Planning Aces

Ep 52: Foundations Before Acceleration - a Planning Aces Episode

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Planning Aces, CFO Kevin Rubin of Zscaler, CFO Bruce Schuman of Universal Technical Institute, and CFO Razzak Jallow of FloQast sha...

Ep 51: The New FP&A Feedback Loop

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this Planning Aces special episode, CFO Thought Leader brings together three finance executives operating in very different industries—but facing...

Ep 50: Discipline at the Heart of Innovation

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Planning Aces, we spotlight FP&A insights from three CFOs leading innovation with discipline: Chris Sands (InvoiceCloud), Steve ...

Ep 49: AI's Early Returns

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Planning Aces, host Jack Sweeney and resident thought leader Brett Knowles explore how finance leaders are approaching AI's early ...

Ep 48: Finance Leaders Decode AI's Promise

31 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this Planning Aces special, three finance leaders map how AI is moving FP&A from dashboards to decisions. Andrew Casey (Amplitude) shows agents aut...

Ep 47: The Prove-It Mentality: Rethinking ROI in the Age of AI

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In Episode 47 of Planning Aces, Jack Sweeney and resident thought leader Brett Knowles explore the evolving role of FP&A through the lens of three fo...

Ep 46: From Flailing to AI Forward Motion

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ep 45: Redefining Efficiency: The Three Dimensions of AI ROI

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Planning Aces, co-hosts Jack Sweeney and Brett Knowles spotlight the FP&A strategies and AI adoption journeys of three CFOs—Jilli...

Ep 44: Built for Turbulence: Finance Planning in Motion

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This Planning Aces episode explores how finance leaders navigate volatility without drifting into political cross‑currents like tariffs. Prologis ...

Ep 43: The ROI Equation for AI Starts Here

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Planning Aces, three forward-looking finance leaders share how they're transforming planning and forecasting inside their organizat...

Ep 42: From Misaligned Commissions to Unified Goals

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In our latest Planning Aces episode of CFO Thought Leader, Jack Sweeney teams with FP&A veteran Brett Knowles to spotlight three finance leaders tackl...

Ep 41: The FP&A Spectrum: Technology, Culture, and Long-Term Value

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Planning Aces, co-hosts Jack Sweeney and Brett Knowles explore insights from CFOs Sandra Wallach (Amprius Technologies), David Morr...

Ep 40: From Constraints to Collaboration

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the latest Planning Aces episode, hosts Jack Sweeney and Brett Knowles discuss how finance leaders are elevating FP&A as strategic partners within ...

Ep 39: Simplifying the Complicated and the Complex: FP&A Strategies Across Industries

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Planning Episodes hosted by Jack Sweeney and Brett Knowles, three CFOs—Don McGuire of ADP, Scott Blackley of Oscar Health, and P...

Ep 38: Strategic Relationship Building in FP&A

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Planning Aces, Jack Sweeney and Brett Knowles discuss the evolving role of FP&A professionals, emphasizing the importance of relati...

Ep 37: Navigating Communication Challenges

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brett & Jack discuss the commentary and insights of three accomplished CFOs (Sandeep Aujla from Intuit, Shelagh Glaser from Synopsys, and Seth Wunder ...

Ep 36: Standardize, Streamline & Scale

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On the latest episode of Planning Aces three dynamic CFOs—Robert Cornella (RNDC), Karen Williams (American Express Global Business Travel), and Tony...

Ep 35: Why "Finance People & Analysis" is the New FP&A

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ep 34: From Rearview to Road Ahead

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Leadership in FP&A: All three CFOs emphasize the role of finance in leading and driving business performance through strategic foresight, detailed op...

Ep 33: Driving Value Beyond the Balance Sheet

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode our Planning Aces emphasize the importance of leveraging one's breadth of experience, stepping beyond traditional FP&A roles, and focusi...

Ep 32: Operating ON and IN The Business

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Planning Aces co-hosts Brett Knowles and Jack Sweeney discuss the strategic efforts of two CFOs leading organizational turnarounds, and a third CFO, w...

Ep 31: Projecting The Voice of Reason

26 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of Planning Aces sheds light on the critical role financial leadership and strategic planning plays in guiding companies through turbulen...

Ep 30: Seeding Organizational Ownership

31 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Planning Aces Hosts Brett Knowles and Jack Sweeney discuss how AI's integration into FP&A is still in early stages, with many teams 'dabbling' in AI r...

Ep 29: FP&A: The Silo Buster

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of Planning Aces Brett and Jack discuss FP&A's role when it comes to breaking down silos within departments, and how A.I. is quickly emer...

Ep 28: How Planning Aces Are Made

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode features insights and commentary from three finance leaders: CFO Michael Linford of Affirm, CFO Ana Chadwick of Pitney Bowse, and CFO Jas...

Ep 27: How Finance Leaders Are Adapting Their Teams

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brett and Jack draw parallels between the challenges faced by our three featured Planning Aces as they seek to optimize the talent resources and proce...

Ep 26: The Quest for the Golden KR

31 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode our cohost Brett Knowles suggests that every professional within an organization should have their own "golden KR" or key result that the...

Ep 25: Impact of Organization Design on FP&A

29 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of Planning Aces features the FP&A insights and commentary of  CFO Dev Ahuja of Novelis, CFO Alex Triplett of Appfire and CFO Rick Rosen...

Ep 24: Staying Small While Growing Big

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode our cohosts Brett Knowles and Jack Sweeney explore the insights and commentary from three finance leaders: CFO Michael Bannon of Typeform...

Ep 23: Leading Cross- Functional Teams

01 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are you tired of sitting through unproductive monthly meetings that turn into show-and-tell sessions? Do you want to shift your focus to key metrics t...

Ep 22: The Power of GPT in Planning

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Planning Ace's guest host Brett Knowles suggests that GPT can be used as an extra member at the planning table, providing a catalyst for exploring ide...

Ep 21: When Sales is at The Table

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this Planning Aces episode, host Jack Sweeney and guest host Ben Murray discuss the collaborative organizational effort behind generating business ...

Ep 20: Planning's New Math: PLG + Product Usage

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Featuring Special Guest Co Host Ben Murray As more businesses track customer product usage ever more closely, finance leaders are busy fine tuning the...

Ep 19: Why FP&A Designs the Questions

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's no secret, professionals from various departments must work together to correctly calculate Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), Customer acquisition ...

Ep 18: Dragon Slayer of the Budgeting World - A Tribute to Steve Player

30 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When consultant Steve Player died last month at the age of 64, the business function that he had tormented, ridiculed, and war-hammered for more than ...

Ep 17: Legibility & Levers

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

To grow efficiently businesses must have legibility across the organization, explains Airtable CFO Ambereen Toubassy, who tells us legibility can on...

Ep 16: When FP&A Takes Rosaline's View

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ep 15: Let the Data Tell the Story

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Steve and Jack discuss the data tsunami that many organizations are now facing and what steps finance executives can take to replace their historical,...

Ep 14: Let RPA Lead Rather Than Replace

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Steve and Jack discuss how FP&A is becoming a world beyond finance - where data expertise and insights are becoming as widely sought after as traditio...

Ep 13: From Euphoria to 'Uh-oh!

20 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Steve and Jack discuss how pricing strategy has increasingly become top of mind for finance leaders as businesses become more responsive to customer b...

Ep 12: Achieving a More Agile Finance Function | A Planning Aces Episode

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Steve and Jack discuss how growing concerns about a possible economic recession are helping fuel CFO aspirations for creating a more agile finance fun...

Ep 11: Getting a Read on the World's New Realities

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Steve and Jack talk about the volatile business environment and what it means for business planning professionals. Featuring commentary and FP&A insig...

Ep 10: Getting in Deeper

29 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Steve and Jack discuss how successful financial planning teams are always looking to get in deeper and bring new insights to the surface. Featuring co...

Ep 9: Expecting the Unexpected

25 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Steve and Jack discuss how finance professionals must give more thought to how they communicate "the news" inside their organizations in order to avoi...

Ep 8: The Move to Better

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Steve and Jack discuss how the goal of planning teams and organizations should always be moving beyond the accepted practices or tools to something be...

Ep7: Increasing the Velocity of Your Flywheel

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Steve and Jack are joined by friend of Planning Aces Bryan Lapidus, who is today director of FP&A for the Association for Financial Professionals. Bry...

Ep 6: The Speed of Trust

29 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Steve and Jack discuss how building trust may be an FP&A professional's greatest skillset. Featuring commentary and FP&A insights from Planning Aces: ...

Ep 5: Planning's Longest Yard

27 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Steve and Jack discuss FP&A's 100-year march. Featuring commentary and FP&A insights from Planning Aces: CFO Kurt Shintaffer of Apptio CFO Jim Morgan ...

Ep 4: When FP&A Becomes a Business Function

29 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Steve & Jack discuss planning's crunch time in the 4th quarter and the operationalization of FP&A inside different business functions. Featuring FP&A ...

Ep 3: Making Your Next FP&A Hire

17 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Steve & Jack talk FP&A hiring and the challenges related to managing people spread across an organization. Featuring FP&A Insights & Commentary from P...

Ep 2: Evolving Your Metrics, A Wall Street Point of View

13 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Steve and Jack discuss how FP&A functions vary in size and mission, private vs public metrics, "decomposing" your metrics.  Featuring FP&A Insights ...

Ep 1: A Cut Above FP&A - Introducing Planning Aces

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This Episode Features FP&A Insights & Commentary from: Chad Gold, CFO, SalesLoft Maria Manrique, CFO, O'Reilly Media Harmit Singh, CFO, Levi Strauss ...