# How CFOs Can Reduce Manual Reporting and Increase Strategic Impact Using AI with Brian McGowan

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/fp-a-unlocked-6854784/how-cfos-can-reduce-manual-reporting-and-increase-strategic-impact-using-ai-with-brian-mcgowan.md
Podcast: [FP&A Unlocked](https://stenobird.com/podcast/fp-a-unlocked-6854784)
Published: 2026-04-16T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://fpa-unlocked.captivate.fm
Audio file: https://p.podderapp.com/4728109098/op3.dev/e/episodes.captivate.fm/episode/642542d2-ffd8-4270-ba1a-0862879a1a5e.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2678

## Resource

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked , Paul Barnhurst talks with Bryan McGowan, founder of Alpyne, about what great FP&A looks like, how technical skills can improve finance work, and where AI is actually useful for CFOs and finance teams. Bryan shares how his background in engineering shaped his approach to finance, why he built Alpyne to solve real workflow problems, and how AI can reduce manual work so finance professionals can spend more time on analysis and business partnering. Bryan McGowan is the founder of Alpyne and a CFO with a rare mix of finance and technical skill. After spending a decade leading finance in tech, he launched Alpyne in 2021 to solve a problem he had lived himself: great CFOs were spending too much time on manual work and not enough time on strategic thinking. Expect to Learn: What great FP&A looks like in practice Why accounting fundamentals still matter How coding and data knowledge help finance professionals Why Bryan built Alpyne to solve his own CFO workflow problems How AI can help save time in finance roles Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode: “Models are never right, but sometimes they're useful.” - Bryan McGowan “If you can create a structure, if you can provide a framework that allows for supports effective decision making across the organization, I feel like you're doing your job.” - Bryan McGowan Bryan explains that FP&A is not about predicting the future perfectly. It is about giving the business a useful framework to make better decisions. He also shares that AI works best when it is used on process-heavy work like cleanup, mapping, reporting, and system workflow. Follow Bryan: Primary Alpyne website: https://getalpyne.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-mcgowan-8572644/ Earn Your CPE Credit…

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