I have been thinking long and hard about what I need to do to stay relevant as a finance professional for the next ten, twenty, or thirty years, and after hours of research I want to share my thoughts and views on the skills future finance professionals will need in this ever-changing technology driven era.

“You cannot connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking back”, as Steve Jobs famously quoted. A key challenge to the accountancy profession, well any profession to that matter, is how to look forward and be more proactive, not constantly looking back and reacting.

Working in FP&A is one of the most dynamic & challenging careers in the finance and business world. It appears that FP&A professionals wear multiple hats, performing tasks of a master of communication, a strategic leader, a resource allocator as well as a positive influencer. However, nowadays we experience a lack of mature theories and models facilitating FP&A professionals’ development.

Will You Be a Relevant FP&A Professional 5-10 Years from Now?

Yes, you will stay relevant by keeping your employer relevant. Now work backwards which comes instinctively natural for you — how will you do that?

There is evidence that FP&A interest is growing fast. Each and every day, CFOs feel the pressure building on the finance function to contribute more to business success. Within the CFO’s organization, the responsibility for tracking, assessing and reporting corporate performance normally falls to the Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) group.

Although it is becoming commonplace to refer to financial planning and analysis as FP&A, this is actually an American term and one that is still not widely used outside of the US. It is true that around the world, FP&A goes by many names.