Hi, I'm at the cross roads of my career and have about 8 years of experience. I have worked in public accounting, internal audit and as an accounting manager. All jobs have been for multi billion dollar companies and/or divisions of multi billion dollar companies. I have a CPA but no MBA and no FP&A background. My eventual goal is to become a CFO, but I think that's going to be an issue without any FP&A experience. I've recently been offered a possible opportunity to move into a Controller position, but I'm concerned that this will impede my chances of getting to my eventual CFO goal (since it would be difficult to move laterally to an FP&A position without any FP&A experience). Can anyone advice on how I can gain FP&A experience if I were to move into the Controller position?
Controllership vs FP&A
Answers
Maybe your last sentence reveals something? "Can anyone advise on how I can gain FP&A experience if I were to move into the Controller position?"
My metaphor for you is this: Why go to a steakhouse if you really want to eat seafood?
If you want to stay in large companies, it's unlikely that a controller role will allow you time (and ability to cope) to also tackle FP&A tasks (other than interacting with FP&A colleagues when needed). Shouldn't you look at getting your CMA certification and seeking FP&A opportunities to gain experience there?
Also, consult a career coach, talk to CFOs (can your current CFO advise you?).
Good luck!
Filed Under:
Human Capital