Episode summary

In the season two premiere of Controllers Classified, host Erik Zhou welcomes Matt Didden, Controller at NexHealth. The conversation begins with a recount of how Matt landed in accounting after graduating in the 2007-2008 financial crisis and realizing that the world would always need accountants. It then highlights his transition from consulting/audit to client side, and the broadening of his scope from pure financial reporting to handling a myriad of complex business challenges.

The episode then turns to its primary focus: accounting considerations in highly regulated industries. Matt points to specific examples - like the anonymization of patient information in line with HIPAA before bringing it into an ERP system - where he’s had to marry accounting best practices and standards with broader industry regulation and requirements.

The episode concludes with discussion around communicating and working effectively with executives and cross-functional partners. Matt shares specific cross-functional project examples related to equity award grants for employees and product launches, and the role that accounting played in each. And as always, the episode closes out with Matt sharing a funny accounting anecdote from his earlier days in audit.

Show notes

Guest bio