Business Partnering for FP&A

Effective business partnering in FP&A is about creating meaningful connections that enable better decisions and drive business performance. This session equips finance professionals with the mindset and techniques to collaborate with impact—moving beyond numbers to influence outcomes and foster shared ownership.

You’ll gain practical tools to build trust, challenge constructively, and guide stakeholders through complexity. Whether you’re stepping into a new role or deepening existing relationships, the focus is on becoming a valued thought partner who supports growth, accountability, and alignment across the organisation.

You’re welcome to join just this workshop, but for a deeper dive, we recommend registering for the full program.

Testimonials

Setting up a new FP&A team in a fast-paced business, the FP&A bootcamp was a great way to get everyone on the same page as quickly as possible. We loved Catherine's teaching style and the interactive format of the course. The team took examples from the very first workshop and immediately put them into practice. It sparked such debate in the team that we almost have too many new ideas! A nice problem to have... Thanks Catherine and GrowCFO!

This is both a good refresher for seasoned professionals and a good introduction for individuals with less experience. Time went by very fast as it was an enjoyable course.

The course takes you through a practical approach to FP&A and you walk away with ideas and strategies you can begin to utilize in your business right away.

If you are new to FP&A or have been doing it for years, this is a great course to ensure you are on the correct path. The time commitment isn’t so much that you take too much time away from work, but enough that you feel you are getting plenty of resources to take back to your job.

The courses were very comprehensive and out team learned a lot from them. The breakout groups were both fun and engaging, and the trainers were excellent, bringing impressive first-hand experience in solving these real-world challenges.

This course was fantastic! It was the perfect refresher I needed to start a new job in FP&A. I thoroughly enjoyed the Zoom class sessions along with the exercises that we did in class.

I recommend this to everyone who is interested in understanding FP&A. I’m transitioning to an FP&A role and this course helped me get a jumpstart to prepare myself with the skills required to succeed.

Overview

What we Cover:

Shifting from transactional support to strategic partnership
Building trust and credibility through consistency and empathy
Creating shared understanding in high-stakes conversations
Coaching frameworks that guide collaborative problem-solving
Practical tools to foster ownership and influence without authority
Approaches to managing conflict, challenge, and resistance productively

The Challenges:

Establishing influence when not the decision-maker
Engaging stakeholders who view finance as reactive or rigid
Navigating difficult conversations without damaging relationships
Aligning financial insight with business priorities
Building rapport in unfamiliar or siloed environments

The Barriers:

Limited trust or unclear expectations between teams
Focus on data over dialogue
Relying solely on expertise rather than connection
Cultural resistance to finance involvement in strategic matters
Inconsistent follow-through that weakens credibility

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

Recognise the mindset shift required to partner effectively
Use empathy, questioning, and listening to build strong relationships
Apply coaching and feedback techniques to support better outcomes
Influence decisions through shared goals and mutual respect
Strengthen collaboration while maintaining constructive challenge

Business Benefits:

Improved decision quality through closer finance–business alignment
Stronger accountability and engagement in financial performance
Increased trust in FP&A as a collaborative partner
Reduced friction and faster resolution of cross-functional issues
A culture where finance enables rather than enforces

Facilitator

Catherine Marks

Catherine led the O2 FP&A team through its merger with Virgin Media.

Prerequisites: Must have a basic understanding of FP&A.

Advanced Preparation: No advanced preparation is required

Program Level: Basic

Delivery Method: Group Live

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