How Valentino Hafalia Transformed FP&A from Number-Crunching to Strategic Storytelling

Episode notes

In this eye-opening episode of "Asking Good Questions," host Edward Roske sits down with Valentino Hafalia, Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis at Western Alliance Bank Corp. With a distinguished career spanning JP Morgan and eFunds, Valentino shares his transformative philosophy on modern finance leadership. Discover how Valentino's personal motto—"Listen, Analyze, Plan, Execute"—has guided his approach to financial planning across different institutional cultures. He offers profound insights on the evolving role of FP&A from mere number crunching to strategic storytelling, emphasizing that "whether the story is good or bad, it has to get told." The conversation explores how AI is reshaping finance teams and why emotional intelligence (EQ) will ultimately triumph over technical skills (IQ) in tomorrow's financial landscape. Valentino's compelling "bass relief" analogy illustrates how humans and AI must work together, with technology handling computations while humans provide the creative insights that truly differentiate organizations.