When I talk about the “FP&A influence gap,” I’m referring to the gap between the level of influence some FP&A teams currently have and the level of influence they should have in order to deliver the greatest possible benefit to their organizations.

It’s a gap I’ve seen firsthand. And if we’re honest, it’s one that exists in many businesses.

Let me ground this in a couple of statistics. A survey conducted last year by FP&A Trends found that only 37% of FP&A teams see themselves as well established business partners.

That’s barely over a third. Even more striking, 35% of CFOs (arguably the most commercially involved finance leaders in a business) say they are barely involved in commercial decision-making.

If CFOs feel removed from commercial decisions, what does that say about the rest of finance?

That, to me, signals a clear disconnect. A clear influence gap.

I’m the Deputy Group Deputy Head of FP&A at Peel Ports Group. We operate nine ports across the U.K., generate around £800 million in revenue, and employ roughly 2,500 people.

If I had to summarize our business in the simplest possible way, it would be this: we take things off ships and we put things on ships. That’s what we do.

Over the past year and a half, we’ve been on a journey to close the FP&A influence gap within our own organization. It hasn’t been theoretical.

It’s been practical, sometimes uncomfortable, and ultimately transformative. What I want to share is what that journey looked like and the principles that helped us change our impact.

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When finance wasn’t in the room

Let me take you back to December 2023.

We were in the middle of a large transaction involving a long-term lease arrangement with a customer in the steel industry.

I’ve changed a few details for confidentiality reasons (it was an M&A-related deal) but what I can say is that it was significant. Over the lifetime of the agreement, it was worth tens of millions of pounds, potentially approaching £100 million.

There was a flurry of activity. Our Chief Operating Officer, who was championing the deal, was in active discussions with the customer.

There were internal meetings to determine how the arrangement would work operationally and commercially.

Legal was involved, drafting contracts and reviewing terms. The whole process built toward a deadline: March 31, 2024, our financial year-end.

At 11:45 p.m. on March 31, the deal was signed. It was done.

Now here’s the key question: when did finance get involved?

Not in December, when the idea was being shaped. Not in March, when negotiations intensified. Not even on March 31, as final terms were agreed.

Finance got involved on April 1, 2024. The day after the deal was signed. After the next 50 years of that part of our business had effectively been set.

We were simply not part of the process.

That’s not to say the deal was done recklessly. We have capable, commercially minded people. But the decisions were based largely on experience and judgment, on a sense that the deal “felt about right.”

At that scale, that’s not good enough.

Where were the financial checks? Where was the analysis of long-term impact? Did anyone fully understand the total financial consequences?

If we’re honest, no, not in a structured, robust way.

At around the same time, in January 2024, we had appointed a new CFO. When he saw that a major deal had been completed without finance involvement, it didn’t sit right with him. Nor, I suspect, would it sit right with most of you reading this.

On one side, we had a finance function with analytical capability and commercial understanding. On the other, major commercial decisions were being made without that input. Something had to change.

The decision was made to establish a dedicated FP&A team.

We already had financial accounting and management accounting teams, but this new function would focus on forward-looking analysis and commercial engagement, particularly involvement in significant deals.

One of our explicit objectives was to ensure FP&A had a seat at the table.

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