Robin Kiziak is Financial Controller and Finance Business Partner  at VF Corporation (home of outdoor brands Vans, North Face and Timberland). Previously he has been a finance business partner at Hotel Chocolat and UK home improvement leader, Wickes. He also runs the website, There’s Nothing Funny About Finance which aims to move finance away from stereotypes (think Dr No or Beancounters). In this episode Robin reveals how he has used humor to disarm tension in meetings and become a finance business partner  trusted by his colleagues 

In this episode: 

• Robin’s Favorite Finance Joke
• How to be a finance business partner (“with a part of the business that don’t want you  there”).
• The negative stereotypes of finance and how to overcome them
• The power of soft (or human) skills 
• The distribution metrics behind Vans and Timberland’s finance successes 
• Costs vs service as the “holy grail” in retail 
• How to start off in a new finance role – which financials to look at first 
• The biggest financial surprise  you found
• Snagging an unsung hero award
• Biggest advice to an aspiring FP&A professional 

FP&A Today is brought to you by Datarails,the AI-powered financial planning and analysis platform.  Keep your own Excel financial models and spreadsheets and benefit from AI for data consolidation, reporting and planning.

Links – There’s Nothing Funny About Finance

Follow Robin Kiziak on LinkedIn 

YouTube video of the episode

Follow Paul Barnhurst on LinkedIn 

Follow Datarails on LinkedIn