FP&A Today

Great FP&A? It has to be Heinz - with Egor Lyasko

Mar 21, 2023

Egor Lyasko, Head of FP&A, Northern Europe at Kraft Heinz, shares insights on finance transformation, annual budget cycles, integrated business planning, and the role of FP&A in sales finance partnership. He emphasizes being a 'mini CFO,' the importance of accountability, and his retirement dream. He also discusses his journey from biochemistry to finance, challenges in managing budgets, and the significance of clean data for effective financial analysis.

44:12

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Episode guests

Egor Lyasko

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Career aspiration can be unique; Egor Lyasko prefers vineyard dreams over seeking CFO role.

Excel IF or IFS function favored for its powerful conditional logic operations.

Deep dives

Experience and Career Aspirations: A Non-CFO Aspiration

The guest shares a unique career goal of not aspiring to be a CFO despite ample experience in finance, highlighting a desire to retire with a vineyard in New Zealand and drive a tractor.

Introduction

2min

Navigating the Challenges and Dynamics of Financial Planning and Analysis

15min

Balancing People, Processes, and Technology in Financial Planning and Analysis

2min

Navigating Change and Collaboration in Finance and Sales

14min

Navigating Key Metrics in Consumer Package Goods Industry

4min

Exploring Career Aspirations and Excel Functions

2min

Navigating the Challenges of FP&A Analysis

5min

Egor Lyasko is Head of FP&A, Northern Europe at The Kraft Heinz Company, encompassing some of the world’s most loved brands including Heinz ketchup, Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Lunchables. After gaining a master’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Oxford, Egor started at Kraft Heinz as a trainee rising rapidly in six years to Head of FP&A, Northern Europe.

What we covered in this episode:

His rapid career rise at Kraft Heinz attracted by the ketchup maker’s “culture of ownership.”
The principles of finance transformation and the core lessons learnt
How Kraft Heinz manages its annual budget cycle (and what he would do differently next time)
The role of integrated business planning at the world’s fifth-largest food and beverage conglomerate
The importance of being a “mini CFO’ in a sales finance partnership role
FP&A as Guardians of the P&L
Why he doesn’t have an ambition to become a CFO
His perfect retirement dream
His favorite Excel function

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