Establishing A Mission, A Culture And Trust Is Key To Building A High Performing FP&A Team With Aswin

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with Aswin Saravanan, VP of Finance at Qualtrics, to explore what it really takes for FP&A teams to move from insight to action. Aswin shares why trust is the foundation of strategic finance, how culture and vision enable better decision making, and why simplicity in financial modeling often delivers the greatest impact

Aswin is a strategic finance leader with over a decade of experience across global technology companies. He specializes in connecting strategy to execution and helping finance drive business outcomes. Currently the VP of Finance at Qualtrics, he brings deep expertise across corporate, product, and go-to-market finance. He has previously held leadership roles at Microsoft and HubSpot.

Expect to Learn

1. What great FP&A looks like as a strategic business partner
2. Why is trust required to move from insight to action
3. How culture and vision shape high-performing FP&A teams
4. The importance of simple financial models over complex ones
5. How FP&A teams create strategic value that influences the future

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:

1. “Taking something from insight to action requires trust. Without trust, nothing really moves.” - Aswin Saravanan
2. “Great FP&A is when the team can be a proactive strategic partner and actually change the trajectory of the company.”- Aswin Saravanan

Aswin Saravanan shares practical insights on how FP&A teams can move from reporting to truly influencing business outcomes. By building trust, setting a clear vision, and keeping financial models simple, finance leaders can turn insight into action. The conversation reinforces that strategic value comes from helping the business make better decisions about the future.

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Follow Aswin:

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

Company - https://www.linkedin.com/company/qualtrics/

Earn Your CPE Credit

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

In Today’s Episode

[03:56] - What Great FP&A Looks Like

[05:23] - Why Finance in Tech

[07:20] - Outcome-Based Pricing Risks

[10:49] - Leading Finance at Qualtrics

[13:13] - Culture and Vision in FP&A

[17:16] - Building Team Culture

[22:47] - Trust and Core FP&A Skills

[26:18] - Defining Strategic Value

[32:39] - Driving Operational Excellence

[34:37] - Simple Financial Modeling