Developing Business Acumen necessary to become a strategic business partner with Robert Blanding

Developing Business Acumen necessary to become a strategic business partner with Robert Blanding

From The FP&A Guy Network by Paul Barnhurst

June 11, 2026 · 56 min · Season 1 · Episode 118

About this episode

Paul Barnhurst interviews Robert Blanding about developing business acumen and building high-performing FP&A teams in the ag-tech sector.

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, Paul Barnhurst sits down with Robert Blanding, an experienced finance and operations leader in the ag-tech sector. Robert shares insights on building high-performing FP&A teams, partnering effectively with accounting, developing financial acumen, and applying strategic finance to drive operational impact in global businesses. Robert Blanding is the Chief Financial Officer at Fall Creek, a global leader in the Ag-Tech sector. He brings extensive experience in finance and operations from 18 years at Intel and leadership roles across industrial manufacturing, technology, and ag-tech companies. Robert combines strategic financial leadership with a focus on innovation, long-term business growth, and developing high-performing teams. Expect to Learn: What great FP&A looks like and the importance of business acumen How to develop strong partnerships between FP&A and accounting Strategies for building high-performing, empowered finance teams Navigating systems, processes, and technology challenges in FP&A Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode: "It starts with being connected to the business, having strong acumen, and being…

People in this episode

Host: Paul Barnhurst

Guest: Robert Blanding

Topics covered

  • business acumen
  • FP&A teams
  • strategic finance
  • partnerships
  • operational impact

Keywords

  • FP&A
  • business partnerships
  • financial acumen
  • CFO
  • high-performing teams
  • operational impact
  • ag-tech

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Fall Creek, Intel

Places: Ag-Tech

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