Laura Sawatzke’s Post

A critical dimension of FP&A transformation is Leadership. Without adequate vision and courage at the top of Finance and Accounting it is difficult to make sustainable progress. The FP&A Maturity Model concurs with this observation. Read below for more on this topic.

In conversation with Reid Hoffman & Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (0:00) Bestie intros: Buttons are back for fall (1:48) Reid Hoffman joins the show, reminiscing on PayPal stories with Sacks (7:52) State of AI: Nvidia, cluster buildouts, competition (19:51) OpenAI's corporate structure and thoughts on Elon's lawsuit (29:09) Inflection AI's deal structure with Microsoft, Lina Khan's impact on the tech industry (41:27) Reid's perspective on Kamala being hot swapped for Biden, funding groups that attempted to keep RFK Jr. off ballots (52:02) Reid's thoughts on growing antisemitism (55:03) Thoughts on Kamala's economic proposals: price caps, wealth tax, etc. (1:04:19) How Silicon Valley views both candidates, why Reid funded legal action against Trump (1:19:03) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joins the show and recaps his campaign and decision to back Trump (1:31:13) Falling out with the Democratic Party (1:37:26) Potential role in the Trump Administration, Make America Healthy Again agenda (1:58:01) Sacks recaps RFK Jr's campaign, RFK Jr. on Trump's legacy 👉 https://lnkd.in/dUFAnqjF #machinelearning

Are you a Senior Data Leader in London? On Thursday, November 21st, I am delighted to sit on the panel at the next London Tech Leaders event at Civo Tech Junction. Looking forward to noodling on the following: 1. Why should leaders make data driven decisions as opposed to data dominated ones? 2. Can having too much data reduce a leader’s ability to make a decision? 3. What tools do you actually need to get you actionable insights 4. Starting with leaders, how important is data literacy across the whole organisation? Looking forward to an evening of engaging conversations, networking and refreshments with other industry leaders who are shaping the future of tech. Join us!

It was great to participate last week (even if virtually, to avoid a trip around the world!) in the in-person congress of the Austrialian CPA in Canberra, alongside old friends such as Stanford Digital Economy Lab 's Erik Brynjolfsson, more recent collaborators such as Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford's Karthik Ramanna, academics-turned-policy-makers such as Stephen King, MDs such as Kmart's Ian Bailey, or celebrities such as Kate Blanchet. Thanks to Jehan Casinader for a terrific interview on how CPAs and Finance Professionals can navigate a world of #platforms and #ecosystems, and why they're useful as they help turn #buzzwords into #reality by helping us track where and how value is added. It's high time for lofty concepts to be firmly grounded in reality, as our world is becoming ever more interlinked! #crossingboundaries #spreadtheword #powerofvirtual

I had a wonderful time as a panelist for today's Cobb Chamber Economic Development Summit "AI for Your Business" - it was great to share some real-life implementations, hear what is on others' minds, and see so many fantastic people in one place! (thanks, Metro Atlanta Chamber, for letting me hang with you at your table!) I joined panelists Robyn Crittenden of Deloitte and Jordan Sandler of Frenik Marketing Group as Tracy Styf of Town Center Community moderated - we shared our thoughts on how AI is shaping our business strategies. Some of the ways Win-Tech, Inc. uses A.I. in business operations: 📣 Drafting basic mass communication to employees (assuming there’s nothing legal would have heartburn about). 🗳️ Writing letters (at least the first draft!) to elected representatives or the Federal Register to offer feedback to a cause, bill, or policy. 📋 Providing basic policy or procedure templates to get the ball rolling on a project that you need motivation to start. 📊 Uploading data from different applications to analyze trends and patterns (sanitize properly beforehand, and make sure you aren't uploading sensitive data!) 🗣️ Creating social media content ideas to refresh what you're sharing to the outside world. If you're a small business, consider ways that you can implement simple things like these - it gives companies like ours a "boost," especially when we don't have full marketing, public relations, or government affairs departments. The key is incorporating AI intentionally and avoiding the temptation of auto-pilot. How can it help you work smarter? Highlights of the event for me included insights shared from Chaouki Abdallah with Georgia Institute of Technology and Deanelle Hidalgo with Lockheed Martin. Dr. Abdallah shared a sentiment that reminded me of a quote I have in my office: "Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things." Thank you, SelectCobb, Frenik Marketing Group, Comcast, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, AAA Parking, Creative Element Productions, and all of the sponsors for a great afternoon! #economicdevelopment #smallbusiness #cobb

Join SAP + Taulia for a roundtable that will focus on How AI generates value for the CFO and Treasurers!

A message from our Founder and Principal Matt Staney. DEI isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential. Discover why cutting DEI programs can hurt hiring, innovation, and profitability. Watch now & the read the full blog with cited research here: https://lnkd.in/giMad63S #DEI #TalentStrategy #FutureOfWork

The New Intelligence: Best Practices for Competition, Decision and Foresight   September 18-19, 2024   The rapid rate of continuous change, crisis on top of crisis, and the advent of technology has meant a busy time for intelligence and insights professionals.   The Council of Competitive Intelligence Fellows is here to help you by bringing together a group of professionals to build your skills so you and your organization don’t just cope, you flourish.   The Fifth Annual CI Fellows Summit will provide you access to the best methods and thinking approaches in your toolbelt to help inform that which is critical to your success, whether you’re an emerging practitioner or a well-established professional, whether you use intelligence approaches full-time or as a part of your role. .   The Council of Competitive Intelligence Fellows will provide you with insights on techniques, toolsets, and tactics to improve your intelligence skills. The CI Fellows will provide you with dynamic sessions that will be a great opportunity to tap into the excellence and acumen of many years of diverse, global experience. There will also be an opportunity for you to network with some of the great talents in the Competitive Intelligence industry. Sessions will explore: How have intelligence practices and best practices changed? How will they continue to evolve? Which traditional practices and tools are still relevant to best practices? Which are outdated? How do we keep pace with advancements to maintain best- and leading-edge intelligence practices? How do thought leaders and world-class intelligence operations update their best practices and their understanding of evolving best practices? How do practitioners know they are keeping pace in a rapidly changing intelligence environment? Don’t miss out on the Early Bird Pricing of $ 99 for this 2-day summit. (Early Bird pricing ENDS August 16) Please use the link below to register. https://lnkd.in/eiP4Qq2a

It’s next week! #FastDataStrategy Virtual Summit #APAC is back for its 9th consecutive year! Join industry leaders from organizations including TDWI, Snowflake, Children's Hospital Colorado, ASML, RMIT University, and Denodo, and hear first-hand from industry analysts, thought leaders, and peers who have successfully modernized their #dataarchitecture to drive real business value. Register now to save your spot! #DataManagement https://buff.ly/3Y0y9o5

Great learning opportunity