This article provides a working model for businesses eager to transform a typical volume-intensive, cost-focused Shared Service Centre into a value-oriented COE. It also provides the reader with a detailed overview of the differences between these notions, a practical example of such a project and critical factors to consider before driving this transformation.

On the 19^th of October, senior FP&A practitioners from renowned companies, such as Autodesk, Allianz, Kaiser Permanente, Sony Play Station, Visa, Lyft, Airbnb, and many others, gathered at the beautiful Spaces Menlo Park in San Francisco to discuss the essentials of FP&A Storytelling in a data-driven world.

The Riyadh FP&A Board was launched on the 27^th of November, 2023 and has become a recent addition to the International FP&A Board chapters.

Senior FP&A leaders from Airbus, Lucid Motors, Crayon, Signify, JLL, Al Safi Danone, Saudi Post, Nadec and many other companies attended the event to guide the development and promotion of better practices in global FP&A, identify and support new trends, skillsets and innovations.

On October 17, 2023, the 7^th Toronto FP&A Board Meeting brought 25 finance professionals from such companies as League, Mondelez, Lightbox, Red Bull, AstraZeneca, AtkinsRealis, Walmart, and many others for a deep dive into the art of FP&A Storytelling in a Data-Driven World.

Saurabh Jha, Director of Data Science at Dell, shared a case study of Dell about the Human-Machine Partnership and how AI can drive operational efficiency.

This article outlines how an organisation could create a data-driven planning architecture and practical steps to foster the transition to data-driven insights.

The FP&A Trends webinar on October 18th answered these questions. Senior finance practitioners from Ecolab, Alexion Pharmaceuticals and OneStream shared their practical insights.

The bullwhip effect is a significant concern for many manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, as it deals with fluctuations when one moves up the supply chain. In this article, the author outlines what it is and how FP&A teams can reduce the negative impact of this effect.

The London FP&A Board met on 27 September to discuss the latest FP&A Trends Maturity Model and how to foster Intelligent Transformation in your organisations. This article summarises the most important takeaways from this think-tank.

In this issue, we've gathered articles and useful videos that can help you to master a Cash Flow strategy in your company.