Caroline Rawlinson > Balancing Strategy, Scale, & People at Culture Amp

Interviewing Caroline Rawlinson, CFO and COO of Culture Amp, is a slightly unnerving experience.

In theory, she’s the one in the hot seat. But then she says things like: “When someone is talking to me, I’m not just listening to what they’re saying—I’m paying attention to their body language, and the specific words they use, and what those things reveal.”

It’s a bit like that dream where you’re walking along a busy street, or giving a talk to a packed auditorium, and you look down to find you’ve forgotten to finish dressing. All of a sudden, you feel very exposed.

This isn’t the kind of social nous you’d typically expect from a CFO. Then again, Rawlinson is not a typical CFO.

Numbers matter, of course—particularly at a company like Culture Amp, a high-growth tech unicorn operating in 80 countries with over 6,500 customers. But Rawlinson sees finance as more than a balancing act of spreadsheets and profitability metrics. She sees it as a human game—one that, for her, requires just as much emotional intelligence as analytical skill.

Her ability to read people and dynamics, to navigate complex conversations with CEOs, boards, and investors, is one of her key leadership strengths. And it makes her a natural fit for Culture Amp, a company built around improving workplace culture and employee engagement.

Scaling Fast (But Profitably)

Rawlinson joined Culture Amp only a few months ago, at a pivotal moment. The company has been growing fast, but, like many tech firms, is facing a broader market shift. Gone are the days of “growth at all costs”. Investors and boards now expect a disciplined approach to profitability.

“Culture Amp is at this really interesting inflection point,” Rawlinson says. “We have proven our ability to be cashflow positive, and we’re now looking to sustainably maintain cashflow positivity while continuing to accelerate growth.”

That means capital allocation has become critical. As CFO, her priority is optimising investment, ensuring every dollar deployed generates real ROI, and making smart bets in the company’s biggest markets—particularly North America, which now accounts for around half of Culture Amp’s revenue.

What surprised her most when she stepped into the role?

“For a relatively young company, Culture Amp has already invested in the right systems and processes—it’s quite mature in how it approaches these things,” she says. “That’s a good thing, but it also means that from my point of view there weren’t any quick, obvious wins. Instead, it’s about making sure we’re getting the benefit of scale and refining how we allocate capital strategically.”

In other words, profitability isn’t just about tightening the purse strings—it’s about execution. And that’s where her dual role as CFO and COO becomes critical.

CFO + COO: Balancing Strategy and Execution

Rawlinson describes the balance between strategy and finance as symbiotic. Her COO side ensures Culture Amp is operating in line with its strategic vision, while her CFO side provides the financial guardrails and reporting structure to measure progress and ensure accountability.

To put that another way: “My job is to help the organisation set its path, to check that we’re on the right path, and then to report on the path that we’re on.”

Her leadership style is empowering the right people, setting clear expectations, and avoiding unnecessary bottlenecks. By the time a decision lands on her desk, it’d better be a real bamboozler.

“If an easy decision is coming to me, something has failed in the system,” she explains. “My role is to handle the hard, complex, high-risk decisions—the ones where there’s real tension or trade-offs involved.”

If that means her brain is fried at the end of the day from making one tough call after another, so be it. After all, her philosophy is: with great power comes great responsibility.

(The secret to making this work is “hiring great people—and getting out of their way.”)

Championing a Culture-first Approach

At Culture Amp, where workplace engagement and leadership development are core products, Rawlinson sees a direct connection between financial success and employee performance.

“In many sectors and businesses, you strategically allocate a lot of capital to people, so making sure you understand how that asset is performing—how employees are showing up and contributing—is incredibly important,” she explains.

Traditionally, finance leaders focus on cost efficiency and revenue metrics, but Rawlinson believes investing in people and culture can be a company’s biggest competitive advantage.

This mindset has also been shaped by her own career journey—particularly her time leading teams across Asia. She recalls an experience early on in Shanghai that taught her a crucial leadership lesson.

“I got everyone together for a two-day strategy workshop—just whiteboards and Post-it Notes. And it was a disaster,” she laughs. “I had completely misread the cultural context. In many parts of Asia, business is more hierarchical, and people expect the boss to have the answers. I hadn’t built trust yet, and I hadn’t accounted for the fact that English was a second language for many of my team members.”

This taught her a few things, including that people thrive when their experiences are recognised; that a good culture meets people where they are and nudges them from there; and that leaders must be aware of their own biases and blind spots.

At Culture Amp, where diverse teams and strong leadership drive business success, this approach aligns perfectly with the company’s core mission.

The Road Ahead

In the immediate future, Rawlinson’s focus is clear:

1. Continue scaling Culture Amp globally, particularly in the North American market.
2. Ensure sustainable, profitable growth while maintaining the company’s strong culture.
3. Align financial strategy with people and performance, because engaged employees drive business success.

For her, the challenge isn’t just about hitting financial targets. It’s about ensuring the company is built to last.

“There are so many small decisions that ladder up to financial and business success,” she says. “The key is making sure all of those decisions—whether about hiring, expansion, or investment—are aligned with the bigger picture.”

In a role that demands both sharp financial acumen and an ability to navigate the human dynamics of leadership, Rawlinson’s edge is clear. She isn’t just reading spreadsheets—she’s reading the room, ensuring that Culture Amp moves forward with a strategy that works not just on paper, but for the people driving it.