Do you aspire to be the Chief Financial Officer of Google, Microsoft, Tesla or any other organization? I interviewed three Executives including two former CFOs to get their advice. These business leaders all spent several years in FP&A and credit this time as a critical experience in their ascent to the leadership positions that they eventually earned and thrived in.

At a time when finance is being challenged to add more value, getting the right attitude and mindset becomes critical to attract finance talent that is fit for purpose. This article zooms in on two important qualities of a good FP&A professional – Challenging and Compassionate.

I have previously written about 8 qualities which I believe characterize good FP&A performers. The article will explore what 2 of these – Curiosity and Creativity - can mean for Business Finance and FP&A in particular.

FP&A helps create sources of future value whilst being on top of how much value is being created at present. Neither of these two things is as easy to measure at any one point in time. So, how can we answer the question “is FP&A delivering what is expected of it”?

The role of FP&A is becoming more important than ever. FP&A is seen as instrumental in helping organisation formulate strategy and drive performance. However, how does FP&A function go about building its brand?

The essence of the FP&A role is about helping to enhance the decision quality of the organisation. It measures this by reporting on, analysing and planning for the financial performance of the organisation. And it does this by partnering effectively with the business. This article focuses on the HOW FP&A practitioners could approach their work.