Imane Haouassia | FP&A Virtual Summit January 2024

Speaker: Imane Haouassia , Head of Finance , HAAT Delivery

Imane Haouassia : Hello everyone. I am Imane Haouassia. I'm currently in the finance team as the head of finance at HAAT Delivery. In my role, I'm deeply involved in steering the financial strategy and operations that drive our company forward in this dynamic world of delivery services. And also I serve as an advisory board member at the Finance Alliance, which I have the privilege of collaborating with industry leaders to shape the future of finance. And we mainly focus on innovation and best practices that resonates across the global sectors. In both capacities, I'm constantly exploring the intersection of finance and technology and how this energy can be leverage for better financial planning and business strategy, which is what brings me to the FP&A summit.

Imane Haouassia : At the upcoming FP&A summit, I'll be delving into a topic that's increasingly vital in our field in which my session will be about planning for the unexpected. That is all about equipment, finance professionals with the necessary tools and mindset to excel in a constantly evolving business environment. We'll also explore the critical importance of agility in financial planning and that means learning how to swiftly adapt and refine our strategies when faced with the unforeseen challenges or uncertainties. It will be more about gaining valuable insights into dynamic forecasting, effective risk management and the art of scenario planning, which I assume are all essential skills for today's finance professionals.

Imane Haouassia : One core insight I hope to share is that in FP&A, the ability to anticipate and adapt to change isn't just an asset. It's a necessity because the world of finance is constantly shifting. So our strategies must be equally dynamic. So I want the attendees to leave with the understanding that agility and financial planning isn't about reacting to changes after they occur, but rather about being prepared to pivot and strategize proactively in any scenario. And this means embracing a mindset that views uncertainty, not as a barrier but as an opportunity for growth and innovation within their organization.

Imane Haouassia : For the coming year, I guess there will be two areas dominating the finance sector. The first one would be of course AI and machine learning. That will continue to be a game changer as we are going to see an even greater integration of these technologies and financial analysis and decision making because their ability to process a vast amount of data and provide a deep analysis would be invaluable. And the second one as I see is the expansion of FP&A itself as it's going through significant growth as businesses navigate increasingly complex and volatile markets and the demand for strategic financial planning and analysis will surge. So FP&A professionals will be at the forefront, guiding companies through uncertainty.