The FP&A Guy Network

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, Paul Barnhurst is joined by Vincent Messina and Ilana Esterrich to discuss how organizations should approach ROI and transformation. They dive into why traditional ROI methods often fail, the concept of Return on Change, and how financial leaders can better manage software implementations and drive business outcomes.
Vincent is a seasoned enterprise software sales leader with over 25 years of experience. Vincent is currently the Northeast Director of business development at UHY, a CPA firm, and works on advising CFOs through his partnership with UHY. Ilana is the Chief Financial Officer at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, where she oversees a comprehensive portfolio, including accounting, treasury, compliance, and financial planning.

Expect to Learn:
Why ROI calculations often fail and how Return on Change provides a more effective approach.
How to align financial decisions with business outcomes.
The evolving role of FP&A professionals in driving decisions beyond traditional reporting.
Key strategies for managing change during financial transformations.

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:
“The real value comes when technology enables people to do different, more impactful work.” - Vincent Messina
“As CFOs, our job is to help guide the organization by providing the right insights for informed decision-making.” - Ilana Esterrich

Vincent Messina and Ilana Esterrich emphasize the importance of shifting from traditional ROI to Return on Change in financial transformations. They highlight the crucial role of FP&A professionals in driving strategic decisions and managing change effectively.

Campfire: AI-First ERP:
Campfire is the AI-first ERP that powers next-gen finance and accounting teams. With integrated solutions for the general ledger, revenue automation,
close management, and more, all in one unified platform.
Explore Campfire today: https://campfire.ai/?utm_source=fpaguy_podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=100225_fpaguy

Follow Vincent:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vmessina/
Company: https://uhy-us.com/

Follow Ilana :
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Ilanaesterrich/
Website: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/

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
[02:30] – Introducing Vincent Messina
[02:55] – Introducing Ilana Esterrich
[05:00] – What Great FP&A Looks Like
[08:00] – Why ROI Fails in Transformations
[13:00] – Shifting from ROI to Return on Change
[19:00] – The Importance of Consensus in Transformation
[25:00] – Business Outcomes vs. Software Decisions
[30:00] – How to Make Change Work
[35:00] – Mindset Shifts in CFOs and FP&A
[40:00] – Final Thoughts

In this episode of Future Finance, hosts Glenn Hopper and Paul Barnhurst are joined by John Thomas Foxworthy, the founder and CEO of the Global Institute of Data Science (GIDS). John discusses the role of augmented intelligence in the future of AI, particularly in finance, and shares his insights from his book The Augmented Intelligence Revolution: How Leaders Win in the AI Century.
John Thomas is the Founder and CEO of the Global Institute of Data Science (GIDS), a consulting and professional development organization focused on helping organizations successfully implement AI and data science initiatives. He serves as a Fractional Chief AI Officer for Fortune 500 companies and teaches AI and machine learning courses at Caltech CTME and UC San Diego Extended Studies.

In this episode, you will discover:
The role of augmented intelligence in finance
How GIDS helps companies implement AI
Overcoming AI adoption challenges and cognitive biases
The evolution of machine learning and AI terminology
How AI enhances decision-making and operations in finance

John highlights how the rapid evolution of AI can create challenges in its adoption, especially within complex industries like finance. The Global Institute of Data Science addresses these issues by focusing on feasibility studies, AI strategy, and tackling cognitive biases, ensuring the successful integration of AI in business operations.

Follow John:
GIDS: https://gidsco.substack.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-thomas-foxworthy-m-s-data-science-1718073/
Future Alpha Event: https://www.alphaevents.com/events-futurealphaglobal/agenda-page/filter?_gl=1*1j0347f*[…]ovIhoCWOYQAvD_BwE&gbraid=0AAAAAomEzrlLzh-epjUJjbfXNnASlChga

Follow Glenn:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gbhopperiii

Follow Paul:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefpandaguy

Follow QFlow.AI:
Website - https://bit.ly/4i1Ekjg

Future Finance is sponsored by QFlow.ai, the strategic finance platform solving the toughest part of planning and analysis: B2B revenue. Align sales, marketing, and finance, speed up decision-making, and lock in accountability with QFlow.ai.

Stay tuned for a deeper understanding of how AI is shaping the future of finance and what it means for businesses and individuals alike.

In Today’s Episode:
[01:50] – John’s Background and Expertise
[03:11] – The Augmented Intelligence Revolution
[05:40] – Machine Learning vs. Augmented Intelligence
[08:45] – The Global Institute of Data Science
[11:04] – Feasibility Studies in AI Projects
[15:17] – Managing AI Expectations
[17:18] – Closing Thoughts and Book Release

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with Brian Jones, Vice-President: Microsoft Excel, Forms, Office Platforms, to discuss how Excel is evolving in the era of AI and large language models. They explore how Copilot, agent mode, and AI-driven features are reshaping how professionals build, analyse, and improve spreadsheets. Brian also shares insights into how AI can assist financial modelers, automate tedious spreadsheet tasks, and help users understand complex workbooks faster.
Brian Jones is the Vice-President: Microsoft Excel, Forms. He has worked at Microsoft since 1999 across several productivity platforms, including Word, Office Forms, and developer extensibility tools. In his current role, Brian leads the Excel product team as they integrate AI capabilities like Copilot and agent mode to expand what users can accomplish inside spreadsheets.

Expect to Learn
How AI and Copilot are changing the Excel user experience
What “agent mode” means for automating spreadsheet tasks
How AI can help analyse and improve financial models
Why Excel still requires strong modeling and formula knowledge
How skill sheets and templates can guide AI inside workbooks

Here are a few quotes from the episode:
“Excel really is like a developer tool. When you're writing formulas, you're essentially coding.” – Brian Jones
“One of the strengths of Excel is that the work is visible. You can see the formulas, the logic, and how the result was produced.” – Brian Jones

Brian explains how AI is transforming Excel from a traditional spreadsheet tool into a more collaborative environment where users can interact with their data through conversation. Copilot can analyse spreadsheets, suggest formulas, correct errors, and even rebuild broken references automatically.

Follow Brian:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brijones/
Website: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/blogs/brian_jones/

Follow Financial Modeler's Corner:
LinkedIn Page- https://www.linkedin.com/company/financial-modeler-s-corner/
Newsletter - Subscribe on LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7079020077076905984

Sign up for the Advanced Financial Modeler Accreditation Today and receive 15% off by using the special show code ‘Podcast’.

Visit https://bit.ly/497oAqW and use the code “Podcast” to save 15% when you register.

In today’s episode:
[02:53] – Brian’s Background at Microsoft
[03:09] – Returning to the Excel Team
[04:24] – The Rise of AI and LLMs in Excel
[07:08] – Customer Questions About Copilot
[10:39] – AI Rollouts and Product Updates
[12:03] – How modelers Are Using Excel AI
[17:52] – What Skill Sheets Are and Why They Matter
[23:07] – Power Query and Excel Programming Languages
[30:51] – Do We Still Need to Learn Formulas
[36:07] – Getting the Most Out of Copilot
[38:40] – Favorite Excel Shortcut and Functions
[41:31] – Where to Follow Brian

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, host Paul Barnhurst is joined by Jeff Greenfield, an entrepreneur, advisor, and founder of Provalytics, a leading attribution and measurement solution. Jeff discusses marketing attribution, the challenges marketers face in proving the impact of their campaigns, and the evolving role of FP&A in understanding marketing spend. He shares his entrepreneurial journey, from building an SEO platform to leading Provalytics in providing marketers with a single source of truth for their efforts.
Jeff Greenfield is the co-founder and CEO of Provalytics, a "cookie-less" attribution solution that helps marketers demonstrate the value of upper-funnel channels like CTV, podcasting, and more. Before founding Provalytics, Jeff built and led multiple digital marketing companies, pioneering the use of data-driven approaches to improve marketing performance.

Expect to Learn:
The challenges marketers face in proving campaign ROI and how to overcome them
Why FP&A professionals should understand marketing’s data models
How marketers and finance teams can align on data-driven goals
How to ensure marketing budgets are being spent effectively

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:
“A great FP&A relationship is when marketing can demonstrate that their efforts are working and walk away with the budget they need.” – Jeff Greenfield
“It’s important to understand that marketing is not just about clicks, it’s about capturing attention.” – Jeff Greenfield

Jeff Greenfield shared valuable insights on the challenges of marketing attribution and how finance teams can collaborate with marketing to ensure efficient budget allocation. He emphasized the importance of understanding marketing data and aligning on a common measurement framework for better decision-making.

Campfire: AI-First ERP:
Campfire is the AI-first ERP that powers next-gen finance and accounting teams. With integrated solutions for the general ledger, revenue automation,
close management, and more, all in one unified platform.
Explore Campfire today: https://campfire.ai/?utm_source=fpaguy_podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=100225_fpaguy

Follow Jeff:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffgreenfield/
Company: https://provalytics.com/

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
[02:40] – Jeff’s Background
[03:33] – What Does Great FP&A Look Like?
[08:21] – Measuring Revenue from Podcasts
[11:25] – From Chiropractic to Marketing
[15:10] – Founding Provalytics: Marketing Attribution
[18:48] – The Google Tax in Attribution
[29:46] – Why Google Isn't Enough Anymore
[37:49] – AI and Podcast ROI
[41:07] – Top Technical Skill for FP&A
[48:00] – Last Questions & Final thought

In this episode of Future Finance, hosts Paul Barnhurst and Glenn Hopper explore how leaders can cut through the hype around artificial intelligence and focus on real-world impact. The conversation dives into why so many AI initiatives fail, how cognitive biases affect AI adoption, and why finance professionals must learn to ask better questions before deploying models.
John Thomas is the Founder and CEO of the Global Institute of Data Science (GIDS), a consulting and professional development organization focused on helping organizations successfully implement AI and data science initiatives. He serves as a Fractional Chief AI Officer for Fortune 500 companies and teaches AI and machine learning courses at Caltech CTME and UC San Diego Extended Studies.

In this episode, you will discover:
Why 85% of AI projects fail and how to avoid
The difference between AI hype and real implementation
How augmented intelligence improves human decision-making
Why asking the right questions about AI models matters most
How AI can help with risk analysis and financial decision-making

This episode highlights that successful AI adoption is not about chasing the latest technology trends but about asking better questions, understanding assumptions, and focusing on real business problems. As AI continues to evolve, finance leaders who combine human judgment with intelligent systems will be best positioned to turn AI from hype into measurable results.

Follow John:
GIDS: https://gidsco.substack.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-thomas-foxworthy-m-s-data-science-1718073/
Future Alpha Event: https://www.alphaevents.com/events-futurealphaglobal/agenda-page/filter?_gl=1*1j0347f*[…]ovIhoCWOYQAvD_BwE&gbraid=0AAAAAomEzrlLzh-epjUJjbfXNnASlChga

Follow Glenn:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gbhopperiii

Follow Paul:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefpandaguy

Follow QFlow.AI:
Website - https://bit.ly/4i1Ekjg

Future Finance is sponsored by QFlow.ai, the strategic finance platform solving the toughest part of planning and analysis: B2B revenue. Align sales, marketing, and finance, speed up decision-making, and lock in accountability with QFlow.ai.

Stay tuned for a deeper understanding of how AI is shaping the future of finance and what it means for businesses and individuals alike.

In Today’s Episode:
[03:05] – Meet John Thomas
[04:11] – Augmented intelligence explained
[11:21] – Global Institute of Data Science
[15:18] – Why AI projects fail
[21:29] – Understanding AI models
[24:45] – AI in portfolio risk analysis
[30:16] – Best advice for finance leaders
[32:15] – Rapid-fire questions & wrap-up