Although I love FP&A, I realize you may not be working in FP&A for all of your career which will be 30+ years. It is important to know what other options and paths are available after working in FP&A. In this article, we will look at 13 potential exit strategies that can help you explore various opportunities after FP&A.
FP&A professionals are highly skilled and sought-after, and as such, they have many options for career advancement. Also, there are options for lateral moves within their organization or elsewhere.
- Internal Promotion: One option for FP&A professionals is to seek a promotion within their current organization. This could involve moving into a more senior FP&A role such as FP&A Director, VP of FP&A or the Chief financial officer (CFO).
- Lateral Move: Another option is to consider a lateral move within the organization. For example, taking on a new FP&A challenge in a different department or business unit.
- Treasury: Making the transition from Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) to Treasury is a common move for many finance professionals. The switch involves expanding on existing FP&A knowledge, while adding more advanced treasury skills.
- Controller: Transitioning to the role of Controller from FP&A can be a daunting, yet rewarding experience. It is an excellent opportunity to expand your skills in accounting and finance. It requires both technical accounting competencies and the ability to think holistically about the organization’s financial future.
- Consulting: FP&A professionals with strong analytical and problem-solving skills may be well-suited for a career in consulting. In this role, they could work with a variety of clients to analyze financial data and develop recommendations for improving business performance.
- Investment Banking: FP&A professionals with an interest in financial markets may be interested in a career in investment banking. In this role, they could work with clients to raise capital, structure financing, and advise on mergers and acquisitions.
- Private Equity: Similar to investment banking, private equity firms seek to acquire and grow businesses. FP&A professionals with a strong financial background could be well-suited for a role in private equity. Here you would be responsible for analyzing potential investments and supporting portfolio companies.
- Venture Capital: Venture capital firms invest in startups and early-stage companies. FP&A professionals with a strong financial background could be well-suited for a role in this field. In this role, they would be responsible for analyzing potential investments and supporting portfolio companies.
- Portfolio Management: FP&A professionals with an interest in asset management may be interested in a career as a portfolio manager. In this role, they would be responsible for analyzing financial data and making investment decisions on behalf of clients.
- Corporate Finance and Strategy: Corporate finance professionals work within a company to manage its financial strategy and raise capital. FP&A professionals with strong financial skills and an interest in corporate finance could be well-suited for a role in this field.
- Entrepreneurship: They could use their skills to start their own business or advise other entrepreneurs on financial matters.
- Digital Finance Transformation: The world of finance is changing. With an increasing demand for digital transformation, businesses are looking to upgrade their financial practices and operations to become more agile and efficient. Transitioning into Digital Transformation roles can be a great opportunity to develop new skills and stay ahead of the curve.
- Education: FP&A professionals with a passion for teaching and mentoring may be interested in a career in education. In this role, they could share their knowledge and experience with the next-generation of financial professionals through teaching or consulting.
In conclusion, FP&A professionals have many options for career advancement or lateral moves within their organization or elsewhere. Whether they are interested in internal promotion, controllership, treasury or consulting. They can get into investment banking, private equity, venture capital, portfolio management, corporate finance, entrepreneurship, or education.
This article was originally published at www.fpnaprofessionals.com
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1 年This was such a well-researched post indeed. Asif Masani Sir, I wanted to create some customized career paths for employees in my Finance Function through horizontal and vertical progression moves. Broadly there are 8 functions: Accounting & Reporting, Internal Audit & Assurance, Taxation(Indirect & Direct), Finance Planning & Analysis, Treasury, Risk, Insurance. I want to give a potential list of roles they can go through to reach to the Head of the above roles and also the role of CFO. For example, an entry level employee in Auditing, how can become the head of Risk or Accounting or CFO in future? For which I am assessing which two functions have more commonalities in terms of skills and competencies so that the horizontal movement will be smooth. So for the above problem statement, can you please tell me, among the 8 Finance functions, Accounting & Reporting, Internal Audit & Assurance, Taxation(Indirect & Direct), Finance Planning & Analysis, Treasury, Risk, Insurance, Finance Compliance and Accounting of Business segments, horizontal movement from which function to which function is very difficult due to contrasting nature of the job and which are viable?
Happy New Year Asif. How about Pricing? In several IT services organisation FP&A and Pricing team is one or work very closely.
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1 年It’s a good list. I think that investment banking, VC and private equity become very difficult later in the career. From what I heard barriers to entry are high and you would need and I strongly advise those who are interested to do it early in the career.
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1 年Thanks Asif for the article. Very insightful. Yes FP&A is a great area to learn about business and drive the total P&L, I do believe Finance professionals should diversify or atleast get critical experiences outside FP&A. You have aptly pointed out various options to either pivot or gain critical experiences.
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1 年Happy New Year, Asif Masani. Intriguing and insightful article indeed, this provides a good roadmap for people who seek the "what next". I have seen multiple people create a taboo that FP&A is the epitome in finance, wherein the fact of matter is that it's an avenue for much greater possibilities (especially leadership opportunities). FP&A is my first love, but I have moved around into various roles like strategic planning, consulting, special project and off late teaching. I really appreciate this post.