FP&A Today: Data analytics and AI for FP&A teams – with Nathan Bell

This podcast episode dives deeper into the subject matter and provides additional insights and information that you won't want to miss. So grab your headphones and tune in to learn more about this fascinating topic!

Getting FP&A teams to harness their data to reach their goals is the holy grail. Nathan Bell, Managing Partner, VAi Consulting, is among the most in-demand experts. Bell has unique experience– having started in computer science, before leading finance teams at Native American Bank, Digital Media Trends and Gartner– where he advised hundreds of FP&A teams facing chaotic data situations). In this masterclass, he shares a practical framework looking at the expectations, fear and hype surrounding data, analytics and AI for FP&A teams.

In this episode:

• From a computer degree to leading finance teams
• How Nathan discovered the power of telling stories as Chief Credit Officer at Native American Bank 
• Overcoming the challenge of presenting to non- financially literate CEOs
• The challenge when finance is “last in line” 
• When companies don’t have good data and what FP&A teams can do 
• “Federated data governance” and avoiding turf battles
• why setting up self-service data as CFO came back to bite me 
• Using a “metrics cascade” clarifying  data and metrics
• Critical thinking as the new superpower for finance teams in the AI age 
• Key to setting  up pilot AI programs 
• Dinner time when your wife is also a CFO

Key quotes: Remember PPDAC. Problem Plan, Data, Conclusion.

Your Plan, what Data you need to capture against that plan, analysis, and Conclusion.
“If you can master that in that order, I think from a skillset, you’re, you’re ready” – Nathan Bell.

Critical Thinking as the new Superpower for FP&A

“Critical thinking is gonna be more powerful than ever. I don’t think there’ll ever be a situation where we’re going to let AI make the decision without going through a human to look at the data. We need to ask what do we do? What’s the action? What’s the decision?”

Connect with Nathan Bell on LinkedIn