Finance doesn’t need to chase a mythical “best-in-class” model; success comes from mastering the fundamentals. 

In this episode of The CFO Show, Charlie X.W. Liu, Founder and Chief Happiness Officer of MCC, joins Melissa Howatson to unpack the FP&A Trifecta: finance, data and systems and how getting these right transforms finance teams from spreadsheet operators into strategic partners.  

Charlie shares lessons from 15+ years advising startups and Fortune 500s on optimizing EPM systems, improving data quality and building finance functions that scale with the business. He also explores how AI is changing finance roles, helping professionals shift from cost controllers to storytellers who drive business growth. 

Discussed in This Episode:  

• The three pillars of modern FP&A: finance, data and systems 
• Why clean data isn’t the goal, useful data is 
• How to avoid common EPM implementation pitfalls 
• Why finance leaders must become “story sellers,” not just storytellers 
• How AI is reshaping skills and structure in the finance team

For CFO insights, episode show notes and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.