FP&A Unlocked28 Marras 2025

Power BI and a Creator Mindset Are Essential for FP&A Teams to Replace Excel with Rishi Sapra

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with Rishi Sapra to explore how finance professionals can leverage business intelligence tools like Power BI to drive better decision-making. Rishi discusses how the role of FP&A is evolving with technology, and why it’s essential for finance teams to not only consume data but to create and model it in ways that deliver actionable insights.

Rishi Sapra is a Group Manager at Avanade, a global technology consulting firm, and a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP). With over 20 years of experience in major firms such as Deloitte, KPMG, HSBC, and Accenture, Rishi combines his financial expertise with cutting-edge data and AI solutions. Rishi is also the founder of Power Platform Finance, where he runs an accelerator program to teach finance professionals how to use tools like Power BI, Power Query, and semantic modeling to transform business data into actionable insights.

Expect to Learn:

Why learning Power Query is a must-have skill for every finance professional
The mindset shift from being a consumer of data to becoming a creator of data solutions
How to build simple, effective data models and dashboards using Power BI
Tips for applying semantic models and data storytelling in financial reporting
How AI and business intelligence tools are changing the role of FP&A professionals

Here are a few quotes from the episode:

“As a finance professional, you need to understand not just the data, but how to create the solutions that bring out insights from it.” – Rishi Sapra
“It’s less about learning every tool, and more about understanding the fundamentals that remain the same, regardless of the software.” – Rishi Sapra

Rishi Sapra highlights the importance of shifting from being a consumer to a creator of data solutions within finance teams. By mastering tools like Power BI and embracing a mindset of data storytelling, finance professionals can unlock actionable insights and drive meaningful change. Rishi’s advice empowers finance teams to not just adapt to technology, but to lead the way in transforming business intelligence.

Campfire: AI-First ERP:

Campfire is the AI-first ERP that powers next-gen finance and accounting teams. With integrated solutions for the general ledger, revenue automation,

close management, and more, all in one unified platform.

Explore Campfire today: https://campfire.ai/?utm_source=fpaguy_podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=100225_fpaguy

Follow Rishi:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsaprano/

Website - www.rishisapra.com

Company 1 - www.msfabrictraining.com

Company 2 - www.learndatainsights.com

Company 3 - www.powerplatformfinance.com

Earn Your CPE Credit

For CPE credit, please go to earmarkcpe.com, listen to the episode, download the app, answer a few questions, and earn your CPE certification. To earn education credits for the FP&A Certificate, take the quiz on Earmark and contact Paul Barnhurst for further details.

In Today’s Episode:

[02:04] - Rishi’s Career Journey

[04:41] - Career Expectations After Accounting

[07:19] - Becoming a Microsoft MVP

[11:40] - Why Finance Needs Power BI

[14:04] - Shifting from Consumer to Creator

[26:21] - Best Ways to Learn BI

[33:13] - Integrating BI into FP&A

[38:55] - Dashboard & Visualization Tips

[44:27] - Best Career Advice

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(137)

Trust and Leadership Lessons for FP&A From 100+ Top Leaders with CFO Jon Laudie

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with Jon Laudie to discuss how FP&A can become a critical business function, why finance and operations need to work together, and how F...

15 Loka 1h 2min

Will AI Replace Enterprise Performance Management? | David den Boer

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with David Den Boer to debate the future of enterprise performance management, Excel, and AI. They explore whether traditional EPM platf...

8 Loka 49min

When AI Does the Analysis, What Makes an FP&A Professional Valuable with Valerie Martin

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, host Paul Barnhurst and co-host Glenn Snyder sit down with Valerie Martin to discuss how AI is changing FP&A, leadership, and business partnering. They explore why gr...

1 Loka 52min

The Three Foundations of Strategic FP&A with Chithra Rajagopalan

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with Chithra Rajagopalan, Head of Finance at Obsidian Security, to discuss what great FP&A looks like in high-growth companies, why stro...

24 Syys 1h

Are You Solving Business Problems or Just Reporting Numbers? with Eric Alexander

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, Paul Barnhurst speaks with Eric Alexander about building effective FP&A functions, developing business acumen, and preparing finance professionals for leadership. Eri...

17 Syys 50min

Only 6% of Finance Teams Actually Influence Decisions | Soufyan Hamid

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, Paul Barnhurst speaks with Soufyan Hamid about financial storytelling, finance business partnering, and how finance professionals can move from reporting numbers to i...

10 Syys 58min

Why Your Brilliant Financial Analysis Gets Ignored: The Precision Trap with Asif Masani

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, Paul Barnhurst speaks with Asif Masani about his new book, The Precision Trap, and why finance teams can focus too much on accuracy and miss the decision window. Asif...

3 Syys 47min

The Budget Isn't the Goal. Building a Better Business Is with Zach & Chris

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, host Paul Barnhurst is joined by Zach Rial and Chris Ortega, alongside co-host Glenn Snyder, to discuss budgeting and forecasting best practices. The conversation exp...

27 Elo 1h 2min