Balancing growth and profitability: Smarter planning for modern CFOs: A conversation with Catalina Ibáñez Gutiérrez, Alistair Gurney, Sanja Mitrovic

In this episode of Finance in Flow, host Catalina Gutiérrez sits down with Alistair Gurney, CFO at Lucanet, and Sanja Mitrovic, auditor and business planning expert from Kleeberg, to explore the balance between growth and profitability in modern finance. Together, they discuss how integrated business planning (XP&A) fosters smarter, cross-functional decision-making and how AI is reshaping financial forecasting, auditing, and strategic planning. The conversation dives into the importance of data credibility, single sources of truth, and building trust in AI-driven insights, offering practical advice for finance leaders navigating today’s rapidly changing business landscape.About the guests:Alistair Gurney brings over 15 years of experience in finance and strategic management with a deep understanding of the CFO tech stack, particularly in financial planning and analysis. He has held several senior finance positions at public and private equity-backed software firms, including Unit4, IRIS Software Group and Dotdigital, where he served most recently as Group CFO.Alistair’s expertise in optimising financial processes, navigating complex financial landscapes and enhancing product solutions that drive increased financial performance and foster sustainable growth, will also support Lucanet’s product vision of empowering CFOs to create value beyond the finance function.Sanja Mitrovic conducts statutory and voluntary audits of annual and consolidated financial statements of partnerships and corporations in accordance with German GAAP (HGB) and IFRS. She supports clients in preparing financial statements as well as in addressing fundamental questions of national and international accounting standards.She leads various special projects in transaction advisory, in particular IFRS conversion and post-merger integration. In addition, her focus lies on the optimization of financial processes, the implementation of automation solutions, and driving efficiency improvements.  Key Quotes“Planning isn’t just numbers — it’s about aligning people, processes, and data to make decisions you can trust.”– Sanja Mitrovic“The balance between growth and profitability depends on where your business is in its lifecycle — but productivity and good choices matter at every stage.” – Alistair Gurney“AI is changing finance, but the human element — judgment, trust, learning — will always be essential.” – Catalina GutiérrezTime Stamps[00:01:15] – Balancing Growth and Profitability[00:02:28] – The Auditor’s Perspective: Planning Plausibility[00:04:48] – What Is Extended Planning and Analysis (XP&A)?[00:06:35] – How Data Visibility Shapes CFO Decision-Making[00:08:08] – The Importance of a Single Source of Truth[00:11:13] – Introducing AI in Financial Planning[00:12:01] – How AI Supports Predictive Modeling and Insights[00:13:27] – Practical Use Cases: AI in Management and Analysis[00:15:22] – Can Finance Leaders Trust AI?[00:17:16] – Building Trust and Capacity in AI-Driven Auditing[00:20:12] – Learning to Leverage AI Effectively[00:21:17] – Rolling Forecasting and Cross-Functional Planning[00:22:53] – Integrating KPIs into the Planning Process[00:23:47] – Advice for CFOs Beginning Their Planning Journey[00:25:50] – The Auditor’s View: Risks of Excel-Based Planning[00:29:41] – Improving Transparency, Consistency, and Control[00:32:03] – Rapid-Fire Questions[00:33:25] – Key Takeaways & Closing RemarksLinksConnect with Alistair on LinkedInConnect with Sanja on LinkedInLearn more about Lucanet Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.