FP&A Today

A $1billion new museum which is the vision of film director, George Lucas, is providing A New Hope for FP&A.  Michael M. Landman-Karny, Interim Controller at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art , reveals the finance context at the Los Angeles project set to open in 2026 (and how he got the job). 

Landman-Karny says: “George Lucas has a vision for the museum. It’s really centering the power of storytelling through visual media."

But Melody Hobsonthe museum’s co-founder [co-chief executive officer of the asset management firm Ariel Investments] and wife of George Lucas “is very hands-on” says Landman-Karny.

He explains: “Melody’s view of FP&A has really characterized the ability to provide strategic insights that drive decision-making beyond traditional financial reporting and budgeting. She’s a big believer in data analytics, a believer in leveraging real-time information to forecast trends and value creation, and corporate type FP&A and even Wall Street type forecasting within nonprofits.

“Melanie’s a big believer in automation and technology, streamlined processing, enabling faster, more accurate reporting.”

Beyond the galaxy of the museum, Michael talks about his FP&A career including Experian, in aerospace, and the worst budgeting experience of his career

In this episode:

Further Reading from Michael M. Landman-Karny:

Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) for the Aerospace and Defense Industries: A comprehensive guide to best practices

From Legacy to Leadership: Upgrading Accounting and FP&A in Acquired Entities

Comparing and Contrasting Popular FP&A Tools

Follow Michael M. Landman-Karny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/interimcontroller/

In this episode we are joined by Brent Dykes, the bestselling author of Effective Data Storytelling (Wiley, 2020), founder of Analytics Hero, and Forbes contributor. He has helped  thousands of finance leaders at companies including Microsoft, IKEA, Nike, Sony,  and Pfizer, enhance their data storytelling, visualization, and interpretation skills. “I strive to ensure analytics is always aligned with business priorities and maximizing business value.“

• Early college days choosing between marketing vs accounting as my focus 

https://www.effectivedatastorytelling.com/contact

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentdykes

Effective Data Storytelling (Wiley, 2020)

Anna Tiomina has faced multiple FP&A challenges in a 15-year finance career. This has included budget nightmares, all-nighters, and the  stark realization that “politics” is central to any FP&A or finance role.

• The challenges for anyone  in a full time finance role when you don’t have enough time to look at new things

Saaya Nath is a partner of Jump Capital, a VC firm specializing in investments in software and infrastructure (their portfolio includes treasury software to products helping companies visualize and understand their cloud bills). 

In this episode talks to Glenn about:

• How the CFO’s Office can automate workflows around finance  and  AI 

Follow Saaya Nath on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saaya-nath-12ba82a3/overlay/about-this-profile/

Christian Franz Hansen is a seasoned management consultant and finance thought leader. He’s made it his mission to bridge the gap between strategic decision making and data analysis with a background that includes roles at EY and a finance consultant helping big-names including General Motors, Lego Group, and Maersk. He’s now a member of the Business Partnering Institute, where he’s revolutionizing how finance professionals approach their roles.

In this episode:

• From Excel Wizard as a stepping stone to career growth (“ I still love the beauty of a well designed Excel model”)

Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frantzhansen/

Tobias Zwingmann is an ex-Senior Data Scientist-turned managing partner of RAPYD.AI - which is empowering companies from B2B SaaS startups  to leading financial institutions towards a unified AI strategy.  His data insights are shared in his books including “AI-Powered Business Intelligence” (O’Reilly 2022) and “Augmented Analytics” (Co-author, O‘Reilly 2024) as well as weekly newsletter “The Augmented Advantage” read by 4,500+ business leaders from brands like Amazon, Mercedes-Benz, Gucci, and Santander. 

In this episode:

• My rise in data science

Connect with Tobias Zwingmann on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobias-zwingmann

George Mount is an Excel MVP and author of Modern Data Analytics in Excel (he describes it as a guide to becoming a data analyst in Excel). His latest book, Advancing into Analytics: From Excel to Python and R could be subtitled “becoming a data scientist in Excel. As founder and CEO of Stringfest Analytics, he provides analytics education and upskilling including works with finance departments at the top ten banks. In this episode he answers how someone in FP&A – killing it in Excel – can go further in their career while using Excel as home base.

In this episode: 

• Two books and the ROI you get as a finance professional from reading it 

George Mount: Modern Data Analytics in Excel: Using Power Query, Power Pivot, and More for Enhanced Data Analytics

This year Bruno Oliveira got promoted to CFO, flying up the FP&A route at Swissport, the world’s leader in airport ground services and air cargo handling, active at 286 airports in 60 countries.

In this must-listen episode:

• FP&A in the trenches from banks, to automotive, agriculture and aviation at Swissport

Follow and connect with Bruno  on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bosilva/

Forget “Founder Mode”. For those in FP&A your CFO expects Owner Mode. “In rugby, if you observe, a player often clings on to the ball, not letting it go out of his hands until the goal is scored. That’s how we need to handle things. Own it — cling onto it — achieve the goal,” says former IBM India CFO Ravikumar Ramanan, author of the brilliant book: The CFO Lens, how to Thrive in the Fast Changing World of Finance

• The Bigger business context we are living through that finance cannot ignore

Further reading

Ravikumar Ramanan: The CFO Lens: How to Thrive in the Fast-Changing World of Finance

“Not having the answer is no longer acceptable because you are 30 seconds from having the answer. You’ve just gotta ask.” – Don Tomoff 

Don Tomoff, founder of Invenio Advisors, is a finance rockstar and a trailblazer in AI adoption for finance. As a CMA his life’s mission is to make work easier for literally everyone he encounters. The CMA and finance expert  has more than 30 years of experience spanning accounting, being a CFO, and consulting. Don Tomoff is not just an expert in his field including AI. He’s a passionate advocate for using technology to drive efficiency and innovation.

In this episode, Don emphasizes how AI has transformed the speed at which financial professionals can access information and solve problems. “Right now, if you’re doing AI, you have a huge advantage against those that aren’t. But I think in the next year or so, you’re going to quickly shift to, it’s a liability for you if you aren’t doing it.”

In this episode 

• Streamling finance tasks as an accountant and FP&A

Follow and connect with Don Tomoff on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dontomoff/