Frank Aburto, senior Director of Finance at Audible, shares his journey from military veteran to building FP&A at Audible. He discusses the importance of understanding customers, using SQL in your career, and recommendations for Audible books. Learn how to get a finance job at Audible or Amazon.
Understanding customer engagement metrics is crucial for steering the direction of a business and identifying improvement opportunities.
Collaborating closely with different teams enables finance professionals to offer valuable insights and support strategic decision-making.
Deep dives
The importance of understanding customer behavior
Understanding how customers engage with a product is crucial for steering the direction of a business. Analyzing customer engagement metrics provides insights into the value a product brings to their lives and helps identify opportunities for improvement.
The value of being a strategic partner
Being involved in strategic and operational decision-making processes enables finance professionals to provide valuable insights and support to the business. Collaborating closely with different teams, such as marketing and product management, allows for a comprehensive understanding of the company's goals and the ability to offer strategic guidance.
The impact of technology on finance
Technological advancements, such as AI and data analysis tools like SQL and Tableau, offer great opportunities for finance professionals. Upskilling in these areas enables deeper analysis, enhances storytelling abilities, and provides well-rounded insights that support strategic decision-making.
The role of curiosity and problem-solving in FP&A
Having intellectual curiosity and strong problem-solving skills are key attributes in FP&A. Being able to go beyond the numbers and understand the underlying factors driving business performance and customer behavior allows for more effective financial analysis and supports the development of actionable strategies.
From Camp Taji in Iraq, to Will Wheaton’s narration of Ready Player One, this is the story of Frank Aburto who helped build Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) at Audible.
Frank Aburto, senior Director of Finance, leads strategic finance and FP&A at Audible the audio storytelling subsidiary of Amazon.
In his role, Aburto supports more than 150 partners across marketing and product where the FP&A function has been central to Audible's success in reaching millions of listeners around the world and becoming the largest player in the audiobook market (sales of audiobooks hit $1.8 billion in the US alone in 2022).
In this episode:
How the military veteran applied his strategic skills learnt in Iraq, Hawai, and South Korea to finance and business
Building FP&A at Audible through the "lens of the customer"
The one trait he looks for in a finance hire
Why understanding customers matters more than P&L metrics
The power of investment banking as a route to FP&A and finance leadership