I train Finance Teams at Soft Skills | Corporate Training Facilitator | Course Instructor | Keynote Speaker

You can build the best reports…
and still struggle to make people care.

(I know because I used to do that, even as FP&A Manager)

I could spend weeks preparing the reports and the deck
only to see eyes glaze over when I presented them.

My “storytelling” looked like this:
- 40 slides
- 200 KPIs
- 0 engagement

Then… silence
No decisions. No alignment. No impact.

The reality check hit me when the CFO told me
"Soufyan, bring me the story. People I will present to need more than tables and graphs"

And he was right: If leaders don’t understand the story,
they can’t act on it, no matter how accurate the numbers are.

That moment changed everything.

I stopped trying to impress, and started trying to connect.

→ I simplified the narrative
→ I turned variance bridges into business stories
→ I built frameworks to help others do the same

A few years later, I was training entire finance pros.
Then entire teams.
Then CFOs started calling.

Today, I run The Finance Circle,
where I help FP&A teams, controllers, and CFOs
turn reports into stories that drive decisions.

Here’s how it works:

• The Finance Stage  for teams
• Financial Storytelling Program — our flagship training for professionals
• Coaching programs — for CFOs and Leaders
• Workshops on AI, Copilot & Storytelling

I’ve trained teams at Holcim, Deloitte, Bauer Media, Ansell, and Proximus.
Different industries, same goal: make Finance heard.

Because the best insight in the world means nothing
if no one remembers it after the meeting.

Ready to make your next presentation land?
Send me a message — let’s make your story stick.

Soufyan Hamid

There are dozens of storytelling frameworks

But only some of them really work in Finance

And it's because we are not on a TEDx stage

The goal is to bring decisions to the table

And in a decision room, leaving things open-ended is a risk

That’s why I put a score on each framework in this visual

Not to rank storytelling theory

But to reflect what actually works when you sit with a CFO, an ExCo, or a board who expects direction by the end of the meeting

Over the years, I’ve used all of these.
Golden Circle ⭐⭐⭐
Driver-based storytelling ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Scenario planning ⭐⭐⭐
Bridge frameworks ⭐⭐⭐
Even Monroe (in very specific moments) ⭐⭐

They all have value
They all have limits
And they don’t perform the same in our context

In finance, the question is rarely “Is this a nice story?”
It’s “What decision does this lead to?”

That’s why some frameworks do a better job
Why some bring a real outcom
Why some help leadership move

Like the SCQA ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

And yes, this is the clear winner in my heart

The one that consistently survives board pressure, time constraints, and executive impatience

But I’m curious

What frameworks have you actually used in real finance meetings?
And which one helped you land a decision when it really mattered?

I’m genuinely interested in your winner

Insight Communication for Modern Finance Teams (Storytelling Done The Right Way) | EMBA Lecturer | Keynote Speaker

BEST OF 2025 - Everyone talks about what great finance partners should do

Few talk about what holds them back

And that’s a problem because bad habits don’t always look bad at first

Some of them come from the right intentions.
- Trying to be precise.
- Trying to protect the company.
- Trying to be helpful.

But over time, these habits break trust and distance you from the business

Here are 10 behaviours I’ve seen hold back even the smartest finance teams (and what to do instead)

Being a Gatekeeper Instead of a Partner
 ❌ Saying “no” before understanding the ask
 ✅ Start with the “why” and co-build better options

Speaking in Jargon
 ❌ Flooding the room with ratios and accounting terms
 ✅ Translate numbers into commercial impact

Challenging Without Listening
 ❌ Correcting mid-sentence without full context
 ✅ Listen like a coach, not a cop

Owning the Budget Like It’s Yours
 ❌ Acting like business teams are spending your money
 ✅ Guide the process — don’t police it

Reporting for the Sake of Reporting
 ❌ Sending dashboards with no direction
 ✅ Highlight what matters and what happens next

Showing Up Only at Month-End
 ❌ Being visible only when reviews are due
 ✅ Be present where decisions are made

Trying to Look Smart Instead of Being Helpful
 ❌ Correcting decimals and IFRS details in meetings
 ✅ Help people think better — that’s what earns trust

Micromanaging Forecasts
 ❌ Rewriting inputs instead of coaching logic
 ✅ Let the business own it — just challenge thinking

Escalating Before Engaging
 ❌ Jumping straight to top management
 ✅ Start local, escalate with context — not blame

Being Reactive, Not Strategic
 ❌ Always in fix-it mode
 ✅ Bring your own agenda and help shape the long game

Business partnering is the outcome of how you show up, day after day
One habit earns trust, another erodes it
And over time, the difference is massive.

If you’re leading a finance team, start here: clear out the behaviours that block your team from being invited to the real conversations.

That’s where the work begins

It’s to stop doing the wrong things

Which of these habits do you still see around you?

BEST OF 2025 - There’s no rush to become a CFO

But there’s also no excuse to stay stuck in the same role for 10 years

Finance careers are built step by step

Not by job titles, but by the way you show up at each stage

Here’s what I’ve learned after working across audit, consulting, and FP&A:

🔹 In your early career, curiosity beats perfection
↳ Ask why. Shadow meetings 
↳ Say yes to messy projects
↳ You’re there to absorb

🔹 In mid-career, impact beats perfect
↳ You’ve mastered the model, now use it to be useful
↳ Speak the language of the business
↳ Be the partner they remember

🔹 In leadership, clarity beats control
↳ Your job won't be execution anymore
↳ You have to make sure your team knows where they’re going
↳ The why becomes your North Star

🔹 And as an executive, legacy beats performance
↳ Step back just enough to let others step up.
↳ Use your experience where it counts — in guidance, not control.
↳ Make space for what matters most: people, decisions, and legacy.

Keep asking better questions.
Keep stepping into the next level.
Keep building what outlasts you.

But more importantly today, ask yourself:
What stage am I in?
And how am I making the most of it?

—

♻️ Save or share if someone on your team needs to read this today
📌 Follow me for more content like this

How to Make the Most of Every Step in Your Finance Career

FP&A is not a destination

It’s a progression

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I just notice it's barely readable so download the high definition PDF on https://lnkd.in/eEyZfzZE
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Reporting
Analysis
Forecasting
Consulting

Each layer builds on the one below it

You don’t become a “strategic business partner” by declaration

You grow into it

- 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 earns trust
- 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀 creates understanding.
- 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 shifts the conversation forward.

Only then does 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 make sense

Helping leaders think through options
Knowing the risks and opportunities
Make decisions with confidence

That’s also how I approach teaching finance to non-finance leaders

I don’t start at the top of the pyramid

I start where collaboration is natural

Some connect through KPIs
Some through performance drivers
Some through scenarios

And that’s fine

There’s no rush to master everything from day 1

Learn the first layer
Then the second
Then the third

Over time, you arrive at what real finance business partnering actually is:

Being useful when decisions are on the table

BEST OF 2025 - There’s pressure in every team

But in FP&A, it has a particular flavour

It’s the pressure of being the last to know,
but expected to be the first to answer.

It’s the pressure of helping others stay on track
even when their priorities change daily

After almost 20 years in the role, I’ve stopped trying to eliminate pressure

Instead, I’ve learned to navigate it without burning out

Here are 5 habits I come back to, especially during chaotic weeks:

1️⃣Start from what already exists
There’s often a past report, a good comment, a forgotten query
Reusing and reframing is 70% of the job

2️⃣Offer 80% solutions when time is tight
You know the Pareto rule, right? It also applies to our work
People will prefer imperfect instead of nothing
 “Here’s what I can show today” keeps things moving

3️⃣Step back when everything feels urgent
Most deadlines aren’t emergencies
Let's put our work back in perspective
We're not ER surgeons

4️⃣Clarify the real end goal
You often get simple requests of data or report
But if you don't know what the end goal is, you risk having five rounds of rework

5️⃣Learn one thing after every storm
If pressure doesn’t make us smarter, it just repeats
Each cycle is a chance to prep better, say no sooner, or automate next time

I didn’t learn this in a course

I learned it on Thursday nights when the board was the day after

Or during QBRs when the numbers were there but didn't make sense 

If any of these help you next week, I’m glad I wrote them down

What’s the habit that’s helped you most under pressure?

BEST OF 2025 - From Senior FP&A to FP&A Leader

There’s no badge for it

No formal promotion moment

But there’s a shift. And once it starts, you can’t go back

You don’t need to work harder but to work differently

Here are 10 mindset shifts to step up into leadership:

1/ You stop waiting for questions
 ↳ You shape the discussion before it even starts
 ↳ Insight isn’t the goal as such, framing the question is

2/ You stop building for complexity
 ↳ Models support clarity and speed
 ↳ The kind of models that non-trained people could fill

3/ You stop focusing on variance explanations
 ↳ You focus on how the variance changes the next decision
 ↳ That’s what they care about

4/ You stop aiming for templated slides
 ↳ You aim for impactful slides
 ↳ The story matters more than the design

5/ You stop reacting when called
 ↳ You show up early, with options and trade-offs
 ↳ You help shape the path

6/ You stop being judged by your output
 ↳ You’re judged by how empowered your team is when you’re not in the room

7/ You stop reviewing reports to prepare
 ↳ You prep by talking to people
 ↳ Context beats control

8/ You stop being the Excel hotline
 ↳ You’re the person they come to challenge their assumptions

9/ You stop reacting to the calendar
 ↳ You show up with scenarios and trade-offs before they’re needed

10/ You don't sit only with finance
 ↳ You earn your seat where decisions are made

You don’t need a new job title to lead.

You just need to operate like someone whose voice drives direction.

Start before you're invited.

That’s how you get the seat.

Too many meetings are killing finance teams

But the answer isn’t “have fewer meetings”

It’s having the 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀, at the right altitude

Most finance leaders have a 𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺

Everything feels urgent
Every topic ends up everywhere
And by month-end, people are exhausted… but still unclear

I’ve seen this in FP&A teams, group finance functions, and ExCo rooms

Everyone is busy
Very little actually moves

What changed things for me wasn’t another productivity hack
It was a 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗵𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗺

Here’s the 4-meeting cadence I keep coming back to ↴

A structure that creates alignment without drowning teams in calls.

1️⃣ Daily Team Alignment (5 minutes)
↳ A fast pulse check
↳ Priorities, workload, risks
↳ No metrics review

2️⃣ Weekly Performance Tactical (45–90 minutes)
↳ Review performance signals with the business
↳ Translate KPIs into drivers and action
↳ Leave with decisions

3️⃣ Monthly Strategic Review (2–3 hours)
↳ Zoom out
↳ Connect trends, forecasts, risks, scenarios
↳ Focus on 1–3 topics that actually move the business

4️⃣ Quarterly Business Offsite (1–2 days)
↳ Step back from the noise
↳ Pressure-test strategy and assumptions
↳ Reset priorities and direction together

When this cadence is run properly, you feel it immediately:

– Fewer last-minute surprises
– Clearer ownership
– Faster decisions
– Better conversations with leadership

Meetings stop feeling like reporting rituals
They start becoming decision moments

This is one of the simplest systems I’ve seen work, again and again, in finance leadership teams

Because it creates space for insight, focus, and direction

If you’re a CFO or FP&A leader, I’d be curious:
Which one of these meetings is currently missing, or doing the wrong job, in your organization?

BEST OF 2025 - Some people think the title is enough
“CFO”
“VP”
“Director”

But leadership isn’t pinned to your blazer

It’s what shows up in every decision you make

Empathy
Fairness
Accountability
Communication
Respect

And the courage to choose integrity when it’s hard

Because titles don’t lead

You do
Activate to view larger image,

Every FP&A problem has a root cause

And most CFOs only see it when it’s already expensive

Here are 8 signs to watch out for

After 4 years at The Finance Circle, I’ve worked with enough FP&A teams to know this pattern by heart:

99,99% of the people have all the skills to do the job

But the small signals that feel manageable… are actually the ones derailing the team

The CFO delegates more operational responsibility to FP&A: 
- The forecasting direction
- More analysis led
- More interaction with the business

Generally, we call that "progress"

In practice, something else often happens

As FP&A becomes more autonomous, it naturally starts carrying the narrative day to day

Decisions need context and questions need answers

So FP&A fills the space of being the "delegated right-hand" of the CFO

Over time, the story of performance settles inside the team

And it becomes the default reference in conversations with the business

The CFO is still accountable but no longer the daily point of gravity

While alignement CFO-FP&A should always keep going

And that’s usually when the distance starts

Here are 8 signs your FP&A team may already be struggling:

1️⃣ Conflicting numbers
Different reports tell different stories
And suddenly, no one knows which number to defend

2️⃣ Endless reforecasting
Forecasts keep changing, but no one can clearly explain why
Ownership fades. Confidence follows

3️⃣ Unclear business ownership
FP&A produces analysis, but it’s unclear who owns the metric or the decision
So insights float. Nothing lands

4️⃣ Over-engineered models
Models become impressive artifacts instead of decision tools
Few understand the and even fewer trust them

5️⃣ Misaligned KPIs
Metrics look clean, but don’t reflect how the business actually creates value
This is often when people start to ignore reports

6️⃣ Low stakeholder trust
Business partners challenge every insight or quietly bypass finance
Why would they?

7️⃣ Reactive, not strategic
Most energy goes into explaining the past
Very little shapes what happens next

8️⃣ Executive escalation
Issues surface at ExCo before FP&A raises the flag
And finance ends up explaining surprises instead of preventing them

The good news is that every one of these signals is fixable when you spot them early

But only if you’re willing to look beyond outputs…
and address how FP&A actually works, decides, and communicates

I’ve captured concrete ways to tackle each of these points

If you’re leading an FP&A team today, take a look: 

I'm sure you’ll recognize more than one

Which of these signs have you seen most often?

♻️ Repost if this helps another CFO spot the warning signs before they turn into nightmares

BEST OF 2025 - I’ll admit it
Early in my career, I was a bit of a snob
I thought storytelling was FP&A’s secret edge

Our unique value

Later, I realised every finance role is already telling stories...
...just in very different ways:
- Accounting tells the story of rules being followed
- Tax tells the story of efficiency
- Treasury tells the story of resilience
- FP&A tells the story of choices

Trouble starts when we use the same approach everywhere

That’s when we lose people

Because what works in the ExCo won’t reassure regulators
And what convinces auditors won’t inspire executives

Storytelling in Finance must not only adapt to the audience

It must also adapt to its message
 
So ask yourself:
- What does this audience care about?
- What language will they trust?
- How do they make decisions?

This framework helps you find the right angle

Good finance professionals master the numbers
Great ones know numbers only matter when they become useful.

BEST OF 2025 - We like to say we “wear many hats”

But in reality, most of us try to wear all of them

Forecasting. Reporting. Strategy. Tools. Leadership.

And we do it with pride...
...until the weight becomes too much

I wish more people in Finance (and beyond) understood that:

You cannot be exceptional at everything

And the moment you try, everything starts to decline

The higher you grow, the less your role is to do it all

Your real job becomes something very different:
- Finding the best in each area
- Creating the space for them to excel
- And becoming the engine that connects all of them into one direction

You have to accept you can't master every hat

You'll have to hand over some and empower the people who wear them better than you ever could

I know it's frustrating for action people like us

But no one should have to do it all

Especially not you

BEST OF 2025 - I’ve worked with great finance teams

On paper, they had everything right

Good reports and great forecasts

They always delivered on time

But still, they were out of the loop when strategy was being discussed (any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental)

Why?

Because being good at their jobs has never been enough (even though we try to make you believe this is a new trend)

You need to be part of the conversation that happens before and after the report arrives in your stakeholders' hands

Here are 8 things I’ve consistently seen great finance teams do:

1️⃣ They prepare the meeting before the slides
 → They align on the message, test key takeaways, and pre-sell the story. The slides come last.

2️⃣ They always ask what the analysis is for
 → You think having a hypothesis is a bias? Maybe, but people have biases and you're there to confirm or infirm them.

3️⃣ They explain performance through business events
 → Not just % variances or COGS breakdowns. Real understanding of what happened on the ground.

4️⃣ They prepare more than one way forward
 → They bring options. Forecasts are more than predictions — they’re scenarios with ownership.

5️⃣ They step in before the month-end
 → They don’t wait for closing. They test early signals mid-month to support real-time trade-offs (go to (bi-)weekly meetings with your BU).

6️⃣ They make complex topics easy to act on
 → Not oversimplified but usable by people who know more about the business than you do.

7️⃣ They create working relationships
 → It goes further than business acumen. We work with humans, and people work with humans they appreciate.

8️⃣ They follow insights through to action
 → Your job isn’t done when it’s presented. They stay in the loop until it happens.

These aren’t soft skills

They’re operational differentiators

And over time, they’re what turn a support function into a strategic one

Which of these 8 do you already practice?

And which one will your team focus on next?

ONE big difference between Controlling and FP&A

Business 𝗔𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻 translated into Business 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

But for that, you need to value by a chain

A chain you build step by step:

It's tempting to “upgrade FP&A” by starting at the top but most of the time, you face the sitution where nothing changes

Because FP&A isn’t grounded in business understanding but if you want it to create a repercussion in the business, you can't simply show them the problems

You must first translate into values that people understand

And then translate into a narrative (because, no, people won't move unless they feel concerned)

Here’s the sequence that actually works, without shortcuts

𝟭) 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴

Before you model anything, you earn the right to model it

You know the revenue engine, the cost structure, the commercial mechanics, the operational constraints

𝟮) 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

You translate finance into business levers

That means that every $/€ movement will lead to a change in drivers...
...and vice-versa

𝟯) 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

Now you shape how leaders interpret performance

Your message framing makes the decision easier for leaders

(Small tip: think of the 3 What)

𝟰) 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

This is where FP&A becomes real

If decisions are made, you don't let them die in the meeting.

You make sure they are in the rolling forecasts
You follow up on the action points with the people accountable
You make it a routine

Each layer builds on the previous one

If you jump straight to forecasting routines without business acumen, you get prettier templates and the same misunderstandings
If you jump straight to storytelling without value translation, you get great slides and zero action
If you jump straight to execution without influence, you get meetings that feel busy and outcomes that feel random

If you want FP&A to be valuable, treat it like a craft with a progression

Start at the bottom

Where does your team spend most of its time today: business understanding, value translation, influence, or execution?

Only 17%* of FP&A teams describe their data as “best-in-class”

That means 83% are still somewhere short of where they need to be

And I’ve seen why
• Too much time lost in reconciliations and manual reporting
• Insights landing too late to influence a decision
• CFOs still chasing reports instead of shaping the conversation

That’s when finance teams stall: hard work replaces smart work and the space for strategy disappears

The truth is: moving from firefighting to impact isn’t one big leap

It’s done step by step

You start with standardization
-> One clear way of working, no more chaos

Then you add automation
-> Cut out the repetitive work

Next comes measurement
-> Focus on the right KPIs and make them visible.

Then, layer in continuous improvement
-> Small weekly fixes that compound into resilience

Only then are you ready for innovation
-> Shaping finance

That’s the journey I’ve seen across my career (and still this week at a CFO event organised by KPMG)

It’s not glamorous (no hero story here)

But it works because at each step, you build on strong grounds

So here it is: 5 Levels of FP&A Maturity (from firefighting to strategic impact)

Share it with CFO. 
Save this for when teams lose motivation.
Use it to make your finance team future proof.

* 2025 FP&A Trends Survey

👉 If you want to go deeper, here are three ways I can help you:

📘 I put together a free Financial Storytelling Starter Pack — you can grab it here: https://lnkd.in/eadSXhKp

🤝 And if you want to explore solutions for your team, you can plan a call with me here: https://lnkd.in/eKTff5s2

BEST OF 2025 - Love him or hate him, Steve Jobs had an edge in presentations

So let’s learn what we can from him and apply it to finance:

But before doing it, it's important to know that I am not asking anyone to become a TED talker or an inspirational leader

Our business updates have a different goal: help leaders grasp what changed, why it matters, and what we do next

So here is how I translate six of his core presentation rules to FP&A work:

1️⃣ Clarity beats complexity

Ask yourself: can a non-finance leader grasp my point in 10 seconds? If not, strip the slide to the essentials and name the decision it supports.

2️⃣ Numbers inform but stories transform

Turn “Q3 margin down by 8%” into a short storyline: pricing lag, mix shift, energy spike, and the fix we control next quarter. 

Use the 3 What: what happened, why it matters, what we do next.

3️⃣ Your voice is the real slide

Slides do not drive change. People do. Rehearse tone and pacing so your presentation leads to engagement....and discussions

4️⃣ Less text -> More impact

One idea per slide. One message per chart. If they read more than they listen, you have already lost them.

5️⃣ Rehearse like a partner

Your goal by rehearsing won't be to know everything by heart. 
Instead, know your structure, detect when something goes wrong, anticipate the CEO’s first question. 
But more importantly, refine transitions, so you won't have to say "on the next slide, ...

6️⃣ Command the room, even virtually

Own the narrative with purposeful pauses, direct headlines, and clear next steps.

A simple checklist I use with teams:
• Headline first, chart second
• One decision per slide
• Driver table before variance waterfall
• “What we’ll change” on the final page
• Rehearse answers to the five hardest questions you expect

Yes, I know, many of his craft weren't directly applicable to Finance

But the outcomes are transferable and learnable, and they work in finance

Let’s make our updates shorter, sharper, and more useful to the business

Steve Jobs 6 Rules of Presentation

I don't know if you know but I have a 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹

It's not big yet but you'll learn a lot

Like the following

****
Before jumping to each video individually, make sure to subscribe to my page so you don't miss any video

https://lnkd.in/eDkW4xxC

****

1️⃣ Create the perfect PowerPoint slides

No matter what people say, 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 is still the go-to resource if you want to share your findings in a presentation.

But most of them are BAD and that must stop. 

So in this video, I give all the best practices so your slides are clean, engaging and to the point

https://lnkd.in/eVPZdmKN

2️⃣ The ONLY 7 Charts You Need as a Finance Pro

There are hundreds of charts available 

But you only need 7 in Finance

Line, Bar, Pie (yes) or 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘁. Discover them with tips to make them crispy

https://lnkd.in/exbZmRXM

3️⃣ How to Write TOP Executive Summaries

You know beforehand that nobody is going to read the 30 slides you send as a pre-read

But what they would read is an 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆

Learn what to include, how to structure it and save everybody some time

https://lnkd.in/eDcErvqF

4️⃣ How Great CFOs adapt to their audience

The best CFOs will treat differently the different meetings they attend

ExCo, Board, All-hands,....

They require a different strategy and I'm going to show you how

https://lnkd.in/eCpFtVbb

5️⃣ Will Avatars Change How CFOs Present The Results?

Every quarter, CFOs present the results to the rest of the company

But despite its importance, it's an exercise that's not so easy

Languages, time zones, cultural differences...

Why don't we test what an AI avatar can do? (and the problems that can come with it)

https://lnkd.in/evxc9eZv

6️⃣ Speak Finance That Connects (with Non-Finance)

It's not a secret: jargon is one of the main reasons why finance is so misunderstood

But it's not a fatality! We can make it understandable, engaging and even interesting

Let's learn to do that

https://lnkd.in/e5vAwy5D

-------------------------

Like I said, there are not a lot of videos today

But in 2026, I'm taking the challenge to produce at least 30 videos

So, if you value what I share with you, subscribe 😉

You won't be disappointed

Good Accounting + Good FP&A = Smooth Year-End Closing

Nothing revolutionary

But I’ve seen what happens when one of the two is missing

👎 As FP&A, closing the books myself because accounting was stuck in operational tasks
👍 As FP&A, walking into the closing meeting with one or two questions. And moving on.

Everything starts with accounting

When it’s shaky, FP&A spends the closing fixing numbers instead of using them

So if you’re a CFO, the priority is simple
Have a solid accounting setup

From what I’ve seen, the problem was rarely skills
Most teams knew their job

The issue was 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽
- Where accounting stops
- Where FP&A starts

Once that line is clear, the closing changes
- Numbers come with limited rework
- Analysis starts earlier
- Conversations move faster

You can optimise a closing in many ways

This one already does 75% of the job.

If you’ve seen other levers that really improved the closing process,
I’m curious to hear them 👇

2026 has already started and yet...
...I still look at 2025 to celebrate
- delivering 52 in-person workshops
- organising or simply giving 15 online trainings
- being invited to speak at 5 conferences
- travelling in 12 different countries for work

Those are numbers, but they mean much more

Year after year, this crazy bet I made to myself still makes sense

I wasn't tired of working in FP&A

But I felt that what I created was worth sharing

Sometimes, I doubt
- should I surf on the AI trend and talk about it?
- should I widen the horizon and be more general
- should I simply give up and work again in FP&A

But when the end of year arrives and that I see that I can fill my fridge with my passion

AND moreover that people are satisfied

I can't help but feel happy

Inmensely happy

There will be plenty of time to think about my objectives for 2026

But for now, just thinking that 2025 (like 2024 and 2023) has been good to me gives me good reasons to think 2026 will be great

And there is one thing I hope

It's that 2026 will be good to you too

Thank you for everything

Maybe you're already a great storyteller. Maybe not.

There are signs that indicate you're on the way

Not the kind HR puts in a framework
The kind you notice in meetings

You start with what changed in the business
You don’t use the same slide for the ExCo vs others
You show where things are going
You end your analysis with a choice to make.
You simplify until no one asks you to repeat yourself
You answer the question behind the question
You translate finance into a "common" language

None of this is directly linked to "storytelling" skills

If you think well, they just make someone decide faster

That’s the real difference between "inspiring" storytelling and "efficient" storytelling

And once you got that
your role changes

So does how people listen to you?

BEST OF 2025 - There are 100 charts available 📈

You only need 7 (pie charts are one of them) 

But I do not only name them

Find out which charts to use and understand 
- their goals
- the type of data you need to use
- the pros and cons of their usage
- the key considerations
- when to use (and when not)
- the best practices
- the main use cases

So before jumping on your Excel file to build them, here's some that you want to know

1. Bar/Column Charts: Although many purists would disapprove, for a limited time (like 12 months), they can represent time value. Combined with a line, they're super powerful to explain to show Actuals vs Budget

2. Line Charts: when you show a flow (over a year for example), they're particularly good to show trends. Another good point: you can put multiple lines on the same chart and still be readable.

3. Pie Charts: the little ugly duck of the charts. No one likes them (except me) despite their ease of use and global understanding. They're not good for everything, but they are, they are.

4. Scatter Plot: Not to use in a final presentation but rather as a backup or in a working session. From it, deduce the conclusions and tell them (otherwise, you'll lose everyone)

5. Speedometer Chart (or any indication actually): When you want to show a performance vs a comparative (budget, last year,...), they do the job. Today, cards are more often used.

6. Bullet Charts: if you have a target to reach (especially if the targets are different for each bar), bullet charts can be very efficient.

7. Waterfall: will I have to convince you again how much I love them. The only chart that could possibly tell a story on its own. Of course, make sure the categories are self-speaking enough and run away from the simple accounting categories.

Convinced this is helpful but don't have time now?
Save it 💾

7 Charts You Need in Finance

Paul Barnhurst

The FP&A Guy

Founder

FP&A Tomorrow

FP&A Tomorrow is a podcast focused on discussing not only what is happening in FP&A but what does the future look like for FP&A. The show is hosted by The FP&A Guy and is the premier podcast FP&A podcast. The show launches in April 2024.

Podcast Host

Financial Modeler's Corner

Hosting a world-class podcast all about Financial Modeling.  The podcast is for anyone who wants to listen to and learn from the best financial modelers in the world.

Future Finance

Future Finance is the podcast show that illuminates the future of finance through the lens of AI, innovation, and technology.  I co-host the show with the amazing Glenn Hopper.

Co-Host

The FP&A Hub

Co-founder of the only dedicated planning and analytics community created by and for planning and analytics professionals.  

Com join us today at https://community.plan-buddies.com/c/about-us

Co-Founder

Born Capital

The tides of change are flowing into the finance function which sends the function into the age of 4.0. We say it is "Enabled by tech - Driven by people". 

At Born Capital, we focus on tech enablement and are looking for early-stage startups in what we call #CFOTech that will enable the finance function to become a profit driver. We have a keen interest in FP&A and Business Finance as this is where we see the biggest improvement potential.

Actually, CFOs themselves know this as 71% of them are not happy with the performance of their FP&A team despite significant investments made in the past decade. We will help the office of the CFO get the right tech and tools to step up to the plate and deliver on the expectations of the CEO and other CXOs.

Feel free to reach out if you would like to know more about how we can help your start-up to the next level...

Advisory Board Member

Operators Guild

The Operators Guild is an independent, invitation-only group, home to the world’s top finance and operations (high growth and technology) leaders.

Scaling a company is hard. We are working together to share best practices, help one another solve similar problems, and invest in the operator community. We meet and connect regularly to support each other as we create the next generation of high-growth companies and company leaders.

Member

FP&A Today

Host FP&A Today, one of the premier podcasts on FP&A.  It is a weekly show where we bring you the latest news and actionable tips about all things FP&A.

DigiCert, Inc.

Director of Finance Sales Operations and Analytics

Solera, Inc.

Director of FP&A - Dealer and Aftermarket Division

Director of FP&A - Dealer Divison

Built Excel data model and developed financial reporting tool that allows easy review of budget and actuals for 30 North American legal entities transactional data, this model has helped reduce accounting errors and improved insight into key business expenses and vendors.
•	Provide support to NA CFO for $500M+ SaaS business to include preparing decks, providing ad-hoc analysis, and attending various leadership meetings.
•	Coordinate consolidation of forecasts and monthly results for 3 North American business units
•	Co-Led team effort to select software financial planning system and led effort to select consulting company to implement TM1 panning tool.
•	Worked closely with accountants to improve balance sheet reconciliation reporting for prepaid and capitalized software projects allowing business to have a clearer picture of actual spend on software & software projects.
•	Supported various accounting improvement initiatives resulting in improved accounting processes, to include reconciling over $4M of unreconciled balance sheets.

FP&A Manager

Founder of The FP&A Guy | Providing training and content that helps FP&A and Finance Professionals be better at their job today and tomorrow.

I am a passionate teacher and creator of FP&A content. I enjoy helping FP&A professionals become more effective creators of value for their businesses. Today, I provide content and training on important subjects, including FP&A, Excel, Power Query, Data Visualization, Storytelling, and more. 

I host three popular podcasts, FP&A Tomorrow, Future Finance, and Financial Modeler’s Corner, which bring you the best and brightest people in finance and FP&A. 

I am a Microsoft MVP and have earned the AFP FP&A Certification and the FMI Advanced Financial Modeler Certification. 

I am a big advocate of FP&A planning tools and share research on FP&A software. I have also published several market guides to help buyers understand the landscape. 

☛ Feel free to contact me – Pbarnhurst@thefpandaguy.com

Paul Barnhurst, The FPandA Guy

Free Course: Selecting the right FP&A Software!!!!

What is the best FP&A Software?

This is a question I get all the time, and my favorite is when they say I will not tell anyone you told me. 🤣 Like it is some secret. 

The reality is that no best tool exists, and the same person will often select a different tool depending on the company they are working at and the needs they have at the time.  Many factors, including company size, software stack, and personal preference, etc. will all play a role in the process.   

That is why I have created a free course titled:

𝐅𝐏&𝐀 𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

The course helps you:

➡ Identify when it might be time for a dedicated tool
➡ Understand the core components of FP&A software
➡ Understand how to segment the market and narrow down the list of tools to consider for your use case
➡ Select the right tool for your business by conducting a formal RFP Process
➡ Implement the tool using best practices for your implementation process

Included in the course are:

➡ 44 Videos
➡ Interview with implementation specialist Christopher McKay from Capitalize Analytics
➡ Templates: RFP Checklist, RFP Cover Letter, Requirements Document, Evaluation Criteria Templates

The sections for the course are: 

➡ Introduction to FP&A Software
➡ When do I need a Planning Tool?
➡ The Benefits of Planning Software
➡ Core Components of Planning Software
➡ Segmenting the Market for Planning Software
➡ Tool Types
➡ Selecting a Software Tool for Your Business
➡ Managing the RFP Process
➡ Implementing Your Planning Software
➡ The Future of Planning Software
➡ Conclusion and Key Takeaways

This is the most complete course you will find on selecting and implementing FP&A software, and I have made it absolutely free.

 I also offer FP&A software selection services, so you can contact me directly for assistance selecting the tool best suited to your needs.   

Link to course:
https://lnkd.in/ddTj8tJp

A special thanks to Christopher McKay, Kamal Gregory, MBA, and Capitalize Analytics for assisting with the implementation section of the course. 

Let me know in the comments what questions you have about the process.

When people ask what makes me difference as a Finance Trainer and podcast host. I have 5 things I share

1. The look of my beard
2. The color my beard
3. The length of my beard
4. They style of my beard
5. The look of my beard

Or in the words of Joel Steendam: 


Came for the content, stayed for the beard. A true champion of good modelling!”


If that is not enough for you then check out my new free 5-day email course designed to help transform your analysis into stories executives want to hear. 

https://lnkd.in/gCfjDgSg

No alternative text description for this image

The "Monday Morning Problem"
 
Ian Wong describes how, every Monday morning, when the business got together to meet, someone would ask a simple question about the results, and it would kick off two weeks' worth of work as finance went in search of the answer. Often, by the time finance came back with an answer, the insight was no longer relevant.
 
Ian Wong founded Summation to help solve this problem: "The Monday Morning Problem,"
 
This week, Glenn Hopper and I share a fascinating conversation with Ian on Future Finance that you will not want to miss.
 
 
Key takeaways from our conversation with Ian and his journey building Summation
 
➜ Focus on automating structured workflows (weekly business reviews, monthly flux analysis) rather than building conversational chatbots—people don't know what questions to ask
 
➜ Every AI output must meet three criteria: correct numbers, defensible/traceable to source data, and strategically contextualized
 
➜ The "query flood" is coming—AI agents will generate 10-100x more database queries, so work with IT now to prevent infrastructure collapse. Ian said the following about this: "Think about a world where humans are no longer issuing the queries, but the agents are issuing the queries. And so the amount of analytics and amount of querying that's going to be done, I think it's going to be 10 x, maybe even a hundred x in the coming few years."
 
➜ Shift from Dashboards to Agents: The future isn't clicking through dashboards looking for red numbers. Build multi-agent systems that automatically interrogate your business, cross-check findings, and deliver structured insights without human intervention.
 
Ian's advice on managing the AI hype cycle resonated: "Everyone's talking about AI, but no one's really doing AI."
 
Don't be paralyzed by FOMO or fear of hallucinations. Start small, learn the technology's limits, and solve real business problems.
 
The ROI isn't just time saved—it's decision latency reduction.
 
Full episode: https://lnkd.in/gVxYtqp8
 
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎓 Check out our sponsor QFlow.ai at https://lnkd.in/gYDaA-ac  your GTM Finance CoPilot
🧔 Follow the Co-Hosts at Paul Barnhurst, The FPandA Guy ​and Glenn Hopper

I answered absolutely YES!  


This was my response yesterday when  a college kid asked me if he still needed to learn how to model and use Excel with AI. 

I strongly believe the need for strong Excel skills for FP&A peofessionals has never been stronger. 

The AI tools inside Excel are getting better and they will make us more efficient and effective but we have to know what we are doing to take full advantage of these tools. 

Those who invest the time to learn both Excel and AI will have an advantage over those who invest in one or the other. 

When it comes to learning Excel For FP&A pros some great courses are offered by Carl Seidman, CSP, CPA on the LinkedIn platform. 

I spent a couple hours yesterday reviewing content from two of his Excel FP&A courses. 

➡️ Excel for FP&A

https://lnkd.in/g3CV_XDe

➡️ Advanced Excel fo FP&A

https://lnkd.in/gQnPeSY8

I will admit I picked up some new ideas and tips that I will use in my modeling/teaching that are much cleaner than what I was previously doing. 


If you are not investing in Excel you are making a mistake. DM me if you need more course ideas but Carl’s content is very good.

"Wait... did that AI just tell us gross profit is revenue PLUS costs?"
 
I looked at Ian Schnoor, CFA, CFM and Giles Male on our latest Mod Squad episode, and we all had the same expression: complete disbelief.
 
We quickly realized this tool was not ready for testing, but it served as a reminder that just because the tool has AI, it does not mean it is worth using.
 
We've now tested 9 different AI tools for financial modeling, and the ModSquad has loved every moment of the journey.
 
Here are a few key takeaways:
 
→ Giles can rap better than any financial modeler I know, not sure if that is a high bar or not ﻿
﻿
 
→ The value for Excel agents isn't just in the base LLM model alone. It's in how vendors build logic and structure on top of it
 
→ Even using the same LLM (like Claude or GPT), different tools produce wildly different results
 
→ The more specific and structured your instructions, the better the output—vague prompts often get you garbage
 
→ AI tools are a magnifiers if you know what you are doing, it will magnify that; if you do not know what you are doing, it will magnify that
 
→ The formulas produced by AI tools are often more complicated than they need to be
 
 
During the episode, Ian made a great comment about learning AI: "Now is the time to start playing around because it's safe. I don't think anyone's expecting you to be a world-renowned expert at this point."
 
He's right. This is our moment. Remember when spreadsheets first came out? The people who learned early won. The people who waited... well, you can't work in finance today without knowing Excel. The same will be true of AI in the not-so-distant future.
 
After researching nearly 30 tools and testing 9, here's my take:
 
AI over time will transform financial modeling, but your expertise is MORE critical than ever. These tools magnify competence and incompetence. How do you want to be known?
 
Know your fundamentals. Validate everything and nd start experimenting now while the stakes are low.
 
We're not done with this journey. We're planning to test LLMs directly, bring on AI experts, and revisit tools as they improve. But the core message won't change:
 
"Human-Led, AI-Assisted"
 
Check out the full episode to see these tools in action and hear our unfiltered reactions.
 
Listen here: https://lnkd.in/g6N2k-SB
 
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎓 ​ Earn your Advanced Financial Modeler's Accreditation from FMI https://lnkd.in/d364uHBf 
(Use code Podcast to save 15%) 
📺 Check out the podcast on our YouTube Channel at https://lnkd.in/gxZ45zXN

Master Excel and FP&A with practical tips, powerful formulas, and real-world techniques. Join The FP&A Guy for hands-on tutorials covering everything from basics to advanced financial modeling. Bring your questions and let's excel together!

🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 https://lnkd.in/gCpFmJub

Lauren Elizabeth Pearl, Paul Barnhurst and 55 other attendees

Excel Hour - Learn to Excel with The FP&A Guy

Everyone thinks I love and breath all things FP&A but the most person I kept up most with all year long owns a podcast company. Love hosting and being on podcasts. 

Also I will say if you want to start a podcast hire his team to do your production work and make sure to tell him I sent you :)

Shout out to Guillaume Jouvencel, the person I connected with the most on LinkedIn this year. #YearinReview 

Also a huge thanks to those who messaged me to say I was the person they most followed this year as it means a lot that you trust my content enough to follow it.

Financial Modeling 101 for startups.  

This is a last-minute share, but my good friend Lauren Elizabeth Pearl is offering her annual Startup financial modeling course tomorrow. If this is an area you are interested in, you should join, as she knows what she is talking about. 

Course Details here:

>> https://luma.com/y3qgivad <<

In her words: 

If you are a founder who needs a model they can trust
-> This is for you
If you are a FracCFO who needs to build models that founders actually use 
-> This is for you
If you are a finance pro, wondering why startup models are completely different 
-> This is for you

Anyway, if you're interested in startup financial modeling, consider attending her course; she knows her stuff and is a great teacher.

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