Brian Christian, MBA's Recent LinkedIn Posts

I am happy to share that I have joined the GTM team at Wiza. I want to extend my gratitude to Jonathan Seibel, Mike Barrett, and Stephen Hakami for their trust in me and for bringing me on board. I'm looking forward to collaborating with an energetic and talented team thats laser focused on solving one of the biggest challenges facing sales teams today. Lets go!!!

From all of us here at Vena, we'd like to wish you a holiday season filled with happiness, peace and prosperity. ✨ Happy Holidays! 🎄

Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs and the #ChiefsKingdom on their #SuperBowlLVIII victory! 🏆🏈🙌

🏆 Congratulations to James Suh and the Florida Panthers on their historic Stanley Cup victory 🏆 They did it! The Florida Panthers have clinched their very first Stanley Cup victory, and we couldn’t be more proud of them. This victory is a testament to the underdog spirit that has fueled their success throughout their journey. Hats off to the Florida Panthers, the finance team and all the fans who’ve supported them along the way. We can’t wait to see what they accomplish next! Check out our episode featuring James here: https://lnkd.in/dJQTZjyn #StanleyCupChampions #FloridaPanthers

Congratulations, Venny Award winners! 🏆👏 At Excelerate last week, we hosted the inaugural Venny Awards🏆 the first global awards program recognizing excellence in strategic finance and operations. Congratulations to all of our winners: 💡Financial Insights Innovator Award: Jeffrey A. Culp, MBA, Senior VP and CFO of Business Transformation at Liberty Bank - CT. 📈Excellence in Complete Planning Award: Cormac Doyle, Director of Software Applications at Greystar. 💪 Excellence in Financial Leadership Award: Pat Jones, Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller at PetIQ, LLC. 🤝 Strategic Integration Partner Award: William Liang, Managing Director of ProLytics Consulting Group. 📊 Financial Modeling Mastery Award: Christine Harms, currently Controller at Arizona Coyotes. Stay tuned for more information on the 2025 Venny Awards! Nominations will be opening later this year. You can watch all of #ExcelerateFinance2024 on-demand here: https://bit.ly/3wDNuzx 🌱 Hunter Madeley Tina Goulbourne Peter Gilfillan

The future of FP&A is here. 💡 Vena Copilot enables FP&A teams with a Complete Planning #AI assistant 🧠, using an intuitive conversational interface. By leveraging simple chat prompts and your existing organizational data sets, tasks that previously required hours can now be completed in minutes. ⏰ Explore #VenaCopilot here. 👉 https://bit.ly/3VThdif #financialplanning #venasolutions

👏SOLD👏OUT! We are officially sold out of in-person tickets to #ExcelerateFinance2024 but you can still register for a FREE livestream ticket, where you can: ✅ Watch 15+ main stage sessions online ✅ Grow your Excel skills, learn modern FP&A best practices, and more. ✅ Get an exclusive look at ✨Vena Copilot for FP&A ✨ ✅ Gain access to 100+ CPE/CPD credits in Vena Academy (and 40+ FREE Excel templates) ✅ Earn a Microsoft Technical Finance certification Take your planning and leadership skills to the next level ⏫ Excelerate 2024 has it all. Registration link in the comments below 👇

Earlier this month I took on a personal challenge, something I’ve had my eye on for a few years but wasn’t totally sure I could do. I took on the 2023 BC Bike Race and finished it. It was hard. One of the hardest things I’ve ever done. We’re talking about a 7-day mountain bike stage race on some of the most epic trails in BC. It covered over 230km of sweet single track and gained more than 6500m of elevation. Rocks, roots, steep drops, and extreme heat, it’s a challenge that is as much mental as it is physical. The race attracted over 600 riders from 35 countries and the field was stacked with current and former Olympians, World Cup winners, sponsored professionals, and generally speaking some of the most die-hard riders on the planet. With that level of competition my only goals were simply to put my best effort out there, leave nothing on the table, and just finish – and I did exactly that. Why am I posting about this? The same skills that got me across the finish line are highly relevant not just to racing but to business performance as well. Here are my key takeaways: 📈 Preparation is EVERYTHING. I adopted a structured and proven training protocol more than 8 months before the race, and I stuck to it. Success is infinitely more likely when you have a plan and you’re prepared. 🔥 Competition brings out the best in us. One of the biggest enemies of innovation and business performance is status quo bias. Sometimes it takes a competitor passing us on the trail to light our fire and find that extra gear. 💪 We’re capable of more than we think. Breaking up a larger challenge into smaller and more actionable pieces makes all the difference. It’s literally one pedal stroke, one hill, and one day at a time. Pushing boundaries and embracing discomfort can lead to extraordinary benefits. I gained a lot from taking on this challenge and I’d gather that just about anyone can reap similar benefits by finding a challenge that suits their interests and is just out of reach – just go for it, you’ve got this!

This week! ✍️ Discover how to seamlessly integrate your #data to create a single source-of-truth, and unlock powerful insights 💡 with Anna Yamashita, Solutions Consultant of Customer Success at Vena 🌱 in our upcoming livestream. Register here ➡️ https://bit.ly/3O35ysY #manufacturing #demandplanning #venasolutions

“We found Vena to be the most capable in terms of meeting our needs and working with us on a short implementation timeline.” In just 3️⃣ months, ATB Financial's finance team rolled out a brand new budgeting and forecasting model, and trained 35 cross-functional users with the help of Vena. 📊 Check out more on the story. 👉 https://bit.ly/3Pdw9UN #banking #forecasting #venasolutions

🗓️ Mark your calendars, and say goodbye to "the Mondays" because Template Tuesdays 📊 is about to be your favourite day of the week! A little about our template library: 📊 50+ templates to choose from 🎉 100% FREE forever 🤩 New templates added each month This week we are sharing our 📊 Budget vs. Actual Variance Excel Template📊 With this template you can: ▶️ Input your monthly actual and plan data for each account to automatically calculate budget vs. actual variance analysis. ▶️ Easily view individual account and overall revenue, gross margin and expense variances with visual trendlines and color-coded percentages. ▶️ Start analyzing your variances right away instead of spending hours on template design. ✅ Download your free template here: https://bit.ly/4aEgVzD #finance #excel #microsoft #templates

While on parental leave I found the time between naps and stroller walks to complete a new certification: Foundations of Selling Science from Cerebral Selling! For all my sales peers out there, this one should definitely be on your radar!

I've been a licensed pilot now for 5 years now and fly recreationally around southern Ontario and Eastern Massachusetts. Aviation is an incredible hobby and I often find myself reflecting on the valuable crossover lessons it can teach.    Aviation is inherently complex and involves multiple systems: engine performance, electrical, radio and navigational systems, air traffic control, other aircraft and of course WEATHER - just to name a few. These are dynamic systems that require constant monitoring and can be impacted by multiple variables. Two key things help me deal with the complexity and moving parts - Checklists and Contingency Planning.   CHECKLISTS: Checklists are both common and mandatory within the aviation industry. Sure it can help to memorize certain procedures and protocols but memory often fails when you're under stress and at your workload capacity. It's important to know when and where checklists can be leveraged and to practice running through them regularly. Checklists are a basic but grounding tool that can and should be used with more regularity in the business world and are something I'm looking to leverage more in my day to day.   CONTINGENCY PLANNING: You'll see Pelee Island in one of the photos below - its only 11nm offshore and engine failures are extremely rare. Over land I might be travelling at a cruising altitude of 3000' but best practice when crossing water bodies is to climb to a higher altitude to ensure that if an engine failure occurred at any point you would still be able to glide safely to land without power. It requires additional calculations, burns extra fuel, takes longer, and effective gliding takes practice to execute well - all for something that is highly unlikely to occur…but what if it does? The stakes here are potentially life and death so the decision to invest in the additional planning is pretty obvious to me.   In business the stakes are different but failing to plan for contingencies can have a profoundly negative impact on individual and company objectives. It's a matter of assessing probabilities and balancing the limited time and resources we all have available - easier said than done. My takeaway here is if the outcome you're working towards is sufficiently important to you and you can mitigate risk by planning for contingencies - then you owe it to yourself to find the time!

We're Top Rated! 🎉 Thank you to our customers for ranking Vena Solutions high in customer satisfaction and likelihood to buy again for the fourth year in a row! Based entirely on user reviews, our top-rated features were:  🗓Reporting output and scheduling  🔐Access control and security, meaning being able to determine who has access to which data   🤝Ability to integrate with external applications   📊Financial reporting and compliance features  📈Business intelligence standard and ad-hoc reporting  Excited for the continued growth🌱and commitment to our AMAZING customers💚 TrustRadius #CustomerTrust

Real estate developments are multi-year investments—meaning it will be years before you realize a profit. ⏳ And a lot can happen during that time—from market changes and unexpected costs to interest rate adjustments and shifts in demand. 📈 That’s why it’s essential for #realestate developers to stay on top of their ongoing costs and proactively manage their #construction budget to protect profit margins. 👷‍♂️🏙 On the Vena blog, we delved into the factors that impact construction project profitability and how real estate finance teams can maximize the business’s ROI. ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gSH68MNK

Exciting news! 📣 Vena CFO, Melissa Howatson, has been tapped to host The CFO Show, a new audio and video podcast 🎙 that aims to create a unique community for #CFOs, other #finance professionals and business leaders. Find out more in the press release. ⬇️ #podcast

Over the past few years, finance has become more agile and proactive 💡 as the market around us has presented one challenge after the other. Check out the future of #finance with Vena's 5️⃣ predictions for 2030. #digitaltransformation #venasolutions

Imagine a world where you make financial presentations with a snap of your fingers 💡 Simple to pull together, on brand and took you half the time to make. Magic! 🌟 From executive board meetings to team updates, Vena for Microsoft PowerPoint simplifies the process, giving you professional results faster than ever.​ Learn more about your new favorite tool https://bit.ly/3AZfpML #Microsoft #PowerPoint #Presentations #FinancialData #FutureOfFinance #VenaSolutions

We’re thrilled to announce that Vena Solutions was spotlighted at MCAPS Start, Microsoft's global fiscal year kick-off last month! 🌟 As one of the select global partners featured, we proudly showcased our collaborative vision with Microsoft to revolutionize the future of finance through innovative AI technology. 🤝 Our longstanding partnership with Microsoft is driven by a shared goal to enhance operational and strategic excellence in finance using Microsoft’s cutting-edge solutions. That partnership took a monumental step forward with the launch of Vena Copilot for FP&A which we purpose-built leveraging Microsoft Azure's generative AI to streamline FP&A tasks and provide professionals with faster, smarter insights. 📊✨ As our CTO Hugh Cumming emphasizes, “AI unlocks work that can be done by a machine so that people can be more creative and focus on the things that matter most.” Stay tuned, as this is just the beginning of our exciting AI adventure together! ⚡ #AI #Copilot #Microsoft #Partnership #Ecosystem

The Superbowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs officially kicked off training camp this past weekend with veterans reporting for action. In reality their title defense started the day after they hoisted the Lombardi Trophy back in February but work they put in during training camp is going to define their 2024 season. Love to see Vena Solutions customers win both on and off the field! 🏈 🏆 (See link in comments for case study)

On The CFO Show, Craig Schiff of BPM Partners and Melissa Howatson of Vena Solutions discussed the dashboards, scorecards, KPIs, and metrics that drive strategic business success. Develop actionable steps to address the mismatch between speedy technological advances and slow organizational processes and culture in performance management. Listen today: https://lnkd.in/gAquJanT #podcast #finance #performancemanagement https://lnkd.in/gPPqQUKD

#Excel has been finance professionals’ preferred tool 🛠️ for tasks like financial modeling for decades. But with so many new options meant to replace it, why does it remain so popular?    The reality is, many #finance teams still end up relying heavily on Excel even after purchasing alternative software.    Learn why that is—and how you can scale your finance operations without abandoning Excel—on the Vena blog here. 👇 #venasolutions

Check out whose (mine) employer made it in to BlogTO—and whose office (also mine!) is on that cover 👇 Recently my team, Vena, joined Team True North, a group of top-rated private companies in Canada, on the path to $1B in annual revenue by 2030. 🚀🚀🚀 If you're looking for a new career opportunity, have a look at our "Life at Vena" page (lifeatvena.com) to explore our openings. Like the BlogTO article says, we "empower and inspire business leaders and finance and operations professionals to plan to grow." 🌱 #venasolutions #vena #blogto

The SDR team at Vena is growing - check out an amazing opportunity to join a winning team! (link in comments)

Proud to share a massive success story from a deal I sourced. There is no better feeling in sales than seeing one of your customers get results like this!

Despite the rollercoaster of a year we’ve witnessed in 2023 and the continued economic challenges many are facing in 2024, it’s an exciting time to be in #finance. 💡 As companies focus on doing more with the resources they have, Finance has stepped into the forefront as the business’s strategic partner 🤝 in identifying opportunities for ongoing efficiency. Learn our top 5️⃣ predictions for FP&A in 2024 in our blog. https://lnkd.in/gB-x4RTP

By implementing Vena’s task automation and streamlined workflows, PetIQ was able to decrease month-end close time by 12 days 🗓. Plus with more time freed, they produced a consolidated balance sheet that delivered actionable insights across the business faster. ⚡️ Check out more on the story 👇 #finance #data #venasolutions

🎓 "Accurate budgeting and resource allocation allow education professionals to create a better student experience, all while reducing the risk of a costly financial error." 🏫 5 Tuition Planning and Forecasting Best Practices 1️⃣ Start With Accurate Projections 2️⃣ Keep All Team Members on the Same Page 3️⃣ Use Filters When Applicable 4️⃣ Model Multiple What-If Scenarios 5️⃣ Take Advantage of Templates Read the blog to learn more about best practices in tuition planning and forecasting in higher education. 🌱 #venasolutions #vena #highereducation

🔍 How have you planned for unforeseen events that could pose a risk to your company's success? The scenario planning process looks for adaptable solutions to unavoidable circumstances that can negatively impact your financial health. It identifies potential outcomes and visualizes both risks and opportunities that come along with these possible events. 4 Steps of the Scenario Planning Process: 1️⃣ Determine Your Key Business Decision 2️⃣ Identify Internal and External Factors That Can Affect Your Key Decision 3️⃣ Outline Your Strategy for Each Potential Scenario 4️⃣ Identify the Early Indicators of Each Scenario 🌱 Read the blog to learn how you can make your scenario planning process more effective with Vena's FREE what-if analysis template for Excel.

Check out this blog from my team on finance business partnering 🤝 : 🌱 "A finance business partner is the trusted individual people go to for objective, well-measured views of the issues facing the organization. They work closely with their business clients to assist the organization in making key financial and business decisions... 🌱 "Developing a successful finance business partnering model takes a great business partner." In this blog, you'll learn: 💡the 5 traits of an effective finance business partner 💡the 4 skills needed for developing an effective finance business partnering model 💡how to become a successful finance business partner 🌱 Read the full blog and learn how you can leverage your skills to develop your model. #venasolutions #vena #financebusinesspartnering

The new Vena Marketplace platform enables organizations to access, download, install and purchase business solutions that integrate with, compliment or extend the usability of Vena Complete Planning. ✅ Learn more ⬇️ #finance #financialplanning

🚧 "What are these new realities the construction industry is dealing with today, and how can you better manage your construction projects in light of them?" 🏗️ What Are the Challenges and Risks the Construction Industry Is Facing? 1️⃣ Lack of Materials 2️⃣ Labor Shortages 3️⃣ Shrinking Growth 4️⃣ Reduced Demand How To Keep Your Construction Projects on Track (Despite Supply Chain Challenges and Rising Interest Rates) 1️⃣ Build Your Data-Driven Decision Making Capabilities 2️⃣ Plan for Every Scenario 3️⃣ Forecast Frequently Read the blog to learn further about reducing risk to your construction projects. 🌱 #venasolutions #vena #construction

New to FP&A? 🌱 Check out our team's Ultimate Guide to FP&A. You'll learn about: ⚡ FP&A processes ⚡ FP&A best practices ⚡ FP&A roles ⚡ FP&A career paths ... and more #venasolutions #vena #fpanda

With the financial landscape shifting so quickly, an accurate ✅ financial close process is critical for effective analysis and timely financial reporting. Join Vena and #finance leaders to discover best practices and strategies for how to close your books quickly and confidently to support enhanced decision making and better predictions about the future 💭 in the upcoming #financialclose livestream. Register for free today. ⬇️ #forecasting #digitaltransformation #venasolutions

Ready to discover the skills, methodologies and next-gen technologies that will empower you to architect the future of #finance? 💡   Join Christine Harms, Controller for the Arizona Coyotes, to explore groundbreaking innovations in people, process and pushing technological limits to drive strategic organizational success at #ExcelerateFinance 2024. 🌱   Register for our 🆓 livestream here. 👇 #event #innovation #venasolutions

Discover the skills and tools you need to unlock the full power of finance business partnering. You'll learn from leaders from Microsoft, the Kansas City Chiefs, BDO and Vena—and earn up to 3 CPE/CPD credits. Join us on October 18 🗓 from 12–3 PM ET for an exclusive (and FREE) livestream event where you will: 💡Learn the essential technical and non-technical skills for effective finance business partnering 💡Discover how finance teams at leading organizations are creating business value through business partnering 💡See how to use data visualization, scenario analysis and other techniques to enhance financial and operational decision making 💡Take a deep dive into agile revenue and workforce planning in Vena Complete Planning 💡Hear how Vena and Microsoft are putting finance at the heart of strategy Register here ➡️ https://bit.ly/3dL03zE #finance #strategicfinance #venasolutions

🌱 How can modern CFOs drive innovation within the finance function? "Knowing where innovation avenues exist in your company and the value they bring can give you the necessary foundation for improving your related accounting, finance and treasury (AFT) decision-making." Here are 5 ways: 1️⃣ Product and Service Innovation 2️⃣ Innovation from “Lightbulb Moments” 3️⃣ Innovating Through Your Processes and Operations 4️⃣ Private Innovation 5️⃣ Public Innovation Read the blog to learn more about these five ways through which modern CFOs can drive innovation. 💡 #venasolutions #vena #finance #fpanda

How can artificial intelligence help your business navigate through today’s economic climate? 🤔 Here are just some of the ways #AI can help FP&A teams. It can: 🦾 Reduce manual effort through automation (and eliminate human error) 🏅 Provide a competitive advantage to organizations 📊 Leverage real-time data insights to enable more informed decision making 🚧 Mitigate potential risks to your organization 🔎 Allow for better data analysis and scenario modelling Read on to discover how your team can get started on its AI journey... #strategicfinance #artificialintelligence #data #venasolutions

Are you monitoring these 5️⃣ sales pipeline metrics? 🌱 Shaun Jansen, our VP of Mid-Market Sales, walks you through five so you improve lead conversions and reach new markets: 1️⃣ Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) 2️⃣ CAC Payback Period 3️⃣ Opportunity Cohorts 4️⃣ Average Sales Cycle 5️⃣ Pipeline by Sales Rep Read on to learn more about these 5 pipeline metrics, improving your lead conversions and reaching new markets. 🌐 #venasolutions #vena #salesplanning #salespipeline #salesmetrics

Vena starts the first half of FY25 with strong growth, continued innovation and industry recognition. Check out all the details in our press release.

Join our exclusive in-person event on November 3, Vena Collaborate San Francisco to discuss the latest trends in FP&A 📊 #finance #fpanda #venasolutions

Vena Solutions has been recognized by the 2023 BPM Partners Vendor Landscape Matrix Report for Financial Operations and Strategic Business Performance Management platforms! 🌟 Find out more in the latest press release here 👇 #financialplanning #finance #venasolutions

Exciting news! 👏 Vena has been named a Visionary by the research firm Gartner in its 2023 Magic Quadrant© for Financial Close and Consolidation Services (FCCS)! 📊 Learn more in the press release. 👇 #finance #venasolutions