Podcast
Financial Management (FM) magazine
Hosted by AICPA & CIMA · EN
The Financial Management (FM) magazine podcast series features conversations with executives and thought leaders in management accounting. We discuss topics including governance, risk management, performance management, technology, corporate strategy, and leadership. Interviews are conducted by FM editors and contributors.
33episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Balancing projects and daily work: 3 time-saving strategies
Nov 1900:19:59Tap to summarizeChange consultant and executive coach Nicola Hopes shares several tips and tricks for crafting intentional business projects that can facilitate meaningful changes for organisations. Hopes explains the fundamental questions that help ensure projects achieve intended outcomes, the importance of knowing what good looks like throughout the process, and how leaders can better balance project demands alongside their day-to-day responsibilities. "I've seen lots of organisations passionate about doing a great project," Hopes said. "And, at the end of it, what's delivered doesn't quite solve the problem they were trying to solve, or it doesn't quite realise the opportunity, because they just weren't clear enough about what good looks like. Unless you've painted that picture really clearly, you don't know how to navigate the problems as you go through." Resource: Nicola Hopes' UK & Ireland ENGAGE slides. What you'll learn from this episode: Crucial areas to understand before taking on a business project. How to improve your approach when pitching initiatives to stakeholders. Digital tools that can help organise key information. Strategies for improving interpersonal skills. How leaders can help stakeholders find common ground during disagreements. Three ways leaders can save time and resources on projects.
Transcribe →Learn fast, learn often: Lessons from two finance leaders
Nov 500:15:54Tap to summarizeIn celebration of CGMA Week, the FM podcast welcomed two CGMA designation holders who recently spoke at UK & Ireland ENGAGE to discuss the lessons they've learned throughout their careers, how their mindset has shifted over the years, and the advice they would give to finance professionals navigating opportunities in a challenging era defined by potential and uncertainty. Simon Ritchie, ACMA, CGMA, founder and CEO of Blox Software, and Olcay Yilmaz, FCMA, CGMA, finance director–Rail Infrastructure at Siemens, explain the importance of continuous learning in a time when knowledge has a faster expiration date for finance professionals. Ritchie and Yilmaz highlight the ways finance professionals can position emerging technologies as innovation drivers in the finance function and how to fully embrace those tools in their roles. CGMA Week is a global celebration designed to showcase the value, pride, and achievements associated with the CGMA designation. What you'll learn from this episode: How an early start in technology can prevent finance professionals from working "backwards". The importance of learning to love learning — and why it pays off. Key areas Yilmaz and Ritchie expect AI to optimise within the finance function. Strategies for harnessing structure and embracing change through uncertainty. Their advice for professionals preoccupied with career ladders and titles. Tips for professionals struggling to map their learning and growth journeys.
Transcribe →3 common types of difficult people — and how to work better with them
Oct 2200:18:21Tap to summarizeExecutive coach and author Nick Robinson illuminates the challenging traits of work colleagues and shares strategies from his book — The 9 Types of Difficult People: How to Spot Them and Quickly Improve Working Relationships — that professionals can employ to improve relationships on the job. Robinson, a speaker at UK & Ireland ENGAGE earlier this month, explores the interplay between organisational pressures, psychological stressors, power dynamics, and how those factors can influence the development of traits and behaviours that make people difficult to work with. He also shares strategies managers and professionals can explore to help get to the crux of performance issues, improve communication skills, and gain a deeper understanding of peers. "When you ask a difficult person why they're doing what they do, they don't think they're difficult," Robinson said. "They're trying to do something that they think is right." What you'll learn from this episode: Four pressures that can negatively affect our ability to work with others. Three common types of difficult people in the workplace. Advice for managers and employees to navigate challenging relationships and dynamics. Steps for surviving a difficult boss. Tips for "unlearning" bad habits that make you appear more difficult to work with.
Transcribe →February FM: Executive presence, people leadership, and more
Feb 5, 202500:09:12Tap to summarizeThis episode features Oliver Rowe, the editor-in-chief of FM, detailing the contents of the February digital edition of the magazine. The discussion summarises articles on developing executive presence, more effective people leadership, and the right way to share and analyse data. Rowe explains how members can access the most recent edition of the online magazine as well as the issue library. What you’ll learn from this episode: · Strategies for building executive presence, including the advice that not all the skills are must-haves. · A summary of an article on ensuring that DEI initiatives enhance business outcomes. · How finance business partners can optimise so-called “democratised” data. · Details about the cover story on managing people.
Transcribe →AI’s future: Figuring out what it means for finance teams
Jan 22, 202500:14:57Tap to summarizeZach Rattner, co-founder of global software development company Yembo, says that when it comes to artificial intelligence, organisations are eager to get started with AI but wary of the pitfalls. “Every group is figuring out what does it mean for them, and the rules of how it is going to end up are still being decided,” he said on this episode of the FM podcast, recorded at UK & Ireland ENGAGE. Rattner explains beneficial ways to explore those tools to help professionals and leaders work better with them, what interpersonal skills professionals could sharpen as organisations become more driven by technology, and why it’s counterproductive to resist experimenting with technology. What you’ll learn from this episode: § Where finance professionals can expand their thinking around the possibilities of AI. § How to avoid “losing your seat at the table” for AI conversations. § Platforms that can help professionals upskill and enhance AI literacy. § The essential interpersonal skills to develop for the digital era. § Why fear of failure is a roadblock to AI proficiency.
Transcribe →Power skills and continuous learning: Two key future-ready steps
Jan 15, 202500:12:36Tap to summarizeFormer CIMA President Sarah Ghosh, FCMA, CGMA, discusses the ways the finance function is evolving and the skills finance professionals will need to develop to lead their organisations on that journey. Ghosh explains the value of continous learning, some of the “power skills” management accountants and finance professionals can adopt to drive value for their organisations as business partners, and what finance professionals need to start thinking about as their roles broaden. What you’ll learn from this episode: § Three themes to think about as the finance profession evolves. § The interplay between data storytelling and technology. § What “power skills” are critical to navigating the profession in the future. § Key skills for becoming a better business partner. § The career development opportunities that emanate from expanding your role.
Transcribe →Daily actions for success as a finance business partner
Dec 11, 202400:15:26Tap to summarizeFinancial trainer, speaker, and author Andi Lonnen discusses the skills finance professionals need to develop to move into a finance business partner role. Lonnen’s formula for success sets out the ways finance professionals can upskill to move into the role with knowledge, creativity, and confidence. She also discusses the importance of speaking the language of other departments, where a background in finance can be advantageous to the role, and how professionals looking to make the transition can develop a deeper understanding of their organisation’s goals and challenges. What you’ll learn from this episode: § Nine skills finance professionals need to be effective business partners. § Ways to demonstrate and translate finance skills into business language. § The importance of getting “personal” when forming connections across departments. § How finance professionals can add value to their organisations in a business partner role. § Why remembering to be human is fundamental to success.
Transcribe →December FM: Capital investment decisions, AI in Power BI, and more
Dec 4, 202400:08:51Tap to summarizeThis episode features Oliver Rowe, the editor-in-chief of FM, detailing the contents of the December digital edition of the magazine. The discussion summarises articles on topics that include skills development beyond core finance, using Excel modelling to avoid costly mistakes, and capital investment decision-making. Rowe explains how members can access the most recent edition of the online magazine as well as the issue library. Previous podcast episodes focusing on 2024 digital editions: February April June August October What you’ll learn from this episode: Coverage of the AICPA & CIMA leadership transition. Skills that CGMA designation holders have developed to advance their careers. A summary of an article on balancing in-office work and at-home work. Highlights of an article about Excel modelling and how it can minimise mistakes.
Transcribe →‘Dance with the fear’: How accountants can seize the moment
Nov 20, 202400:13:41Tap to summarizeCareer coach Devya Athwal, ACMA, CGMA, discusses positive beliefs and steps that can help professional accountants become more confident in their roles. Athwal, a speaker at UK & Ireland ENGAGE in October in London, also explains why transformation starts from within and how letting go of day-to-day fears can help professionals better accomplish their goals. What you’ll learn from this episode: § Why Athwal believes that transformation starts with looking inward. § How accountants can overcome their own limiting beliefs. § Practical ways to channel a growth mindset. § Steps to building confidence in challenging environments. § The link between collaboration, knowledge sharing, and career development.
Transcribe →Keep calm: Where stress can help us carry on with confidence
Nov 6, 202400:13:08Tap to summarizeNaomi Dake, a wellbeing, leadership, and organisation development specialist, explains how to use stress as a tool to develop professionally, induce curiousity, and improve performance at work. Dake also discusses the relationship between stress and mindset and the nonfinancial ways leaders and managers can invest in teams and employees to prioritise growth and wellbeing. What you’ll learn from this episode: § The core attributes of a wellbeing culture. § The distiguishing factors between a healthy and unhealthy work environment. § Leadership practices that can inform a healthy work enviornment. § Psychological traits and tools that can help us work better under stress. § Why role-modelling is key to building a culture of growth and safety.
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