From CFO to Female Founder Champion: David Horne’s Story

In this episode of The Secrets of Learning and Development, Julia and Valerie are joined by David Horne, award-winning businessman, CFO, author and advocate for fairer funding for female founders.

David shares the pivotal moments that shaped his career, from learning German as a teenager in Vancouver to moving to Zurich with one-way tickets, building a successful finance career and later facing the difficult reality of a business that did not work out as planned.

With honesty, humour and energy, David reflects on redundancy, reinvention, personal loss, confidence, opportunity and the people who spoke his name in rooms he was not in. He also shares the passion behind his work with female founders, the shocking funding gap they still face and his ambition to create meaningful change in how women-led businesses are supported.

This is a conversation about courage, career pivots, resilience, purpose and the moments that ask us to rethink what success really means.

Key Learnings

Career opportunities often come from skills you develop before you know why they matter.
David’s decision to learn German began as curiosity, but it later became a defining thread in his career, opening doors to Pricewaterhouse in Zurich, senior finance roles and leadership development in a different language and culture.

Setbacks can become turning points when they force honest reflection.
David speaks openly about the wine business not working, losing savings and facing a difficult personal turning point after his father’s death. That period helped him reassess his direction, rebuild his confidence and move into work with greater purpose, including his focus on supporting female founders.

Guest Information:

LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-b-horne/

+44 (0) 771 774 2134

 dbh@addthenmultiply.com
www.addthenmultiply.com