In this episode of FP&A Tomorrow, host Paul Barnhurst (aka The FP&A Guy) welcomes Anders Liu-Lindberg, a leading expert in business partnering and finance communication. Anders discusses how finance teams can elevate their role from traditional number crunchers to strategic partners within the business. He shares his insights on the importance of effective communication in finance, the value of business partnering, and how FP&A professionals can make a greater impact within their organizations.

Anders is the co-founder and partner at the Business Partnering Institute, where he helps finance teams transform into strategic business partners. With over 10 years of experience as a business partner at Maersk, Anders has firsthand knowledge of what it takes to create value through finance. He is the co-author of Create Value as a Finance Business Partner and is about to release his new book, Communicating Financials to Executives. He is also a top LinkedIn voice with over 400,000 followers, where he shares valuable content for finance professionals looking to grow their careers and impact.

Expect to Learn:

• How FP&A can go from just reporting numbers to playing a strategic role in the company.
• The best way to present financial insights so executives can act on them.
• Why synthesizing data is important for decision-making, and how it's different from just summarizing it.
• Practical steps to improve communication between finance teams and business leaders.
• How to build strong relationships with stakeholders, even when they’re hesitant to work with finance.

Here are a few quotes from the episode:

• "Business partnering isn’t about pushing your thoughts on the business; it’s about bringing them along." - Anders Liu-Lindberg
• "The true value of FP&A comes from helping the business translate strategy into actionable plans." - Anders Liu-Lindberg
• "FP&A should move beyond budgeting and forecasting to become a strategic business partner." - Anders Liu-Lindberg

Anders Liu-Lindberg provided valuable insights on how finance professionals can become strategic business partners. His advice on communication, synthesizing data, and building relationships offers practical steps for success. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to make a bigger impact in FP&A. The wisdom shared will help professionals thrive in an evolving business environment.

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LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/Anders liulindberg/?originalSubdomain=dk

Website - https://www.bpidk.org/

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Website - https://www.thefpandaguy.com

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Earn Your CPE Credit

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

In Today’s Episode

[02:10] - Meet Anders Liu-Lindberg

[04:47] - What Makes Great FP&A?

[06:26] - Example of Great FP&A in Action

[08:10] - The Business Partnering Institute

[11:24] - Anders’ New Book: Communicating Financials to Executives

[13:27] - Framework for Communicating Financial Insights

[15:59] - Importance of Aligning on Numbers

[21:39] - Synthesizing vs. Summarizing Data

[29:11] - Using Qualitative Data in Decision-Making

[33:01] - Building Strong Business Relationships

[39:20] - Key Skills for Success in FP&A

[45:18] - Final Advice on Business Partnering