The EPM Show: All Things Enterprise Performance Management

Tom Dudack joins Chad Pyke on The EPM Show to share his insights on what it takes to be successful in the EPM space. Tom is a Senior Principal Customer Success Business Partner and FSI & BS Industry Captain at Anaplan. He has over 20 years of EPM experience and is an expert when it comes to helping organizations maximize their Anaplan investment. Tune into this episode to learn:

→ What the ideal environment for an Anaplan transformation looks like. 

→ How executive leadership can make or break the transformation. 

→ Why every customer needs to do an honest self-assessment of their readiness.

→ How the best customers approach the talent piece of the Anaplan transformation equation. 

→ Why it’s critical to celebrate big wins well. 

Sukumar Ramanathan has over 20 years of technology sales experience and is currently an RVP of Sales at Anaplan overseeing the west region. He and his team specifically support some of the world’s leading technology, media, and telecom companies. He joins Chad Pyke on the show to talk about his career journey. In this episode you’ll learn: 

→ The importance of repetition as a key for long term career success.

→ Great leaders are great listeners. When in doubt, ask others “Tell me more”. 

→  Finding a mentor you want to emulate will accelerate your career. 

→ How to build great relationships with your stakeholders. 

Brett has built a successful career in FP&A and the Anaplan ecosystem. He currently serves as a manager at Cervello and is a Certified Master Anaplanner. He joined Chad Pyke on The EPM Show today to talk about how he approaches building great solutions in Anaplan for clients. Tune into this episode to learn: 

→ How to build a great foundation for a customer in Anaplan. 

→ What it means to do the right thing for a client even when no one is looking.

→ How great consultants elevate their career by making themselves replaceable.

→ Why being too agile early on is bad for finance transformation work. 

Meredith is the Senior Managing Director of FP&A at Markel, a specialty insurance company. She has 20 years of experience across FP&A and business analytics and currently oversees the Anaplan COE at Markel. She joins Chad Pyke today to talk about Markel’s journey with Anaplan. In this episode you’ll learn: 

→ Why executive buy-in is critical to a successful Anaplan implementation. 

→ How Markel’s commitment to Anaplan has benefited their FP&A team.

→ Why integrating accountability cycles improves the planning process. 

→ How Markel has structured their COE and why they committed a COE from the beginning. 

Garnier Silva has spent the last 18 years in the EPM industry and is leads the Americas team at Keyrus. He joins Chad Pyke on The EPM Show today to talk about leading international teams. In this episode you’ll learn: 

→ How Garnier successfully transitioned from individual contributor to a people leader. 

→ What it takes to lead teams well and how to know if it is the right next step for you.

→ Why leading international teams requires a more nuanced approach. 

→ The importance of communication as a great consultant and people leader. 

→ How an ownership mentality can help elevate your career.

Joe van Bolderen is a career consultant and recently made the jump to start his own Anaplan implementation firm called VBCG, He joins Chad Pyke on the show today to talk about his journey and what he’s learned along the way. In this episode you will learn: 

→ How to set yourself up for success by aligning expectations with leadership. 

→ Joe’s new AI Anaplan assistant, Ana and how it can help you get the most out of Anaplan. 

→ Why great consultants know how to push back in a productive way.

→ Why career success is a product of continuous improvement. 

Nick Bermudez is the Anaplan Practice Lead at Embark Consulting. He spent time at a myriad of consulting firms in the Anaplan ecosystem before moving over to Embark to start their Anaplan practice.

He joins Chad Pyke on The EPM Show today to share his journey from starting out as an SAP consultant to becoming a Master Anaplanner and Practice Lead.

In this episode you will learn: 

→ What separates an established Solution Architect from a Certified Master Anaplanner. 

→ His approach to building a new Anaplan practice at Embark. 

→ The unique approach to finance transformation with mid-enterprise clients. 

→ Building a great career in EPM starts with curiosity and learn by doing. 

Robert Odonohue is the co-lead of the Anaplan COE at LinkedIn. He has been in the Anaplan ecosystem for 10 years having spent time as a consultant, inhouse at Anaplan, and leading COEs at top customers.

In this episode you will learn: 

→ Core tenants for effective COE leadership.

→ How LinkedIn’s Anaplan COE is improving their project management approach.

→ How to make great decisions with incomplete facts in a very dynamic business environment.

→ The differences in stakeholder management as an external consultant vs internal SME. 

→ What early career EPM professionals can do to accelerate their growth.

Steven Barry is the Director of Delivery at Cervello. He’s spent over a decade in the Anaplan ecosystem and has a tangible passion for helping EPM professionals advance their career.

He joins Chad Pyke on The EPM Show to talk about failing upwards in your career. 

In this episode you’ll learn: 

→ The importance of authenticity and self-awareness in maximizing your career potential. 

→ Why saying “No” is often the path to success. 

→ How to define success and failure based on your personal core values. 

→ Why respectfully disagreeing with leadership can be a career accelerator. 

Sean Brophy is the Head of Global Sales at Pigment. He’s a proven sales executive having lead high-performing teams at Tableau, Alteryx, and Mapbox.

He joins Chad Pyke on The EPM Show to share his take on the EPM industry and how to build an impactful career. In this episode you’ll learn: 

→ The 5 “Ins” for impactful leadership.

→ Why knowing thyself is essential for making the most out of your career. 

→ How he evaluates taking smart career risks having spent most of his time at startups.

→ What he’s most excited about when it comes to Pigment’s journey and product. 

Liran Edelist is a fractional executive, board advisor, entrepreneur in the EPM industry. He is the former President and VP of Customer Success at Jedox.

Liran joins Chad Pyke on The EPM Show today to talk about: 

→ His unique approach to customer success. 

→ How aspiring leaders can grow their career faster by understanding their business. 

→ What to look for in high-potential, high-aptitude talent. 

→ Why curiosity and passion can be the difference maker in your career. 

Billy Leigh is the Head of Strategy at Embark Consulting. He joins Chad Pyke today to talk about Embark’s new partnership with Anaplan and their unique approach to finance transformation, change management, and how they help consultants build amazing careers.

In this episode you’ll learn: 

→ How finance transformation can help companies win the war for top talent.

→ Successful finance transformation is about helping companies make better decisions. 

→ How to help clients manage change in the transformation journey. 

→ The critical shift people need to make in their career to level up their leadership. 

→ What Embark is doing to build the best Anaplan practice and develop their consultants. 

Rohan Batra is the Global Head of Partnerships at Pigment and previously built a successful partnership program at Zuora. He joins Chad Pyke on The EPM Show to share his take on how to create successful partner ecosystems.

In this episode you will learn: 

→ How a the partnership model ultimately benefits the customer.

→ The defining characteristics of a thriving partner ecosystem.

→ The core principles of Pigment’s Partner Universe. 

→ How to identify the right partners for your ecosystem and why bigger isn’t always better.

→ Why partnerships ultimately enhance the sales cycle and make everyone more successful.

→ Practical steps to growing a career in partnerships. 

Anjali Chhajed is the Solutions Lead at Mass Mutual and she joins Chad Pyke today to talk about how to thrive through career transitions. 

Her journey has been full of change that has helped her grow her career from a traditional finance role to moving into EPM consulting then to multiple customer roles from crypto to insurance. In this episode you’ll learn: 

→ How to grow your career at a customer and the underrated benefits of being in industry. 

→ How being an intrapreneur can lead you into unique opportunities. 

→ Why it’s important to approach career changes with a balance of confidence and humility. 

→ The power of reflection and how it has helped her overcome obstacles. 

Zaf Kamar is the founder of Constellation, an Anaplan implementation partner, and has led 2 Anaplan practices at Gold partner firms. He joins Chad on the EPM Show to talk about values aware implementation. In this episode you will learn: → Why it’s important to incorporate a company’s values into digital transformation efforts. → How your company can truly exercise accountability, collaboration, and sustainability as values at an organizational and individual level. → What it means to be a culture carrier in your organization and why that will help you in your career. → How to recognize the difference between your company's espoused values and the behaviors that are rewarded to elevate your career and accelerate your influence.

Jake Sachs, Solution Architect at Roseburg Forest Products and Mir Borishkevich, our guest co-host, join Chad Pyke for our first session of our new “Let’s Get Technical” series focused on EPM use cases and best practices.

In this episode you’ll learn:

→ How Roseburg used a cost to serve model to increase profitability transparency for their 30K+ SKUs in a cyclical commodities market

→ How Jake led this new model build from scratch with entirely new processes

→ What it looks like to partner with IT and manage change when launching new models

This show is powered by CoThryve – the firm that helps EPM professionals grow their career.

Stephanie Weiland is the Director of Strategic Finance at Genoa Healthcare and an EPM/finance veteran. She’s been featured on Anaplan panels and has added massive value to the ecosystem over her 10+ years in the industry. She shares her views on how to succeed as a business partner and grow your influence. In this episode you’ll learn:

→ How to build credibility and gain influence with business partners through active listening

→ How to be an ASSET to your business partner

→ The habits and actions that can help you develop EQ

→ What "Unicorn Leaders" do to jump levels in their career

This show is powered by CoThryve – the firm that helps EPM professionals grow their career.

Jonathan Balkin founded Lionpoint Group in 2014, and it's now a 250 person consultancy and an Anaplan Gold partner. He shares his views on the EPM industry and keys to growing a successful career. In this episode, you'll learn:

–> If you want to grow your career in data / tech, you need to be able to sell ideas and have strong soft skills (what this looks like)

–> How certain platform and tech certifications are becoming more useful than an MBA and other educational tracks

–> Why understanding emerging data tech platforms and having integrations expertise will make you an invaluable asset

–> 2 reasons Jonathan favors consulting career path vs. in-house roles

–> What a healthy culture looks like in consulting and why consulting does NOT have to mean rat race and poor work-life balance

Heard of the term "Business Intelligence?" Howard Dresner coined it, and he's our featured guest. He shares what it means to become hyper-decisive, and in this episode you'll learn:

–> What "Information Democracy" is all about and how much further organizations have to go to get more eyes on the data

–> The key to becoming hyper-decisive in today's economy (analysis paralysis kills)

–> What you should avoid if you want to grow your career as a data and EPM professional

–> What's driving mid-market companies to invest in EPM capabilities (not just for the large corporates anymore)

–> The future of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in planning (not just buzz words, what to really expect in the coming years)

Paul Melchiorre is an EPM legend who quickly became a senior executive at SAP and later served as CRO and CEO at Anaplan. He's now an investor in next generation EPM technology like Pigment and Fintastic. 

In this episode you'll learn:

–> Which up and coming platforms are challenging the current industry leading platforms

–> Why software is not like wine (it does not get better with age)

–> What success looks like in the EPM mid-market, and why software is easier to scale UP than scale down

–> How to approach your career entrepreneurially so you never have to worry about your job as next generation tech makes certain roles and activities less valuable

–> What Paul likes about betting on up-and-coming EPM platforms and his predictions for the industry

Hayli Hay is an Anaplan celeb, winning Anaplan Center of Excellence (COE) Leader of the Year. In this episode, you'll learn:

–> What it's like to stand up a COE from scratch and lead it to become one of the most successful in the Anaplan ecosystem

–> How to handle imposter syndrome when you're leading a team of technical experts

–> What it looks like to build consistency in delivery and how that drives more connected planning

–> How to win over stakeholders and manage change by setting expectations and leveraging WIIFY

–> Why you should be advocating for yourself and how to do it (decisions about your career growth are made in rooms that you're not in)

Kait Chura is a Master Anaplanner with a non-traditional background. She has a fresh approach to storytelling that will help you grow your skills. In this episode, you'll learn:

–> How to creatively draw from books, movies, culture to storytell in your professional context in a way that helps people both understand and remember

–> What it looked like to transition from a retail job with Apple to a supply chain planning and EPM role

–> How Kait made the jump from the Anaplan consulting / partner world to an in-house customer role (and what she likes about it)

–> The biggest drivers to Kait's career success as a Master Anaplanner

–> Kait's 3 tips for someone interested in Anaplan and EPM (where to start)

What does $2 BILLION+ in growth for the EPM market mean for you? Spoiler alert: it's good news for EPM professionals.

We're using a new episode format (the "Jam Session") that features industry to headline to keep you in the know.

In this brief episode, we give an update on the show itself then hit on a recent report talking about BILLIONS in growth for the industry over the next few years.

Chris Ortega is the freshest voice in FP&A out there. In this episode you'll learn:

– > The ABC's of Finance that every EPM pro should know

– > How to become a great storyteller that the business can't live without

– > The common mistake finance execs make when it comes to Transformation

– > How to retain your best finance talent

– > The future of FP&A and what those letters should really stand for

Timmy Thomas is a certified Solution Architect at Groupon on his way to Master Anaplanner. In this episode, you'll learn:

– > How he transitioned from a more traditional FP&A role to an Anaplan specialized role

– > The advantages of working in-house with an Anaplan customer (contrast: see episode 6 with Travis San Pedro for advantages of working on Partner / Consulting side)

– > How to build credibility with business partners introducing new models / connected planning

– > What action has had the single biggest impact on his career growth and how you can do it too

Gary Cokins is the Godfather of EPM. He's written books, spoken all over the world, and evangelized EPM for decades. And he's still got it!

In this episode, you'll learn:  

–> The 3 obstacles that keep companies from achieving their EPM vision / Finance Transformation  

–> Why the best leaders don't focus on having all the answers   

–> The crucial role middle management plays in leading UP to senior management in order to realize true EPM value  

–> His advice to early career EPM professionals  

Almost every company wants to do planning better, but some do it much better than others. What are the leading companies doing to win at EPM and Finance Transformation?

Our guest is Ray Curbelo, Senior Director of Strategic Growth at Anaplan. He's helped guide scores of companies as they upgrade their planning capabilities, and in this episode, you'll learn:  

–Why you can't win at EPM with an off-the-shelf tech solution

–How to answer the "Where do I start" question when investing in EPM  

–The biggest mistake companies make when initiating a Finance Transformation (and what to do instead)

–Why senior leader "change champions" are necessary, but not enough

–Why the EPM industry is resilient even when the economy gets weird

Leading Solution Architects and Master Anaplanners can make 2 – 3X other model builders. What separates the most successful in the EPM space? In this episode, you'll get the 2 drivers that make all the difference.

What's it take to become a Master Anaplanner? Stacey Brooks' career went to a new level when she discovered Anaplan and went ALL IN. She went from financial analyst to leading an Anaplan Center of Excellence (COE) as a Master Anaplanner and now runs the Master Anaplanner program at Anaplan.

Learn what holds model builders back from growing in their career and get insights on what separates technical model builders from Solution Architects and Master Anaplanners.

Welcome to The EPM Show! This episode kicks it off and lets you know what to expect from the show. You'll hear from hosts Blake Bozarth and Chad Pyke about why we're bullish on EPM as a career, who this show is for, plus get a teaser of what's to come.