Excel Elites

Today we are speaking with Rafiq Rajablly, Strategic Account Director at Workiva, and we discuss all things technology, but more importantly the importance of understanding business processes, and achieving the holy grail of delivering (and explaining) the "Last Mile of Finance", a topic that we believe should be on every CFO's radar! Rafiq works with businesses to reduce risk and deliver positive business outcomes through process transformation. His cross-sector experience spans Manufacturing, CPG, and Finance delivering BPO, Planning, Reporting and Analysis solutions. He is passionate about understanding a company's challenges and developing solutions options underpinned with a solid business case. We also delve into Rafiq's recent exploits, spending a very cold night on London's streets, in support of the Centrepoint charity. RELEVANT LINKS: Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafiq-rajabally-09aaa4/ Website: https://www.workiva.com/uk

Today we are speaking with Josh Bauerle, a CPA and series 65 licensed financial advisor.  Has worked in a wide variety of accounting and advising positions prior to starting my own business, CPA On Fire, in December of 2012. His passion is working with entrepreneurs to help them maximize their profits and minimize their tax liability, and also a love of writing and talking with people. Josh also has a truly inspirational story to tell regarding IVF and the challenges faced, and the awesome work he is doing with his very own foundation, plus we discuss junior tennis and his involvement in the sport. What an incredible way to give back! Relevant Links: Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshbauerle/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/cpaonfire YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5R6REmuJGIVxwY-LcAqUbQ

Today we are speaking with James Myers. James is a thought leader in FP&A and has presented at various Finance summits, including FP&A for High-Tech Summit; The CFO Forum; Finance Forecasting, Analytics and Transformations Summit and was recently the keynote speaker at the FP&A and Big Data Summit. We also share and discuss our mutual appreciation for budgeting, planning and forecasting software, and the current dominance and evolution of Anaplan. He has also held various finance and operations leadership roles in multinationals such as Dell and Nokia and has clients such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise. James holds advanced degrees in finance and accounting; is a qualified Chartered Accountant and a member of the Association of Chartered Accountants in the US. In his spare time, he is also a Co-Program lead for the Silicon Valley Startup Leadership Program and runs the Silicon Valley Power BI User Group. DOWNLOAD LINKS: LINKED IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmyersw/ ARTICLES & POSTS: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmyersw/detail/recent-activity/posts/

In a slightly different podcast this week, I delve into the beautiful and graceful subject of Infinite Intelligence Mechanics, as a subject that I knew nothing about until this amazing and enlightening podcast with JC Gordon.  I urge you all to take some time out from the chaos of life and open your mind to what is an amazing subject matter that could be the start of a better and more fulfilling life. JC Gordon is the Global Ambassador and Pioneer of the Angelize Yourself movement. He is also the Founder of Angeldom Academy. In 1994, he retired after a successful career as a banker and financial analyst. Two years later, on June 25, 1996, he was killed by a chainsaw.  During his afterlife experience, he has revealed the timeless mechanics of Infinite Intelligence and Angel Consciousness that the mind of God is. He was sent back from his afterlife experience to reveal the profundities and depths of Angel Consciousness and Infinite Intelligence Mechanics so their superpowers can be unleashed by anyone. From 1996-2019, he completed his twenty-three-year Angelization internship to prepare himself for its revealing. He has written fourteen books about his afterlife revelations and is today’s foremost authority on Angelization. RELEVANT LINKS: https://angeldomacademy.com/ https://twitter.com/AngeldomAcademy https://youtube.com/AngeldomAcademy https://www.facebook.com/jc.gordon.92775

In this episode, I am delighted to welcome on to the show, Carl Seidman, a trusted and disciplined advisor specializing in financial strategy and business transformation. He has dedicated his career to guiding healthy companies through strategic growth and aiding stagnant, under-performing, and distressed companies through turnaround or revitalization.  We go deep into the world of FP&A, what it means, how can it be defined, plus a whole load more besides. It's a fascinating insight into the world of FP&A as described and defined by a highly sought-after keynote speaker and trainer in the field of FP&A, business modeling, and Millennial career development. and possesses other professional credentials in insolvency and restructuring, valuation, fraud, and financial forensics. RELEVANT LINKS: Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlseidman/ Website: https://www.fpa-trends.com/ Published Articles: https://www.fpa-trends.com/article/corporate-fpa-done-right https://www.fpa-trends.com/article/zero-based-budgeting-still-relevant https://www.fpa-trends.com/article/future-business-modeling-excel-integrated-planning-ai

I am delighted to welcome on the show Andy Vigrass, Managing Director of mrc (UK) Ltd for some 24+ years, an amazing achievement in this modern world, and previously a consultant with Capgemini. His depth and breadth of experience are certainly extraordinary and in this episode, we discuss the art of developing business applications with the low-code or in some cases no-code development platforms. Yes, it really can be achieved without being a slave to a programming language! RELEVANT LINKS: LINKED IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-vigrass-36ba631/ WEBSITE: https://www.mrc-productivity.com/

“An ideal or place in which all aspects of the Finance Team are perfect or have reached their full potential.” This week, am delighted to be in conversation with Mark Cracknell, CEO, and Founder of Finance Utopia. Mark is a well-known thought leader, speaker, and visionary around the FPM and CPM market, and during this episode, he outlines his vision for the modern-day business and achieving a streamlined finance function through a combination of best-practice consulting and the very latest in software technologies. Mark lays bare the very essence of why finance transformation projects can and do fail, and how best to maximize any potential investments in cutting edge technologies of today. RELEVANT LINKS: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cracknellmark/ https://financeutopia.co.uk/

In this episode, I am delighted to speak with Martin Kratky, Group CEO of Acterys and Director of Managility Business Intelligence Solutions, who joins me this week from his home in Talofa, New South Wales, Australia, on his farm! We discuss just how it is really possible for Finance teams and personnel to take back control of data, and automate the building of a data warehousing and then provide a seamless interface for financial reporting AND budgeting, planning and forecasting WITHOUT any technical code, development or otherwise. It's a fascinating insight into what is possible right now, and urge you to take a look at how you can leverage your EXISTING Microsoft stack, way beyond whatever you thought was possible. It's game-changing, and we only discuss the top of the iceberg in this episode. Check out the links below for more information on this awesome capability, and make sure you grab your 60 minutes with Martin and prepare to be amazed! Acterys Platform: https://www.acterys.com/ Free Trial (Be Amazed As Martin Helps You With Your Trial): https://www.acterys.com/start-your-trial/ Martin's Linked In Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkratky/

In my follow up podcast, I explore the science of a "Three Way" in the world of finance! It's probably not what your thinking either, let's just say we discuss the Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet and Cashflow, and achieving Cashflow Navana. Let me relate these business principles to your everyday personal finances too, and take your first steps to understanding how easy accounting and finance can be!

In the first of my podcasts, I introduce myself and lay bare the foundations of the journey ahead; the who,what and why for the podcast, and in this very first episode delve into the history of accounting and how it all started from very humble beginnings by a ventian monk and Italian mathematician. From these very humble beginnings the very foundation of accounting and finance is formed. Let's accountaholic at the very start.