FP&A Unlocked Podcast
Listen and learn as Paul Barnhurst, aka The FP&A Guy, interviews the best and brightest people in FP&A globally, to discuss what FP&A looks like Today and help shape what it should look like Tomorrow.
Interim FP&A, What it is, and Why it is A Growing Career Path With Tim Stalkamp
Tim Stallkamp is a Senior Managing Director and the leader of Riveron’s Interim Management practice. He is a seasoned turnaround executive who provides interim management and turnaround management services to distressed and under-performing businesses. Tim has led turnarounds as interim chief executive officer (CEO), chief restructuring officer (CRO), chief transformation officer (CTO), and chief financial officer (CFO).
Expect to Learn:
Why private equity is driving demand for interim finance leaders
What makes a strong interim FP&A and finance professional
Why broad, cross-industry experience matters more than narrow expertise
How interim leaders create value from day one
The importance of clear scope and alignment in engagements
How AI is Being Used to Make Better Decisions and Build Faster Models with Nicholas Moen
Nicholas Moen is a CMA and finance leader at Section, where he reinvents finance through AI, helping organizations build AI-powered workflows at scale. Based in Franklin, Pennsylvania, Nicholas specializes in leveraging AI to streamline FP&A processes, automate workflows, and empower finance teams to focus on strategic decision-making.
Expect to Learn:
How AI frees FP&A teams from manual work
Automating reports, spreadsheets, and workflows
Training and empowering teams on AI tools
Key FP&A skills: business partnering, listening, and data understanding
Developing Business Acumen necessary to become a strategic business partner with Robert Blanding
Robert Blanding is the Chief Financial Officer at Fall Creek, a global leader in the Ag-Tech sector. He brings extensive experience in finance and operations from 18 years at Intel and leadership roles across industrial manufacturing, technology, and ag-tech companies. Robert combines strategic financial leadership with a focus on innovation, long-term business growth, and developing high-performing teams.
Expect to Learn:
What great FP&A looks like and the importance of business acumen
How to develop strong partnerships between FP&A and accounting
Strategies for building high-performing, empowered finance teams
Navigating systems, processes, and technology challenges in FP&A
Stop Doing Monthly Reports for Analysts to Automate Finance Workflows Using AI with David Dors
David Dors is a finance transformation consultant and AI educator specializing in helping finance teams adopt Claude, AI agents, and workflow automation. After beginning his career in banking and FP&A, David shifted his focus to helping finance professionals use AI to improve reporting, analysis, forecasting, and decision-making. Through workshops, training programs, and content creation, he teaches finance teams how to build AI-powered systems that save time and allow analysts to focus on higher-value strategic work.
Expect to Learn:
How AI is changing the future of FP&A
Practical ways to automate reporting and recurring finance tasks
The difference between Claude Chat, Claude Code, and AI agents
Why finance professionals should think of AI as a digital teammate
Key skills FP&A professionals need in an AI-driven world
What is like being CFO of the Savannah Bananas with Tim Naddy
Tim is the CFO of the Savannah Bananas, a wildly innovative and entertaining baseball organization. With experience in public accounting, higher education, and consulting, Tim brings a unique perspective on financial management, teaching, and operational strategy. He has also authored a book for creatives and non-finance professionals on strategic financial management, helping others understand how to transform ideas into sustainable business ventures.
Expect to Learn:
How FP&A functions in an unconventional sports and entertainment organization
Budgeting and financial planning across multiple teams and events
Managing risk, contracts, and operational logistics for traveling events
Lessons on aligning finance with organizational growth and fan engagement
How innovative business models and creativity intersect with FP&A
The Future of FP&A with AI for Finance Professionals to Move Beyond Excel Analysis with Derek Baker
Derek Baker is the Head of Strategic Finance at Circle, a growth-stage SaaS company focused on building an all-in-one platform for online communities. He has built the Strategic Finance function from the ground up, covering areas like pricing, sales compensation, investor due diligence, and AI-powered financial reporting. Prior to Circle, Derek co-founded The FP&A Hub with Paul Barnhurst and Liran Edelist to support finance professionals. His career spans FP&A roles across SaaS, marketplace, and biotech startups.
Expect to Learn:
How AI is transforming financial reporting and analysis in FP&A.
The role of business partnering in aligning FP&A with strategic decisions.
Derek's transition from spreadsheets to AI-driven financial models.
How FP&A evolves as companies scale.
Your Data Won't Convince Anyone. Do This Instead. | Gabrielle Dolan on FP&A Storytelling
Gabrielle Dolan is a global expert in strategic storytelling and communication, having worked with leaders from companies like Amazon, EY, Uber, and the Obama Foundation. With over 20 years of experience in leadership roles and storytelling, Gabrielle is the bestselling author of eight books, including her latest Story Intelligence: The Craft of Authentic Storytelling Made Smarter with AI. She is also the co-host of the podcast Keeping It Real with Jack and Ral, which ranks in Spotify's top 3% most shared podcasts.
Expect to Learn:
Why storytelling is essential for influencing decisions in finance and business.
The impact of authenticity and vulnerability in leadership communication.
How AI can enhance storytelling without losing its human touch.
Practical tips for finance professionals on how to use stories in presentations.
How FP&A Teams Can Improve Decision-Making with Scenario Planning & Financial Models - Michael
Michael Gould is a technology entrepreneur and software engineer with over 40 years of experience in financial planning and modeling systems. After studying Mathematics and Computation at the University of Oxford, Michael co-created Adaytum, a leading business planning platform, and later founded Anaplan, a globally successful enterprise planning platform that became a British tech unicorn. Today, he is the founder of Kaleidoscope, focusing on rethinking financial modeling for modern teams and continuing to pioneer innovations that drive better decision-making in business. .
Expect to Learn:
The challenges and complexities of modern financial modeling
How Kaleidoscope is helping businesses move beyond spreadsheets
Michael's journey from IBM to Anaplan and now Kaleidoscope
The importance of understanding business processes in financial modeling
How AI is impacting the financial modeling landscape
FP&A Career Advice and the Current State of FP&A with Glenn and Paul
In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, Paul Barnhurst speaks with Glenn Snyder about the current state of FP&A, focusing on career growth, hiring challenges, and how the role continues to evolve. Glenn shares his perspective on why networking matters more than ever in today’s job market, how professionals can stand out without relying only on certifications, and what it really takes to move up in FP&A. They also discuss the shift toward strategic partnership, the importance of understanding business drivers, and how leadership and empathy shape long-term success
Expect to Learn:
Why networking is the most effective way to find opportunities
How to stand out in a competitive job market
The shift of FP&A from reporting to strategic partnership
Why understanding business drivers is critical in FP&A
How FP&A Professionals Use AI to Move from Reporting to Strategy with Carolina Lago
Carolina Lago is the founder of Tactic Financial, where she helps FP&A professionals integrate AI into their workflows through hands-on training and practical tools. With over 20 years of experience in financial planning, analysis, and modeling across multiple industries and continents, she brings a unique perspective on how technology can amplify (not replace) the work of finance teams.
Expect to Learn:
The evolving role of FP&A as a bridge between strategy and operations
How AI can reduce manual tasks and enhance strategic thinking
The importance of understanding workflows and processes in FP&A
Carolina's approach to using AI as a "thinking partner" to amplify human skills
How CFOs Can Reduce Manual Reporting and Increase Strategic Impact Using AI with Brian McGowan
Bryan McGowan is the founder of Alpyne and a CFO with a rare mix of finance and technical skill. After spending a decade leading finance in tech, he launched Alpyne in 2021 to solve a problem he had lived himself: great CFOs were spending too much time on manual work and not enough time on strategic thinking.
Expect to Learn:
What great FP&A looks like in practice
Why accounting fundamentals still matter
How coding and data knowledge help finance professionals
Why Bryan built Alpyne to solve his own CFO workflow problems
How AI can help save time in finance roles
What 100 FP&A Episodes Taught Me About Career Growth, Failure, and the Future of Finance
In this special solo episode of FP&A Unlocked, Paul Barnhurst celebrates reaching 100 episodes of the podcast while also reflecting on his broader journey of hosting over 200 FP&A episodes across multiple shows. He shares lessons from his experience in FP&A, career growth, and learning AI, along with what actually matters in the field today. He also shares his thoughts on AI and how it’s changing finance workflows, explaining why building repeatable processes matters more than just prompting. He also previews upcoming conversations with professionals already using AI in their day-to-day work.
Expect to Learn:
What helps FP&A professionals grow beyond technical skills
Why career paths are rarely linear
How to approach networking in a more effective way
Why AI is more about processes than prompts
How AI can help save time in finance roles
How AI Agents are Reshaping the Finance Tech Stack with Josh LaSov
Josh LaSov is an FP&A and data professional with experience in consulting, ERP implementations, and analytics. He has implemented NetSuite and FP&A tools across many companies and previously co-founded Satori Reporting, a BI platform for NetSuite users that was later acquired by private equity. He is now the founder of Causi AI, where he focuses on building AI agents to help finance teams automate analysis, processes, and forecasting.
Expect to Learn:
What makes FP&A professionals stand out today
Why combining financial and operational data is critical
How BI tools expand the role of FP&A
How AI is improving analysis, forecasting, and workflows
AI Strategy Finance Leaders Must Use to Avoid Siloed Tools and Failed Adoption with Vikram Bhandari
Vikram is the Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at Riveron, where he leads AI, digital transformation, and finance modernization initiatives. With nearly 25 years of experience, Vikram works closely with CFOs to transform finance functions through technology. He previously served as the President and CEO of Yantra, a company he founded and led for over 15 years before its acquisition by Riveron.
Expect to Learn:
Why most AI implementations fail and how to avoid common mistakes
The importance of enterprise AI strategy vs. siloed tool adoption
How FP&A is evolving into a forward-looking, decision-making function
What it takes to prepare your data, processes, and governance for AI
How CFOs Are Using the Return on Change to Fix Failing Projects and Rethink ROI with Vincent & Ilana
Vincent is a seasoned enterprise software sales leader with over 25 years of experience. Vincent is currently the Northeast Director of business development at UHY, a CPA firm, and works on advising CFOs through his partnership with UHY. Ilana is the Chief Financial Officer at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, where she oversees a comprehensive portfolio, including accounting, treasury, compliance, and financial planning.
Expect to Learn:
Why ROI calculations often fail and how Return on Change provides a more effective approach.
How to align financial decisions with business outcomes.
The evolving role of FP&A professionals in driving decisions beyond traditional reporting.
Key strategies for managing change during financial transformations.
The Marketing Attribution Strategy for FP&A Teams to Take Control of Marketing ROI with Jeff Greenfield
Jeff Greenfield is the co-founder and CEO of Provalytics, a "cookie-less" attribution solution that helps marketers demonstrate the value of upper-funnel channels like CTV, podcasting, and more. Before founding Provalytics, Jeff built and led multiple digital marketing companies, pioneering the use of data-driven approaches to improve marketing performance.
Expect to Learn:
The challenges marketers face in proving campaign ROI and how to overcome them
Why FP&A professionals should understand marketing’s data models
How marketers and finance teams can align on data-driven goals
How to ensure marketing budgets are being spent effectively
Practical Charts for Finance Teams to Turn Data Visuals into Strategic Tools with Nick Desbarats
Nick is the author of Practical Charts (Amazon #1 New Release) and the upcoming Practical Dashboards. He has taught thousands of professionals globally, including teams at NASA, Bloomberg, Visa, The United Nations, Shopify, and more. He is also the first educator authorised by Stephen Few to teach his foundational data visualisation workshops.
Expect to Learn:
Why understanding the "job" of a chart is more important than the data itself
The key skills needed for creating effective charts
Common mistakes in data visualisation and how to avoid them
Why empathy for your audience is crucial when designing visuals
How to decide when to use default charts vs. creating custom visuals
How HR & FP&A Teams Build Trust to Improve Decision-Making & Business Performance with Deborah & Cynthia
Cynthia is a CHRO and C-suite partner with over 30 years of experience in human resources, focusing on change management and organizational transformation. Deborah Hill is an HR leader with over 10 years of experience leading HR teams in tech-focused and tech-enabled companies. She specializes in building culture and driving talent initiatives, and has managed businesses with revenues ranging from $400M to $5B.
Expect to Learn:
How HR and FP&A can partner to drive organizational success
The importance of aligning company, team, and individual goals
Best practices for goal-setting and performance management
Why flexibility is important when managing goals throughout the year
How to build trust and collaboration between HR and FP&A
FP&A Career Path for Finance Professionals to Become Strategic CFOs with Rey Del Valle
Rey is a strategic CFO with deep roots in FP&A, having built his career at organizations such as FedEx, Norwegian Cruise Line, MTV Networks, and The Walt Disney Company. He has since served as CFO and advisor for companies including Ticketmaster, AXS, Guitar Center, OpenX, and several entertainment-focused fintech platforms.
Expect to Learn:
What great FP&A looks like beyond spreadsheets and reporting
The biggest mindset shift required when moving from FP&A to CFO
Why curiosity and operational understanding matter in finance
How collaboration plays a key role in successful turnarounds
How benchmarks and driver-based models uncover opportunities
Establishing A Mission, A Culture And Trust Is Key To Building A High Performing FP&A Team With Aswin
Aswin is a strategic finance leader with over a decade of experience across global technology companies. He specializes in connecting strategy to execution and helping finance drive business outcomes. Currently the VP of Finance at Qualtrics, he brings deep expertise across corporate, product, and go-to-market finance. He has previously held leadership roles at Microsoft and HubSpot.
Expect to Learn
What great FP&A looks like as a strategic business partner
Why is trust required to move from insight to action
How culture and vision shape high-performing FP&A teams
The importance of simple financial models over complex ones
How FP&A teams create strategic value that influences the future