help you relax outside work? Do some of them inspire your work?
LM: I’m an outdoor adventurer at heart—trail running, mountain biking, kayaking.
I love challenging terrain and being immersed in wild places. Nature resets me and gives me the clarity I need to show up with purpose at work.
I also do multi-day races and adventure sports, which are the ultimate metaphor for business: pacing matters, the plan changes, and resilience is everything. You learn quickly who you want on your team—and what it takes to push through the hard bits.
That time outdoors reminds me why we built Pivot2 the way we did: remote-first, outcome-driven, and grounded in balance. We hire brilliant people, and we trust them. And that trust gives us all more freedom—to think better, work smarter, and live more fully.
FutureCFO: What do you want to do in the future? Is there anything else you would like to try?
LM: I want to keep scaling Pivot2 in a way that stays true to our values.
We’re at a turning point where we’re moving from a service to a product mindset—and I want to lead that shift thoughtfully, building tools that genuinely make finance teams stronger.
But more than that, I want to lead a business that challenges the traditional consulting model. One that proves you can live at a more human pace and still deliver great results.
We’re aiming toward a four-day work week in the future. We’ve already introduced monthly wellness days, and we’re actively building a culture where high performance doesn’t come at the cost of health or joy.
In the longer term, I’d love to support other leaders to build businesses that work for people—not just the bottom line. That’s what I care about—doing great work in a way that feels good, for everyone involved. That’s what freedom to thrive really means to me.
FutureCFO: What’s your advice to female finance & accounting professionals of today?
LM: Own your voice early. You don’t need permission to lead.
In finance, we’re trained to be precise, to be right—but sometimes the most powerful thing is to ask the brave question, to propose the wild idea, or to simply say, 'this could be better.'
Find environments where your curiosity and candour are valued. Build relationships with people who challenge you to grow, not just validate you.
And if you can’t find the place that brings out your best—create it.
We need more women stepping into leadership roles in a way that’s authentic, not performative. You don’t have to mimic someone else’s style to succeed.
The finance function is shifting—from control to enablement—and women are uniquely placed to lead in that space with empathy, clarity, and strength.
Lesa Muir, Managing Director, Pivot2 Solutions
Real leadership comes from quiet confidence—knowing who you are, what you stand for, and the value of your purpose. That’s your strength. That’s your centre.
