Why speed matters in finance: optimizing systems for agility

🚀 Turning finance challenges into business wins Too often, finance is seen as the department that says “no” instead of the one that drives action. I’ve helped teams transform that by: 🎛️ Identifying bottlenecks in reporting that slow decisions 📊 Translating complex numbers into insights everyone can act on 💰 Aligning budgets and forecasts with real business priorities The outcome? Faster decisions, fewer surprises, and teams trusting finance as a strategic partner, not just a back-office function. 💬 What’s one finance challenge you wish your team could solve this quarter? #CorporateFinance #FinanceLeadership #ProblemSolving #StrategicFinance #FinancialManagement #DataDrivenDecisions

Finance isn’t a reporting factory. The real value of finance is insight. It’s providing the data to the business to make smarter decisions. The role should be: here are the numbers, here are the gaps/gains, these are the reasons and these are the suggested actions. When finance get stuck only in reporting, it becomes reactive. Finance should be advising, it should be a driver of growth. That’s why automation and standardization matter, not only because they save time and money, but because they free finance teams up to actually partner with the business. #FinanceLeadership #FutureOfFinance #CFO #HeadOfFinance #FinanceBusinessPartner #OperationalExcellence #BusinessGrowth #FinancialController #FinanceCommunity

𝐈𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝. Close the books to the cent. Get the forecast “right.” And for statutory reporting? That’s non-negotiable. It must be correct and audit-ready. But here’s the hidden fragility: 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. I once saw a finance team deliver flawless reports... two weeks late. The numbers were correct. But the decisions had already been made. That’s not resilience. That’s fragility in coloured dashboards. 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐫, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐀𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧. Because if leaders can’t get an instant overview, they’re walking blindfolded, only to discover later whether the decision was right or wrong. And here’s the bigger point: If finance is stuck chasing accuracy alone, it becomes the “bottom-line department.” But if finance delivers accuracy and agility, it becomes a strategic player: driving vision, shaping growth, and enabling decisions. Real strength is the balance: Accuracy → the numbers are right when it matters. Agility → the numbers arrive fast enough to matter. Save-worthy audit questions for any CFO: → How fast can we close books without nights and weekends? → If today’s forecast proves wrong tomorrow, how quickly can we course-correct? → Do leaders trust they can see the truth in real time, not weeks later? 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦, “𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰” 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 “𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞.” And that’s how finance stops reporting on growth, and starts driving it. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲? -- Hi, I’m Ileana, and I know that agility doesn’t compete with accuracy. It redeems it. Find out more at 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡! #StrategicDepth #LinkedInCreators2025 #FinanceLeadership #SystemsThinking #BusinessClarity

Is finance still seen as a scorekeeper, or can it truly become the compass that guides the business through uncertainty? Ileana, your post captures with clarity the false trade-off between accuracy and agility. Accuracy alone may keep auditors satisfied but leaves leaders blind to fast-moving realities. Agility without accuracy creates noise and erodes trust. The balance you describe is where finance stops being a historian and starts acting as a strategist. What often gets less attention is how technology is reshaping this balance. Cloud platforms, predictive analytics and AI forecasting allow finance teams to close faster, model scenarios instantly and provide decision-makers with insights while they still matter. These tools don’t replace judgment, they sharpen it. Equally important is the governance mindset. Compliance is vital, but if finance is locked only in control mode it stays reactive. Functions that build resilience through rolling forecasts, early warning indicators and continuous closes become partners in shaping choices, not just reporting them. And none of this works without the human element. Finance talent must shift from reporting to storytelling, from detail orientation to forward-looking analysis, translating numbers into narratives leaders can trust. Agility also matters because of the external environment. Markets, regulation and geopolitics can shift overnight. Finance teams that adapt quickly are not just serving the business, they are protecting its resilience. And this requires cross-functional collaboration, aligning with operations, HR and supply chains so that insight is not confined to spreadsheets but connected to the levers that drive performance. The true test of modern finance is not whether the numbers are perfect, but whether they arrive in time to change the decision. Strategy is not a glossy presentation, it is course correction in the middle of the storm. Because in the end finance is not just about recording what happened. It is about enabling leaders to ask with confidence: what should we do next? And when finance earns that role, it moves from being a ledger to becoming the compass of transformation. #leadership #finance #strategicdepth #businessclarity #decisionmaking #agility #accuracy #resilience #transformation

I recently spoke with an FC who's been with their business for over 15 years. They described what many SMEs face today… - In a small finance team, losing even one person leaves a huge gap - Automation is no longer optional, it is essential to free up time for higher-value work - The real change is from transactional reporting to commercial insight and business partnering. What stood out was their focus on making roles more engaging for their team by moving away from repetitive tasks and towards analysis and decision support. It reinforced something I see daily. SMEs don’t just need finance professionals who can “do the numbers.” They need commercially minded people who can roll up their sleeves, partner with the business and help drive growth. How is your finance team balancing the rise of automation with the demand for greater insight?

🔑 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘍𝘗&𝘈 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴?   📈 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 — 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 In today’s business environment, finance must act as a 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙘 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧: ✅ Translating numbers into insights. ✅Connecting operations with strategy. ✅Helping leaders make informed, timely decisions. From my experience, the real impact comes when finance 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, not behind it — challenging assumptions, running scenarios, and making strategy measurable. When finance moves from “𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳” to “𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳”, we unlock growth, resilience, and smarter use of resources. 💡 What do you think — is finance in your organization already 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿, or still mostly focused on reporting? 𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵: 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙩, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙗𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝘖𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥: "𝘐𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵; 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢." #FinanceLeadership #FP&A #BusinessPartnering #DecisionMaking #FinancialPlanning