FP&A Unlocked

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, host Paul Barnhurst and co-host Glenn Snyder sit down with Valerie Martin to discuss how AI is changing FP&A, leadership, and business partnering. They explore why greater efficiency does not automatically create greater value and how finance teams can use AI without losing judgment, context, or trust with the business.

Valerie Martin is a Finance Executive specializing in FP&A and strategic finance, with experience across GTM, SaaS, AI, and value creation. A former Autodesk finance leader and San Francisco FP&A Board Ambassador, Valerie brings extensive experience in business partnering, finance transformation, and helping organizations make better strategic decisions.

Expect to Learn:
Why AI efficiency does not always create more value.
How AI is changing the skills FP&A teams need.
Why judgment and business context still matter.
How leaders should rethink training and development.
Why communication and trust remain critical in FP&A.

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:
“AI could help us get the answer faster, but you can't outsource accountability.” - Valerie Martin
“The measurement is about the value, not the production.” - Glenn Snyder

Valerie explains that AI can automate variance analysis, reporting, data cleanup, and other repetitive work, but faster production is only useful if teams turn that saved time into greater business value. As AI takes on more technical work, FP&A professionals need to strengthen their judgment, curiosity, business acumen, and communication skills.

Follow Valerie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-martin-342878/
Email: valsoniamartin@gmail.com

Follow Glenn:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/glenntsnyder

Disclosure: Portions of this episode (such as the introduction or promotional segments) use AI-generated voice narration produced under human editorial review.

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Earn Your CPE Credit
For CPE credit, please go to earmarkcpe.com, listen to the episode, download the app, answer a few questions, and earn your CPE certification. To earn education credits for the FPAC Certificate, take the quiz on earmark and contact Paul Barnhurst for further details.

In Today’s Episode:
[00:00] -Trailer
[01:17] - Hard-Coded Opinion
[04:54] - How AI Is Changing FP&A Skills
[06:16] - Where AI Adds the Most Value
[13:51] - When AI Efficiency Doesn't Create Value
[15:03] - Judgment, Context & Accountability
[19:46] - Redesigning FP&A Work for AI
[20:51] - Why Communication Still Matters
[27:35] - Turning Saved Time Into Greater Value
[34:20] - What Differentiates Finance in the AI Era
[41:22] - How FP&A Professionals Stay Valuable
[46:27] - Closing & CPE Information

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with Chithra Rajagopalan, Head of Finance at Obsidian Security, to discuss what great FP&A looks like in high-growth companies, why strong data foundations matter, and how finance teams can become more strategic business partners. Chithra shares lessons from scaling finance teams, supporting hypergrowth companies, and using data to influence better decisions.

Chithra Rajagopalan is a finance leader with experience across high-growth SaaS and AI security companies. She currently serves as Head of Finance at Obsidian Security, where she oversees financial strategy and operations. Her previous roles include finance leadership positions at Glue, ClickUp, and People.ai, following earlier experience at Deloitte and Ernst & Young.

Expect to Learn:
Why great FP&A goes beyond reporting.
How strong data foundations support better decisions.
What finance teams need during hypergrowth.
How AI is changing finance roles and workflows.
Why cybersecurity matters when finance adopts AI.

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:
“Accounting is always going to give you exposure to what already happened. You still need a strong FP&A partner to know what to do in the future.” - Chithra Rajagopalan
“You can have as much data as you want, but if you don’t utilize it to make decisions, surface risk, or hold people accountable, it’s pointless.” - Chithra Rajagopalan

Chithra explains that strong FP&A starts with reliable data, business understanding, communication, and the ability to prioritize what actually moves the business forward. For finance professionals, the growing use of AI also means shifting from task execution toward an orchestration mindset, where teams understand systems, workflows, automation, and business strategy rather than simply producing reports.

Follow Chithra:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chithra-rajagopalan-mba
Website: https://www.obsidiansecurity.com/

Disclosure: Portions of this episode (such as the introduction or promotional segments) use AI-generated voice narration produced under human editorial review.

Earn Your CPE Credit
For CPE credit, please go to earmarkcpe.com, listen to the episode, download the app, answer a few questions, and earn your CPE certification. To earn education credits for the FPAC Certificate, take the quiz on earmark and contact Paul Barnhurst for further details.

In Today’s Episode:
[00:00] - Trailer
[05:07] - What Great FP&A Looks Like
[11:16] - Building Finance During Hypergrowth
[15:19] - Creating a Culture of Data
[17:52] - Three Foundations of Strong FP&A Teams
[29:31] - Inside Obsidian Security
[34:38] - AI, Finance & Cybersecurity
[39:42] - Moving Beyond AI Hype
[44:43] - Why Finance Needs AI Guardrails
[47:24] - The Skills FP&A Professionals Need
[50:01] - The Future of Finance Teams
[57:08] - Why Startup Chaos Builds Better Leaders
[59:15] - Closing Thoughts

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, Paul Barnhurst speaks with Eric Alexander about building effective FP&A functions, developing business acumen, and preparing finance professionals for leadership. Eric explains why finance teams need to look beyond the numbers, understand the business, communicate effectively, and develop the leadership skills needed to create greater impact.

Eric Alexander is the President of Six Arrows Consulting and an advisor, speaker, and author with nearly 40 years of financial management experience, including 20 years in CFO roles. He served as CFO of Happy State Bank and now provides leadership development, strategic planning, finance function, and advisory services to community banks and mid-market companies. He is also the author of Stewardship Leadership for Stinking Accountants: Serving as the CFO.

Expect to Learn:
Why business understanding matters beyond technical skills.
How to build a stronger FP&A function.
Why CFOs need leadership and communication skills.
How to make better decisions through constructive disagreement.
Why stewardship is essential to effective finance leadership.

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:
"Numbers that are done correctly relative to the business issue and then communicated well... that's good FP&A." - Eric Alexander
"If I live in my little silo by myself and ignore the effects upstream and downstream, I'm missing opportunities." - Eric Alexander

Eric emphasizes that strong finance professionals need more than technical expertise. They must understand the business behind the numbers, communicate their insights, collaborate across functions, and help leaders make better decisions. As professionals move toward CFO roles, leadership, strategy, communication, and stewardship become increasingly important

Follow Eric:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-alexander-sixarrowsconsulting/
Website: https://ericralexander.com/
Company: https://sixarrowsconsulting.com/

Disclosure: Portions of this episode (such as the introduction or promotional segments) use AI-generated voice narration produced under human editorial review.

Earn Your CPE Credit
For CPE credit, please go to earmarkcpe.com, listen to the episode, download the app, answer a few questions, and earn your CPE certification. To earn education credits for the FPAC Certificate, take the quiz on earmark and contact Paul Barnhurst for further details.

In Today's Episode:
[00:00] - Trailer
[03:55] - What Great FP&A Looks Like
[04:47] - Building a Strong FP&A Function
[07:43] - Understanding the Business Behind the Numbers
[09:23] - Building Business Acumen
[13:39] - Moving From Accounting to FP&A
[16:19] - The Path to CFO
[20:31] - Leadership & Constructive Disagreement
[26:06] - Pre-Mortems & Better Decisions
[30:03] - Point Estimates vs. Ranges
[38:10] - Stewardship Leadership & The CFO Role
[43:57] - Technical & Human Skills for FP&A
[46:19] - Personal Questions & Closing Thoughts

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, Paul Barnhurst speaks with Soufyan Hamid about financial storytelling, finance business partnering, and how finance professionals can move from reporting numbers to influencing business decisions. Soufyan explains why numbers need context, how finance teams can systematize storytelling, and why communication, business acumen, and empathy are essential skills for creating strategic impact.

Soufyan Hamid is a finance professional, corporate trainer, EMBA lecturer, and keynote speaker who specializes in systematizing storytelling for finance teams. He helps finance professionals strengthen their communication and financial storytelling skills.

Expect to Learn:
What the “precision trap” means for FP&A.
Why timely analysis can be more valuable than perfect accuracy.
How to choose the right level of accuracy for a decision.
What questions to ask before starting an analysis.
How finance professionals can become better business partners.
How the DERP framework improves variance analysis.

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:
"The first technical skill...that I would love for teams to develop is the driver tree." - Soufyan Hamid
"The numbers will never share a story by themselves." - Soufyan Hamid

Soufyan explains that effective financial storytelling is about more than presenting numbers. Finance professionals need to understand their audience, prioritize what matters, provide context, and help the business make better decisions.

Follow Soufyan:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soufyanhamid/
Website: https://www.thefinancecircle.com/

Disclosure: Portions of this episode (such as the introduction or promotional segments) use AI-generated voice narration produced under human editorial review.

Earn Your CPE Credit
For CPE credit, please go to earmarkcpe.com, listen to the episode, download the app, answer a few questions, and earn your CPE certification. To earn education credits for the FPAC Certificate, take the quiz on earmark and contact Paul Barnhurst for further details.

In Today's Episode:
[00:00] - Trailer
[03:13] - What Great FP&A Looks Like
[05:46] - Why Finance Needs Storytelling
[12:28] - Making Financial Storytelling Useful
[16:02] - Why Numbers Need Context
[19:57] - Systematizing Storytelling & the FP&A Maturity Model
[29:38] - Storytelling, Business Partnering & Influence
[34:21] - Common Finance Presentation Mistakes
[40:13] - Complexity Is a Failure of Empathy
[46:05] - Technical & Human Skills for FP&A
[49:53] - The Mindset Shift: Learning to Prioritize
[56:15] - Building Better Finance Teams & Closing Thoughts

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, Paul Barnhurst speaks with Asif Masani about his new book, The Precision Trap, and why finance teams can focus too much on accuracy and miss the decision window. Asif explains how FP&A professionals can deliver timely analysis, influence business decisions, and become stronger business partners.

Asif Masani is a Director at FP&A Professionals Institute and FP&A Jobs, an author, and Udemy instructor focused on helping finance professionals develop their FP&A skills. He is the author of All About FP&A, From Accounting to FP&A, and Data Storytelling Playbook.

Expect to Learn:
What the “precision trap” means for FP&A.
Why timely analysis can be more valuable than perfect accuracy.
How to choose the right level of accuracy for a decision.
What questions to ask before starting an analysis.
How finance professionals can become better business partners.
How the DERP framework improves variance analysis.

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:
"Finance people are very good at doing analysis, but they're not very good at influencing decisions." - Asif Masani
"The decision that could wait earlier for three weeks, can't wait today for three days." - Asif Masani

The key to avoiding the precision trap is understanding what decision the analysis needs to support, who needs it, and when they need it. Asif explains why finance professionals should focus on delivering useful analysis at the right time and earning a place in important business decisions.

Follow Asif:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asifmasani/
Website: https://fpnaprofessionals.com/

Disclosure: Portions of this episode (such as the introduction or promotional segments) use AI-generated voice narration produced under human editorial review.

Earn Your CPE Credit
For CPE credit, please go to earmarkcpe.com, listen to the episode, download the app, answer a few questions, and earn your CPE certification. To earn education credits for the FPAC Certificate, take the quiz on earmark and contact Paul Barnhurst for further details.

In Today's Episode:
[00:00] - Trailer
[04:58] - What Great FP&A Looks Like
[10:30] - Building the FP&A Professionals Institute
[18:33] - Understanding the Precision Trap
[20:35] - Why Timely Analysis Matters
[29:44] - Spotting the Precision Trap in Organizations
[35:16] - Essential FP&A Skills
[38:04] - The DERP Framework
[39:54] - Getting to Know Asif
[44:56] - Final Advice for Finance Professionals