How Julien Francois Builds Trust as SureSwift’s CFO

What makes someone a strong financial leader? It isn’t just about technical expertise. At SureSwift, we believe it also comes down to how a leader shows up for the people around them. That means helping teams make smarter decisions, building trust, and supporting progress across the portfolio.

When we set out to hire a new CFO, we weren’t just looking for someone with a strong finance background. We wanted a strategic CFO with a steady presence and a clear point of view. Someone who values emotional intelligence in leadership, thinks long-term, and helps others do their best work.

Julien Francois checked every box. Since joining, he’s brought calm, clarity, and confidence to a time of growth and change.

In this interview, Julien shares how his early experiences shaped his leadership approach, what drew him to SureSwift, and how he’s helping guide the company through what’s next. Don Wharton, our Chairman and Founder, also shares why Julien was the right choice and how he’s leading in a way that drives the company forward.

Table of Contents

• From first job to first deal
• Joining SureSwift: Why it made sense for Julien
• A leadership style that builds trust and supports growth
• Lessons learned from life, not just work
• Shaping what’s next at SureSwift

From first job to first deal

Like a lot of people, Julien’s first job was in retail during high school. Beyond earning a paycheck, it taught him two lessons that he still carries with him today: how to show up consistently and how to understand what people need. That early experience with responsibility and customer focus shaped how he’s approached every role since.

After finishing university, Julien began his finance career in a pretty classic way, auditing at PwC. After finishing his articling, he quickly made the leap to the mining industry, stepping in as a controller for a mineral exploration company. 

“That was my first real exposure to deal-making and value creation,” he says. "It was fast, intense, and high-impact." During the first few months, the company’s share price jumped from $8 to $30 and ended up being acquired within Julien’s first year with the company. 

That deal led to a CFO role with a publicly-listed company. The new role gave Julien the opportunity to expand his skillset well beyond the technical side of finance, picking up experience in investor relations, corporate development, and strategic leadership. This was also where he discovered how much he loves creating value. 

“In mining, you create value from scratch, by finding and developing something that was previously undiscovered or overlooked... and that’s exciting.” Over time, he took the lead on everything from royalty negotiations, acquisitions, and restructuring public companies.

His next career move was pivotal in getting him to where he is today. Julien stepped in to the lead finance role at STN Video, a digital media company he helped grow and eventually sell to a strategic buyer. It was during this sale process that Julien first met SureSwift’s Chairman and Founder, Don Wharton. 

Throughout their work together, Don came to know Julien as “professional, meticulous, transparent, and deeply aligned with shareholder interests.” That only became more obvious during the STN deal. “His proven ability to structure and negotiate high-stakes deals made it clear that he brings the right combination of experience, strategic thinking, and reliability,” Don stated.

Joining SureSwift: Why it made sense for Julien

SureSwift was entering a new chapter and looking for a strategic addition to its leadership team. For Julien, the timing and fit felt right. He already knew the founder, had experience navigating complex industries, and felt a strong alignment with SureSwift’s core values, especially the way the company collaborates across its portfolio.

That kind of collaboration is baked into how SureSwift works, with portfolio companies learning from each other to grow smarter and faster. It’s a core part of our Exceptional Operator Framework, which guides how we grow and support each business.

Julien was also drawn to the dynamic nature of the technology industry. Coming from mining, he recognized a similar pattern in the ability to create massive value with a small dedicated team. The opportunity to work across a dozen businesses, contribute to expansion plans, and help shape corporate strategy was too good to pass up.

Joining SureSwift was an exciting opportunity for Julien, but it didn’t come without its challenges. He had never worked directly in private equity before, and stepping into a CFO role that touches more than a dozen businesses and a management company came with a steep learning curve. Navigating complexity, switching contexts quickly, and building trust across new teams all came with the territory.

Still, he brought the same steady energy he’s known for. It’s the kind that earns trust quickly. As Don puts it, “Strong financial leadership means telling the candid truth, good or bad.”

A leadership style that builds trust and supports growth

Julien is an intentional leader. Rather than leading from a distance, he stays close to the work, building relationships across teams and setting the tone by example. Leadership, for him, is rooted in collaboration over control. He asks thoughtful questions, listens carefully, and helps others make better decisions while giving them the space to lead.

“There are so many ways to solve a problem,” Julien says. “I know I’m not always right, and I don’t always have the best solution. It doesn’t make sense to force others to do it my way.” 

This perspective shapes how he works across the portfolio. Instead of calling all the shots, he focuses on guiding thoughtful conversations that lead teams to make smarter decisions. 

“The goal is to assist, not insist,” he says. “It’s about helping people understand their business more deeply and giving them the tools to make better calls on their own.”

That people-first mindset also shows up in how he carries himself. Julien brings a steady, optimistic energy to the table. He believes energy and attitude are contagious. “I try to bring positive, relentless energy every day. That includes being open to learning from others. Openness to new ideas is a big key to success.”

It’s something Don has noticed too. He describes Julien as someone who speaks with intention and earns trust through clarity, not volume. When he weighs in, people pay attention.

Trust Starts with Emotional Intelligence

Today's finance leaders need more than just technical skills. What separates good leaders from great ones is emotional intelligence. The ability to stay self-aware, empathetic, and communicate clearly builds trust more naturally, not just with their peers, but with the teams they support.

It’s this balance of clarity and emotional intelligence that shapes how Julien leads, both within the finance team and broader company. Don puts it plainly: “His integrity and honesty set the tone for the finance team and help foster a culture of transparency at SureSwift.”

Lessons learned from life, not just work

Outside of work, Julien spends most of his time with his family. With a house full of young boys, life is busy, but that hasn’t stopped him from being fully present. He’s coached all three of his sons in everything from soccer to basketball to flag football.

For Julien, coaching isn’t just a weekend hobby. It challenges him, teaches him, and reinforces the way he leads. “I’ve learned a lot through it,” he says. “Preparation, patience, leading by example. You start to learn how different people respond to different approaches.”

Those same qualities show up at work. He stays calm under pressure, creates space for others to grow, and leads with empathy and self-awareness. Emotional intelligence isn’t just something he values. It’s something he practices.

And for Julien, coaching isn’t just about the game. It’s about helping shape good people, not just good players. He takes pride in the small moments like team talks, post-game chats, and all the learning that happens in between. It’s the same mindset he brings to work, grounded in character, consistency, and a genuine care for people.

Shaping what’s next at SureSwift

Julien’s leadership adds strength to SureSwift’s long-term vision. He brings clarity to complex decisions, builds trust through consistency, and shows up with the kind of calm, thoughtful presence that helps teams do their best work.

His approach to leadership mirrors values that show up across the company, like integrity, accountability, collaboration, and a willingness to embrace change. You can learn more about our values in our core values blog.

Whether he’s guiding the finance team or supporting one of our portfolio companies, he leads in a way that helps people move forward with confidence.

If you’d like to connect or follow along on Julien’s journey, you can find him on LinkedIn.