FP&A Today

Craig Barry, a seasoned finance consultant with a rich background at companies like Pixar and LinkedIn, shares insights from his incredible journey in strategic finance. He details his unique path from environmental studies to key FP&A roles, emphasizing the importance of revenue growth in creative industries. Barry discusses the intricacies of mergers and acquisitions, and the process of building FP&A from scratch at BioRender. He also touches on the evolution of financial practices in startups and the transformative role of AI in Excel.

In this engaging discussion, Mike Dion, a seasoned finance leader with a rich background spanning Fortune 100 companies and startups, reveals his insights on enhancing organizational efficiency. He shares how automation has allowed him to unlock tens of millions in value. The conversation explores the evolution of finance through AI, dynamic modeling secrets, and the challenges teams face with forecasts. Additionally, Mike emphasizes the importance of simple, approachable finance content and even shares a hint about his favorite Excel function.

In this engaging discussion, Michael Bayer, CFO of Wasabi Technologies, and Cathy Yang, CFO of Trexon Global, dive into the complexities of today’s financial landscape. They explore the impact of tariffs on business operations and pricing strategies amid trade tensions. The conversation also highlights the transformative role of AI in enhancing supply chain visibility and financial forecasting. Additionally, they address the talent crisis looming in the accounting field, stressing the need for adaptability and continuous learning in finance.

Shannon Nash, a multifaceted Chief Financial Officer and filmmaker with over 25 years of experience, shares valuable insights into the art of board presentations. She discusses the significance of turning numbers into compelling narratives and the role of FP&A in securing substantial funding. The conversation also touches on her unique journey through finance, law, and film, and how improv training has enhanced her communication style. Discover her perspective on the power of diversity in corporate strategy and the importance of effective storytelling in finance.

In this insightful discussion, Hyoun Park, CEO of Amalgam Insights, shares his journey from CRM administrator to a finance tech expert. He addresses how AI can optimize tedious tasks like invoice processing and contract management. Listeners will learn about the challenges of rising cloud costs and the implications for budgeting. Hyoun also explores the balance between AI job displacement and new opportunities, plus his predictions for the future of finance in the age of technology. Tune in for a mix of real-world advice and futurist insights!

Bill Hanna, CPA and founder of The Financial Controller, shares his unique journey from hotel management to a successful accounting career. He discusses the evolving role of controllers and their crucial relationship with FP&A teams. Bill emphasizes the importance of mentoring and continuous learning in overcoming accounting challenges. He sheds light on the impact of technology on finance jobs and his transition into being an influencer, while entertainingly revealing his favorite Excel features as a Mac user.

Today’s guest is perhaps the leading CFO name in data and analytics, the ex-CFO of Tableau and DataRobot. Now as Founder & CEO at Caliper, Fletcher draws on over a decade of executive experience at the intersection of finance and analytics. At Caliper, his mission is transform cloud cost and usage data into actionable insights In this episode Fletcher discusses  The relationship between analytics and the CFO Subscription, net dollar retention, customer retention, and annual recurring revenue as key metrics  Getting from CFO to CEO and the learning curve  How we rely on AI and predictive ML and seasonal patterns to find anomalies Getting to base analytics and starting in AI Challenges and waste with cloud and holding engineers accountable The opportunity to  save 30% on cloud spend Moving from Excel to Google Sheets Connect with Damon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damon-fletcher-bb8a6614/ https://calipersoftware.ai

Walmart, Kraft Heinz, Blue Rock Therapeutics, and the Four Seasons hotels are just some of companies that  regularly invite Ron Monteiro to coach their finance teams in storytelling. But Ron’s success followed decades of fear in presenting and public speaking in FP&A settings. Starting in accounting at Hitachi (“Ron Monteiro: “it was actually the only job I could get”) the CPA and CMA was inspired by a manager who gave him direction and mentorship doing FP&A as Kraft, as well as work over a decade in daily overcoming his debilitating fears. Now he delivers a playbook to teams across the world where finance is “expected to be at the table, not just tactically, but strategically.”Ron is also the author of a new book: Love Mondays which draws on his experience and interviews with finance leaders.   In this episode  Fear of public speaking I’ve carried through my life  Kraft Foods and a leap of faith from my manager 15 years at Kraft with 7 jobs and five promotions including FP&A manager, analyst and director  Transforming Kraft FP&A into strategic value: Kraft Singles and “Getting Our Shit Together” meetings Brendan Flynn’s leadership of finance at Kraft developing future finance leaders  The downward trend of FP&A post 3G Capital’s buyout  CPG and the essential metrics  Learning what you can do to grow – listening tour as business partnering and putting your hand up Love Mondays! A Proven Process to Bring Joy Back Into Your Work Week and Life Paperback by Ron Monteiro https://www.amazon.ca/Love-Mondays-Proven-Process-Bring/dp/B0DPMTVYY3

“Consolidation. A  lot of people don’t know exactly what it is. They think that it’s just an aggregation of numbers. Like you just add numbers, but it’s more technical than that. Most of the time when we are talking about consolidation, it’s international big groups that have subsidiaries around the world. Consolidation is the process of converting those financial statements normally built locally, because they have to be compliant with the local requirements and be compliant with the GAAP of the group.” Charaf Bourhalla has been Head of Consolidation at Nestle Skin Health, Vimian Group and Edify Investment Partner.  He holds several key certifications, including the FMVA from CFI, ACCA with a focus on IFRS, and the PMP from PMI. His posts on LinkedIn reach millions of people explaining complex topics simply such as IFRS 10 – Consolidated Financial Statements, AS 16 – Property, Plant and Equipment and AS 1 – Presentation of Financial Statements. In this episode: From years of struggle, to Kimberly Clarke as a reporting analyst to entering a pharma company as business controller  13-year tenure as a consultant developing a deep understanding of IFRS, USGAAP, French GAAP, and IPSAS,  3 Jobs as Head of Consolidation including Nestle Skin Health with 70 subsidiaries around the world Simplifying complexities of financial consolidation and non financial KPIs Secrets to working with FP&A for consolidation and forecasting and building a mid-term plan Continual training for teams in subsidiaries  Technology and complexity changing the consolidation game How Charaf called in when a company found itself consolidating more than 70  legal entities using Excel Not to pick consultants with partnerships with only one provider  Connect with Charaf on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charaf-bourhalla-04760a1b/

Pavels Cvetkovs, FP&A director at Carlsberg Group and veteran of PwC and Ernst & Young, shares insights into the financial dynamics of the beer industry. He discusses how his time in the Big Four armed him with crucial skills for FP&A. Innovation and sustainability at Carlsberg are vital topics, along with the importance of collaboration across departments. Cvetkovs highlights the unique shareholder structure and the challenges of budgeting in a competitive environment. He emphasizes the value of financial modeling and proactive business partnering.