Strength In The Numbers Show

Our Guest mentor is Andrew Jepson, owner and founder of Vincero Consulting, which provides Outsourced CFO services targeted to SME businesses as well as coaching & mentoring programmes to high performing finance teams. Key Points From the Episode: • Where his passion for finance business partnering came from. • The paradox that most accounting & finance professionals have in organisations. • How Andrew came upon the expression “From Compliance To Commercial”.. • A couple simple techniques for improving our credibility and becoming trusted advisors. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes, resources and ways to connect with our guest mentor and more at sitnshow.com/podcast/028.

The opportunity for those in finance careers to be full of fun, meaning and contribution has never been greater, yet in the same breath we have all this digital disruption being caused around us by the fourth industrial revolution. And so in this final part of our Industry 4.0 series I share my thinking about how we should respond and there's is an important lesson from earlier industrial revolutions we can build and move on from. If you enjoyed this episode check out our website for further resources, blogs, videos and more at sitnshow.com.

Marco Venturelli has over 35 years of experience in finance and accounting and currently leads Performance and Financial Strategy at Novartis where he is CFO of the Oncology Europe Region, as well as being on the CFO Board of Directors (CFO Consigliere di Amministrazione). In this episode we cover: • Marco shares the best two bits of advice that have helped him most in his career. • A simple tip to increase the perceived value you add to your colleagues. • Why we shouldn’t view influencing so negatively in finance & accounting. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes, resources and ways to connect with our guest mentor and more at sitnshow.com/podcast/026

Regardless of whether we're accountants and finance professionals that have already qualified or are in the process of qualifying we put a lot of trust into our employers and accounting bodies hoping that they will make appropriate decisions on how to navigate the affects of Industry 4.0 so that our careers within accounting & finance remain relevant and sustainable, however they're also being impacted as much, if not more, by the such rapid change and disruptions. I share my thoughts on what this is and how it impact us on this short video & podcast. If you enjoyed this episode check out our website for further resources, blogs, videos and more at sitnshow.com.

Marco Venturelli has over 35 years of experience in finance and accounting and currently leads Performance and Financial Strategy at Novartis where he is CFO of the Oncology Europe Region, as well as being on the CFO Board of Directors (CFO Consigliere di Amministrazione). In this episode we cover: • Why sustainability is important for happier Finance and where the pressure is going from to be so. • How Finance are well positioned to drive better sustainability. • Four components that make up a Strategic Business Partner • The results of an internal Novartis survey asking internal customers what they would like a business partners to be and where is Finance today. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes, resources and ways to connect with our guest mentor and more at sitnshow.com/podcast/024

In the last episode we discussed digitisation and ironically digitisation is opening up opportunity for more human skills, particularly around our second megatrend, known as, Finance Business Partnering. I share my thoughts on what this is and how it impact us on this short video & podcast. If you enjoyed this episode check out our guest mentor interviews, other podcasts, videos, blogs and resources at sitnshow.com to help you advance your career and impact in accounting & finance.

Geetanjali Tandon has 15+ years of experience in corporate finance specifically in Financial Planning and Analysis. Geetanjali loves working with numbers, in particular how they tell a story and what the story is behind them. In this episode we cover: • The key ingredients to make an impact with storytelling. • The 3 things we can do to be better translators of business needs. • Outlines why it’s really important to take the time to understand where your audience is and some useful questions they are thinking about. • One simple technique to do before doing before finally presenting your analysis. • Shares 3 small steps to avoid getting surprised by digital disruption. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes, resources and ways to connect with our guest mentor and more at sitnshow.com/podcast/022.

Business is becoming a more digital experience, we deal with a relentless stream of messages and communications, and we operate in a network of teams. And one megatrend rapidly impacting the work traditionally done by accountants and finance professionals is known as digitisation. I share my thoughts on what this is and how it impact us on this short video & podcast. If you enjoyed the show check out our website sitnshow.com for our other guest mentors, podcasts, videos and blogs that will help you find the answers to stay relevant, make an impact and have fun, rewarding and successful careers in accounting and finance.

Chidimma Eghagha's track record of adding value in the financial services industry stretches back over the two decades and not just within Finance & Accounting but also from her time leading Customer Service teams. Key Points From the Episode: • The most important step to take when specialising in an area of finance & accounting. • Shares a story of how she demystified the numbers and their impact on the bottom line, for business leaders helping to increase their revenue by 60% over two years. • The best way to provide support to any business partner or team you lead. • Shares an idea of accountants becoming more like software developers. • What we can learn from the customer services department. If you enjoyed this episode check out our detailed time stamped show notes, guest mentor's full bio, key quotes, ways to connect with Chidimma at sitnshow.com/podcast/020

If you’ve been able to get out of the daily grind of accounting & finance for enough time to hear the phrases ‘digital disruption’ or ‘Industry 4.0’ you may be curious enough to want to know what does it mean for accountants and finance professionals. Here's my thoughts on this short video & podcast. If you enjoyed the show check out our website sitnshow.com for our other guest mentors, podcasts, videos and blogs that will help you find the answers to stay relevant, make an impact and have fun, rewarding and successful careers in accounting and finance.

Our Guest Mentor: Andy Burrows is Founder and CEO of SuperchargedFinance.com which not only helps accounting & finance professionals drive business performance, but also provides useful & practical advice for those same people working in and with finance on how to improve and grow. Key Points From the Episode: - One simple question to get at the purpose and value of why we do things in Finance. - Two Tell-tale signs that you’re measuring the wrong things on your reports. - One key habit we can develop in accounting & finance to add more value with some practical steps on how we can gain this habit. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes, resources and ways to connect with our guest mentor and more at sitnshow.com/podcast/018.

If like me you've probably had a number of teachers and mentors at different stages of your life and your finance career. And whilst it may be easy to pick a favourite it may be more difficult to figure out who was the best for you or even how to get the best of their knowledge. Indeed having recently launched a podcast where guest mentors in accounting and finance share their real stories, experiences, and hard won lessons it got me thinking as to who was the best teacher I ever had as a finance business partner and what was the best way to trap their knowledge not only for my benefit but also so I could share it with others. Then I came across an interesting article in the latest Harvard Business Review where Sydney Finkelstein writes that “The Best Leaders Are Great Teachers” and he makes some useful points as to how we can find the best teachers and best learn from them the necessary knowledge to become better finance business partners. If you enjoyed this episode check out our website at sitnshow.com

Brad Eisenhuth is the founder & CEO of The Outperformer, an online career management platform dedicated to the accounting and finance community. Key Points From the Episode: • The one action that differentiates those that progress in their careers from those who don’t. • Brad shares the relationship between career success and business partnership. • What arm-wrestling experiments teaches us about business partnering & collaboration. • Deconstructs the four key elements that he distilled studying the top performers in accounting & finance to help you determine what your career sweet spot is. If you enjoyed this episode check out the detailed time stamped show notes, links to resources mentioned, and further contact details at sitnshow.com/podcast/016.

A few years ago I was asked to sit on a panel assessing internal applicants to a graduate finance training program and what I found was concerning for their future success and their ability to fully reach their potential. I deconstructed the successful submissions in a Wordcloud like the one above and found the most common word used was ‘Skills,’ 47 times (followed by ‘Knowledge,’ 38) with the phrase ‘leadership skills’ being the most common one appearing on no less than 17 occasions. This concerned me because a disproportionate emphasis was being placed on acquiring Skills & Knowledge, even though the main type of skill being sought was Leadership, something that’s only really developed through ‘Experience’ (which itself hardly registers in the wordcloud analysis, if you struggle to see it, it’s just to the left of knowledge). So in this video I ask where are we going wrong with the next generation of finance professionals and what we can do about it. If you enjoyed this episode then to find the resources

This is Part 1 of 2 episodes. Our Guest Mentor: Brad Eisenhuth is the founder & CEO of The Outperformer, an online career management platform dedicated to the accounting and finance community that provides members with various supports, webinars, 1x1 consulting, mentors, subject matter experts, and others in the community to help them work through career challenges and decisions. Key Points From the Episode: - 6 key challenges and growth areas in finance that we can develop. - What non-finance leaders want from accounting & finance professionals. - Brad shares results into his research on finance business partnering and - How a reverse steering bike can help you become a better business partner. If you enjoyed the show you can find the time stamped show notes, links to resources mentioned, and further contact details for our guest mentor at sitnshow.com/podcast/014.

Whilst there are very few books out there on Finance Business Partnering there are so many others available that detail the broader business skills necessary to be a successful finance business partner. So where does an aspiring Finance Business Partner begin their search for knowledge? Last year I recommended 5 books and given the success of podcasting here are 5 audiobooks I consider as the best bang for your buck to start with. Happy Listening If you enjoyed the show find links to resources mentioned check out sitnshow.com/qtvideo/013.

Our Guest Mentor: Kelly McCleary is currently Vice President Finance at Simmons Foods, the largest supplier of store brand wet pet food in North America, serving customers in more than 40 countries worldwide, and has previously held a number of senior finance positions at Walmart and Cargill, two of the largest enterprises in the world. Key Points From the Episode: • Why anyone in Finance can choose to be a leader and the four steps on how to make it happen. • Three practical ways to get accurate feedback from others. • The two dimensions of emotional intelligence (the key attribute common in all the great leaders). • How we can leverage our strengths to develop a competitive advantage. • Some steps we can take to address some of the challenges for minorities and women in finance. If you enjoyed the show you can find the time stamped show notes, links to resources mentioned, and further contact details for our guest mentor at sitnshow.com/podcast/012.

I was once struggling in my career, frustrated with my progress and questioning whether I had a future in accounting & finance until a mentor gave me this Career Bone Diagram tool which completely changed my results and how I felt about my career. If you want a fun, rewarding and successful career in accounting & finance definitely check out this video. Download link to pdf copy of the Career Bone Diagram Tool: sitnshow.com/podcast/011

Our Guest Mentor: Peter Chisambara is the founder of ERPM Insights a management consultancy and training firm based out of Johannesburg, South Africa that is focussed on delivering enterprise performance improvement solutions. Peter was also nominated recently on not one but two separate lists of top finance leaders to follow in 2018 and has written some thought provoking and original articles on the potential of cognitive computing to help provide real time insights. Key Points From the Episode: • Discussion on the digital age and the fourth industrial revolution and what it means for accounting & finance. • Defining what cognitive computing is and how finance & accounting can benefit. • Review of the 5 challenges cognitive computing pose for accounting & finance and actionable ways we can overcome them. • Some practical tips to develop a meaningful presence on LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes, resources and ways to connect with our guest mentor a

Whilst walking the floor the other day I bumped into a former colleague who is now a Senior Manager of a Global Services contractor at a client of mine and as we got talking he mentioned how his boss judged him on his bottom-line performance, nothing new there, but it turned out his team didn’t have any visible finance support. He didn’t have an accountant to provide him reports? He set up his own invoicing and receiving procedures within his team? He had no financial advice, no decisions support? He even had access to SAP, pulled his own reports and dumped data into Excel. Maybe he didn’t need them? Should accountants and finance professionals be worried? If you enjoyed this episode, checkout show notes, video and more at sitnshow.com/podcast/009.