Issue #147 - 30 August 2025 |
| | Dear colleague, FP&A has the tools, the data, and the models — but what it often lacks is influence. Influence is harder to measure than accuracy, yet it defines whether finance is seen as a partner or just a reporter. Recent findings from the 2025 FP&A Trends Survey underline this tension: while 45% of organisations say their FP&A function is now recognised by senior leadership, only 9% describe it as a true strategic advisor. That disconnect explains why the concluding pillar in our digest series highlights the human side of FP&A — the skills and influence that turn numbers into decisions. In this issue, you will find a blog on what it takes to build a signal-ready finance team, along with perspectives on challenger mindsets, navigating the C-suite, and the interpersonal skills that turn data into decisions. Best regards, Larysa Melnychuk, CEO and Founder
FP&A Trends Group & International FP&A Board |
| Finance Signals: Turning Market Shifts into Planning and Close Readiness | Before the numbers change, the signals are already there. Tariffs, FX shifts, and rate changes reshape forecasts long before they hit the ledger — but too often, finance teams spot them too late. The real challenge is not detecting signals, it is whether planning and close are built to act on them together. Read this blog to see what it takes to build a signal-ready finance team — one that connects planning and close, breaks silos, and uses automation and “what-if” modeling to move from reactive reporting to proactive influence. | | | | FP&A as a Challenger, not Just a Mirror: Expanding the Decision Space | By Andreas Stoller, Group CFO at Trafag Group When finance functions only as a mirror, it reflects the present but leaves leadership trapped in the status quo. Acting as a challenger means questioning assumptions, stress-testing scenarios, and reframing constraints into possibilities. This is where FP&A earns influence — not by echoing what leaders already believe, but by expanding the choices on the table. Read this article to explore how cultivating a challenger mindset allows FP&A to move beyond passive analysis and become an active shaper of decisions. | |
| | From Scorekeeper to Strategic Navigator:
FP&A Business Partnering that Drives the C-Suite | By Saul Mateos, CFO, Head of Human Resources & Marketing at Gain Accuracy has its place, but in today’s volatile environment leaders look to FP&A not for reports, but for direction. Business partnering at its best is navigation: aligning priorities, clarifying trade-offs, and guiding the enterprise through uncertainty. The transition from scorekeeper to navigator is not cosmetic — it redefines FP&A’s seat in the C-suite. Read this article to discover how FP&A can become an indispensable compass for leadership, driving conversations that focus not on variance but on value. | |
| | | Why Your FP&A Team Needs the Skills of a Therapist | By Matt Poleski, NorthEast and MidAtlantic Regions CFO at Arthur J. Gallagher Forecasts fail not only because of bad data, but also because of broken trust. Numbers rarely resolve conflicts; people do. The ability to listen deeply, navigate tension, and build alignment is as critical to FP&A effectiveness as modelling or forecasting techniques. Empathy is not a soft skill — it is a strategic one. Read this article to see why interpersonal skills are becoming decisive for FP&A’s influence, and how developing them can unlock insights that numbers alone cannot provide. | | |
| | FP&A Trends Digital Events |
FP&A Trends digital events are vendor-agnostic and complimentary. If you are not able to join the live session, you can register to receive the recording later. | | | Five Roles Every High-Performing FP&A Team Needs | In high-stakes meetings, facts alone don’t win. Stories do. But too often, FP&A professionals default to dashboards, not narratives — even when the goal is influence, not explanation. This webinar explores how the most effective FP&A teams craft clear, strategic stories that shape decisions at the top. Join this session to rethink the role of storytelling in FP&A — not as a soft skill, but as a core leadership capability. | | | FP&A Storytelling: Craft Stories That Influence and Impact | Most FP&A teams are built for analysis, not for influence. But as expectations shift from reporting to insight, the traditional org chart no longer fits. This webinar breaks down the five distinct roles that leading FP&A teams are adopting to deliver speed, strategy and stronger business partnership. Register for this webinar to challenge your current team model and explore how modern FP&A is evolving. | | | From What-If to What’s Next: Scenario Management for Modern FP&A | Traditional forecasting often leaves you reacting to change instead of anticipating it. That’s why more finance teams are adopting Scenario Management - not just as a process, but as a mindset - to build true planning agility into their FP&A approach. Register for this webinar to see how senior finance leaders are using scenario management to model different versions of the future, so you can respond faster, test assumptions with confidence, and guide smarter decisions across the business. |
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