Robin Kiziak is Financial Controller and Finance Business Partner  at VF Corporation (home of outdoor brands Vans, North Face and Timberland). Previously he has been a finance business partner at Hotel Chocolat and UK home improvement leader, Wickes. He also runs the website, There’s Nothing Funny About Finance which aims to move finance away from stereotypes (think Dr No or Beancounters). In this episode Robin reveals how he has used humor to disarm tension in meetings and become a finance business partner  trusted by his colleagues 
In this episode: 
Robin’s Favorite Finance Joke
How to be a finance business partner (“with a part of the business that don’t want you  there”).
The negative stereotypes of finance and how to overcome them
The power of soft (or human) skills 
The distribution metrics behind Vans and Timberland’s finance successes 
Costs vs service as the “holy grail” in retail 
How to start off in a new finance role – which financials to look at first 
The biggest financial surprise  you found
Snagging an unsung hero award
Biggest advice to an aspiring FP&A professional 

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Links – There’s Nothing Funny About Finance
Follow Robin Kiziak on LinkedIn 
YouTube video of the episode
Follow Paul Barnhurst on LinkedIn 
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