How FP&A Professionals Use AI to Move from Reporting to Strategy with Carolina Lago

FP&A & AI Software Showcase: Explore Leading Tools

FP&A leaders are embracing AI, and we’re here to help. On May 21st, I’ll host the FP&A & AI Software Showcase, featuring FP&A planning and AI tools like Concourse, Sapien, Drivetrain, and Una- AI. Join us for live demos, insights, and no sales pressure.

Register today: www.thefpandaguy.com/fpa-software-showcase

Onto this weeks episode

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, Paul Barnhurst speaks with Carolina Lago, founder of Tactic Financial, about the impact of AI on financial planning and analysis (FP&A). Carolina shares her extensive experience in the industry, discusses the power of AI in transforming finance workflows, and explains how AI is amplifying the work of finance professionals rather than replacing them. She delves into her use of AI agents, like Claude, as thinking partners in her work, and gives practical advice for finance teams on leveraging AI for strategic decision-making.

Carolina Lago is the founder of Tactic Financial, where she helps FP&A professionals integrate AI into their workflows through hands-on training and practical tools. With over 20 years of experience in financial planning, analysis, and modeling across multiple industries and continents, she brings a unique perspective on how technology can amplify (not replace) the work of finance teams.

Expect to Learn:

• The evolving role of FP&A as a bridge between strategy and operations
• How AI can reduce manual tasks and enhance strategic thinking
• The importance of understanding workflows and processes in FP&A
• Carolina's approach to using AI as a "thinking partner" to amplify human skills

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:

• "AI is not going to replace humans; it’s going to improve how we work and give us more time for strategic decision-making." - Carolina Lago
• "The differentiator for companies will be how they use AI to complement human intelligence, not replace it." - Carolina Lago

Carolina explains that AI is not here to replace humans but to enhance their capabilities and free up time for strategic decision-making. She also emphasizes that understanding workflows and the human factor will be key in effectively integrating AI into finance roles.

Follow Carolina:

This week's Guest Carolina has launched a hands-on program for FP&A professionals who want to move from manual processes to AI-powered workflows. Learn to use Claude for FP&A:

Course:https://hub.tacticfinancial.com/accelerator?utm_source=fpaguy&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=accelerator

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/s-carolinalago/

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 FPAC Certificate, take the quiz on earmark and contact Paul Barnhurst for further details.

In Today’s Episode

[02:50] – FP&A : Strategy & Operations

[06:43] – AI in Reducing Manual Tasks

[10:52] – Transforming Finance with AI

[14:26] – Learning AI & Human Judgment

[19:37] – AI in Finance: Real Applications

[25:57] – The Future of AI in FP&A

[33:12] – Elevating FP&A with AI

[39:45] – Adopting AI in FP&A

[45:30] – AI for Better Decision-Making

[50:15] – Getting Started with AI

[54:05] – Final Thoughts on AI & Collaboration