Finance is a constantly changing, unpredictable environment. It’s crucial that financial planning and analysis (FP&A) professionals stay on top of the latest trends in the industry, and one way to ensure they perform at their peak is to gather fresh and innovative ideas.

At AFP FinNext 2021 Virtual, top industry experts will participate in various education sessions to share innovation solutions, effective tips, first-hand experiences and more to help FP&A professionals solve big challenges. Sessions for AFP FinNext Virtual are separated into three distinct tracks that align with the AFP FP&A Maturity Model: Financial and Business Acumen, Personal and Team Effectiveness, and Technology and Data. A Task Force of FP&A professionals selected the sessions for each track to create a balanced program.

Bryan Lapidus, FPAC, AFP’s director of FP&A Practice, sat down with a speaker from each track for a deep dive into what they will discuss in their session and how the information will benefit FP&A professionals.

Financial and Business Acumen Track

Scott Frisch: Data Dashboard for Total Impact

In 2020, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) was awarded the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's highest Presidential award for performance excellence and the most prestigious award a U.S. organization can receive. Specifically, the Baldrige committee praised AARP’s Enterprise Dashboard, which enables leaders to sustain a focus on achieving the organization’s key objectives: grow impact, grow relevance, grow revenue and engage workforce. AARP set up a process that connects enterprise strategy and risk, and drives down to individual performance objectives.

Scott Frisch, AARP’s executive vice president, CFO and COO, was one of the prime drivers of this work. In his AFP FinNext 2021 Virtual session, “Data Dashboard for Total Impact,” Frisch will discuss the strategy and tactical implementation — including statistical models and organizational staffing — used to create a North Star for the entire enterprise.

Listen to Scott Frisch's Podcast Here

Personal & Team Effectiveness Track

Dan Seidman: Read (Hidden) Emotions – The Science Behind a New Skil

What if financial professionals could have access to information that has previously been unknown such as what others are thinking and feeling? Dan Seidman, managing director of Read Emotions, believes that reading hidden emotions is a behavioral science that can be applied to managing, coaching and business partnering.

In his AFP FinNext 2021 Virtual session, “Read (Hidden) Emotions: The Science Behind a New Skill,” Seidman will discuss how recognizing the emotions others feel during critical meetings is key to increasing empathy and rapport.

Finance engages with a variety of business partners with different agendas, priorities, and points of view; sustained success in this area requires the ability to build constructive relationships. Seidman explains how to apply these skills in the business arena — both in-person and online — to improve emotional intelligence.

Listen to Dan Seidman's Podcast Here

Technology & Data Track

Jesper Sorensen: Transforming Global Finance into an Analytics Business Partner

Traditionally, finance has been about creating numbers and capturing data. But how can we share that insight to stay relevant to business stakeholders?

Jesper Sorensen is the co-author of “Implementing an Analytics Culture for Data Driven Decisions,” and writes about the changes required within finance to reach its aspirations of providing actionable insight to the business.

During his upcoming AFP FinNext 2021 Virtual session, “Becoming an Analytics Business Partner,” Sorensen and co-speaker Larry Maisel will further examine the principles and practice behind the transformation of a global finance department into an analytics business partner, and the resulting return in investment in terms of dollars, job security and career advancement.

Listen to Jesper Sorensen's Podcast Here 

Keynote Speakers

In addition to the diverse education offered at AFP FinNext 2021 Virtual, attendees will hear from renowned keynote speakers. Jim Kaitz, president and CEO of AFP, sat down with both Hal Gregersen, opening keynote, and Erica Dhawan, closing keynote, to preview their conference discussions.

Opening Keynote

Hal Gregersen, ranked as one of the world’s 25 most influential management thinkers by Thinkers50, has dedicated his career to finding out what kind of skills, corporate culture and practices produce innovative powerhouses. He shares a structured questioning process that trains leaders and teams to deepen their critical thinking while expanding their field of vision.

Listen to Hal Gregersen's Podcast Here

Closing Keynote

Erica Dhawan, founder and CEO of Cotential and co-author of the bestselling book “Get Big Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence,” teaches leaders 21st century collaboration skills and behaviors, and is the world’s leading authority on Connectional Intelligence. In her keynote, “Leading Digitally: Foster Human Engagement at Work,” Dhawan will discuss new rules, tactics and nuances for effective digital body language that enable us to create intellectual and emotional connections — no matter the distance.

Listen to Erica Dhawan's Podcast Here

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Check out all the educational sessions and learn more about AFP FinNext 2021 Virtual.

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