Jim Cook, first finance hire at Netflix, shares his front row experience and lessons learned in building the company. Topics discussed include coping with unrealistic budgets at startups, rebirthing the browser market at Mozilla Firefox, lessons from M&A and IPO at Intuit, the power of finance partnership, and strategic finance moments at Intuit and Mozilla.

Drew Murphy, an FP&A professional with experience at Procter & Gamble, Vistaprint, Mimecraft, and as a CFO, shares his journey and best practices in finance. Topics include his worst budgeting experience, forecasting with Gillette and Braun, impressing sales executives with sales analysis, best practices for monthly profit forecasts, the importance of relationships in finance, and the wedding-like IPO process.

Adam Shilton, Founder, Tech for Finance, and Sloane Kolt, Head of Datarails Labs, discuss the practical use of AI in finance and FP&A. Topics include generative AI, ethical concerns, common use cases, differences between big and small companies, privacy and security risks, effective prompting in finance, lessons from building a new finance AI tool, favorite non ChatGPT AI tools, and advice for getting started with AI in finance.

Rick Warren, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer, Innovation Care Partners, brings lessons from more than 25 years in Healthcare Finance. This includes roles as senior finance and FP&A roles at Ascension (one of the one of the largest private healthcare systems in the United States), Banner Health, one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country, and CVS Health, one of the US’s largest retail pharmacy store chains. This is a must-listen for anyone who is interested in finance procedures in healthcare and the most important metrics in healthcare for anyone in finance.   This episode covers:  How finance can help transform healthcare equity –  the challenge of getting lower socioeconomic group fair  healthcare coverage Rick Moving from a political science degree to finance and ultimately CFO The importance of Relevance over precision in FP&A The nightmare budget which crashed before it was saved Lessons from Boy Scout leadership positions  Margins for hospitals still struggling post-covid  The fundamental healthcare financial metrics including reducing hospital expenses, admissions per thousand, ER visits vs primary health care physician, SNF nursing home days spent, revenue and expense per member per month  The secrets to effective business partnerships in FP&A Favorite Excel Function 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.

Aarish Shah is Founder of EmergeONE a Fractional CFO firm for venture backed UK tech startups and scaleups (from Seed to Series B). He has spent close to two decades operating as a CEO or CFO, and now specializes in helping startups understand and act powerfully on their numbers.  In this episode, Aarish shares his insights on financial planning and analysis (FP&A) in startups and the fundamental lessons he has learned in his career.  His “worst budget ever” when one of his factories burnt down in Papua New Guinea Who he would most like to meet His Nothing Ventured podcast and key lessons talking to players in the venture ecosystem Why he likes the constant “challenges” of Series B startups over other stage companies The difference between "building" the playbook and "running" the playbook in startups How to consider your finance tech stack scales pre-seed to Exit  How FP&A should consider their tech stack Why you need to spending your money at pre-seed  Investing in early stage businesses in the UK How do we go about creating a budget and forecast for a startup? Key metrics I use to analyze startups  How startups can cope with the drying up of cheap capital How to get your CFO to say yes  Favorite Excel function How AI understanding is the one skill every FP&A practitioner needs  Episode links: Nothing Ventured Podcast EmergeOne Fractional CFOs hello@emergeone.co.uk (to contact Aarish) 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. Follow Aarish on LinkedIn YouTube video of the episode Follow Paul Barnhurst on LinkedIn  Follow Datarails on LinkedIn

Experienced FP&A professional, Ashok Manthena, discusses the importance of automating manual finance processes at Google. He shares insights on the future of automation and AI in FP&A departments. The podcast also covers topics like the power of meetups, the prevalence of Excel in finance teams, and the evolution of the finance tech stack. Additionally, they explore the benefits of face-to-face interactions and the significance of having sufficient data for predictive analytics.

Jack McCullough, President of CFO Leadership Council and 26-time CFO, discusses working with psychopath CEOs, building a personal brand for CFOs, adapting during the pandemic, finding mentors, worst manual processes, the impact of technology, and the importance of communication skills for CFOs.

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

Tom Hood is one of the most influential leaders in accounting. The Executive Vice President, Business Growth and Engagement, at American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA has been named the Second Most Influential Person in Accounting since 2011 by Accounting Today Magazine (only pipped to the post by AICPA CEO Barry Melancon). In giving him their award the publication cited his “legendary energy, imagination and ability to foresee the future, and focusing them specifically on management accountants, helping them reimagine “the Future of Finance.” On Linkedin  Tom has 780,000 followers and the platform recruited the accounting leader as one of their Top Voices. His passion for technological innovation in accounting has been evident since the early days of VisiCalc to Excel and ChatGPT. This combines with his rigorous enforcement against bad actors in the profession, and optimism about the future.  In this episode Tom Hood describes one of the biggest shifts in accounting as “The Great Join between accounting and FP&A”. Hood says: “We need accounting to make sure the numbers are right and to maintain our stewardship and trust. But we also need the financial viewpoint, which we saw big time in the pandemic. This is needed to reimagine what’s next in the profession.” Hood also reveals his passion reflecting accounting’s role as one of the most fundamental tenets of business- and wider society“Accounting is a language of business. It is a language that many people‒dare I say most people‒don’t truly understand. You become the value interpreter of everything about a business.” In this episode discover:  Tom’s career trajectory from to CFO at  to Maryland Association of CPAs to EVP  at the (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)  The merger between the AICPA and CIMA (UK-based) and the global power base this provides the accounting profession The Great Join between FP&A and Accounting  His  passion for accounting tech as continuing to revolutionize business – from the dawn of VisiCalc to ChatGPT today  His role in stamping out unethical accounting practices  The changing up the CPA Exam and what it means for you How AI has already changed the game for accountants and how companies are transforming accounting   How he got into accounting as a way of getting into the FBI and why that didn’t work out  YouTube video of the episode Follow Paul Barnhurst on LinkedIn  Follow Datarails on LinkedIn

  Jake Luerkens and Connor Frischmeyer are co founders and partners at Auxo Partners, a finance advisory firm that helps startups make better decisions and grow strategically.    They have been in "the sidecar" as companies scaled from $2m to $50m, providing internal finance, FP&A, capital markets advisory and SPAC (special purpose acquisition company) support.   In this episode:    When should startups think about bringing  in fractional FP&A services The rise and fall of SPACs (including a rap about SPACs) Why investors are focused on a clear path to solid business models  How FP&A can help companies *not* blow their fundraising  The most typical problems companies face in raising money  Why Excel is the most flexible tool for finance Biggest Excel nightmares How to get started in FP&A   YouTube video of the episode Transcript of the episode    Connect with Jake Luerkens and Connor Frishchmeyer on LinkedIn   Connect with Paul Barnhurst on LinkedIn    Follow Datarails on LinkedIn   Links from the episode   Auxo Partners   Spac Dream By Cassius Cuvée featuring Mags Lionne