Anshuman Yadav has spent the last 12 years honing his craft at the intersection of finance strategy and operational impact across industries as varied as SaaS, hospitality and financial services. Today he oversees long-term planning whitespace expansion and cash flow transformation, where he draws on a deep background in strategic mergers and acquisitions, capital allocation, and financial planning. His role demands that he not only ensure the numbers add up but also uncover the customer insights and market signals hidden within those figures.
In our conversation for All Tech Magazine, we’ll explore how Anshuman evaluates talent that can think beyond spreadsheets, balances technical rigor with global commercial instincts and keeps a dispersed finance team aligned on shared goals. He’ll share practical practices, tools and rhythms that help his group move fast yet stay connected across time zones. For anyone curious about how finance professionals can become true strategic partners rather than mere scorekeepers, this interview offers a front row seat to Anshuman’s approach to transforming finance into a driver of growth and innovation.
What do you look for when hiring finance talent who can think strategically beyond the numbers?
Obviously, they need to be good with numbers, but that’s just the baseline. What I care about is how they think about those numbers. Like, do they get what the numbers are trying to say? Can they look at something like ARR and not just report it, but actually ask: what’s behind this? What’s the customer story here? Can they combine that with CLV or CSAT and tell me if we’re underserving a high-potential customer or missing upsell opportunities?
I want someone who can zoom out and say, okay, here’s what this means for the business, not just finance. Like, they should have a bit of sales instinct, some product thinking, some marketing lens, not just sit in a spreadsheet all day. And not freeze when things are messy. A lot of times you don’t have perfect data, or leadership needs a decision fast. Can they move in that gray space and still give me something useful? Also, I care a lot about whether they can influence? Can they tell a story that sticks, especially when they are sitting in front of execs? Can they cut through the noise and land one powerful insight that drives action? That’s what separates a finance doer from a strategic partner, for me.
How do you balance deep technical expertise with the commercial instincts needed for global decision-making?
For me, being technically strong is just the starting point. I want the math to be right, the model to make sense, but that is not enough. Especially when you are making decisions across global markets. What works in the U.S. will not always work in Europe or Southeast Asia. I have seen it. Same product, different market, completely different outcome.
So I try to stay close to what is happening on the ground. I ask questions. I listen. I try to understand what the customer is actually trying to solve, what is getting in the way of adoption. I never want to assume I already know, especially if I have not worked in that market before. And I have learned to let go of the idea that just because something worked in one region, it will scale everywhere. Sometimes you have to rebuild for the market. It might feel inefficient, but it is the right call.
That is the balance I try to hold. The technical side pulls me toward building systems and scaling fast. But the commercial side forces me to slow down and go deeper into the specific needs of each market. And sometimes I have to make decisions with incomplete information. That is just part of the job. Over time, I have learned how to focus on the right signals, tune out the noise, and move forward even when things are not perfect. The more I understand the market, the better my technical decisions are.
What challenges have you faced in managing a finance team across time zones, and how have you addressed them?
Yes, time zones are always a challenge, but the bigger challenge is alignment. It is not just about being online at different hours. It is about making sure the team knows exactly where we are going and how their piece fits into the bigger picture. I focus on two things. First, the team needs to be fully plugged into what we are trying to do as a company. Not just at a surface level, but really understanding the roadmap, the reason behind it, and the direction we are heading. Second, they need to feel like they matter. That they are heard, that their input is valued, and that they are not just a remote team receiving instructions.
I usually start with a full team call. We go through the goals, the roadmap, and I make sure everyone is clear on what they own. That helps build trust and creates accountability without needing to micromanage. Then I make sure there is a live dashboard or some kind of tracking system everyone can access. That way, even if we are not working at the same time, everyone can see updates, progress, raise questions, and leave feedback in real time.
On top of that, I always schedule 1:1 meetings, even if they are only every two weeks. Those check-ins are important. That is where I make sure the team has context, I can offer guidance, and we stay connected on a human level. When you are working across time zones, it is easy to fall into asynchronous mode and lose the nuance. I try to be present and hands-on when needed, but I also want people to feel trusted and empowered to run with their part of the work. So for me, it is a mix of clear communication, real-time visibility, personal connection, and a lot of intention.
Can you share specific practices or tools that can help global finance teams stay aligned on long-term goals?
Yeah, staying aligned across time zones is not easy, especially in finance, where so much of the work is interconnected and timing-sensitive. I have tried a bunch of things and landed on a few that really help. We use Slack a lot for async updates, quick questions, and staying connected even when people are working opposite hours. For anything more structured, I rely on MS Teams. We set up recurring calls, especially 1:1s, just to make sure context isn’t lost. Then we have SharePoint and OneNot,e where we keep planning docs, meeting notes, roadmaps, sort of like a live space the team can always go back to. Trello has been helpful too for tracking initiatives, ownership,and who’s doing what.
More recently, I have started layering in a real-time dashboard, Google Sheets or Power BI, depending on what’s needed, so progress is always visible. Everyone can see what is moving, where we are off-track, and leave comments directly in there. On the finance-specific side, we use Planful for our planning and forecasting cycles. It helps a lot in getting everyone to work off the same assumptions and scenarios without having to chase fifteen spreadsheets. For close or reconciliations, we have explored tools like FloQast, especially when we are trying to reduce lag across geographies.
One thing I have been experimenting with is a lighter AI layer that pulls together forecast inputs, scenario drivers, and commentary into a summary view, so everyone, from local finance leads to corporate, can stay aligned on what is changing and why, without chasing ten different threads. Still early stages, but it is helping us reduce the noise and focus the team on what actually needs attention.
Beyond tools, it is the rhythm and clarity that matter. I always start with a team-wide sync at the beginning of a quarter or a new initiative. We walk through goals, what we are solving for, and everyone owns their piece of the roadmap. After that, I focus on a few things: one is visibility. Everyone should be able to see the same numbers, the same updates, no matter what time they are logging in. Second is trust. I do not micromanage, but I stay close. I use 1:1s to course correct or provide context, but I let people run. And then there is communication. I have used Loom videos or even voice notes to share decisions when I know I will not be online at the same time as the team. That way, they hear my thinking, not just the outcome.
And sometimes it is simple stuff: end-of-week recaps, a shared Notion or OneNote space where we drop key updates, blockers, and plans. What I have learned is that people do not need to be in the same room to stay aligned. They just need to know where we are headed, what they own, and that you are there if they hit something that needs attention.
How do you encourage collaboration between regional finance leaders and corporate strategy teams?
I do not believe regional finance teams should be treated like a back-office function. They are closest to the customer, the market, the shifts that do not show up in the dashboard until it is too late. So I bring them into the strategy conversations early. Not just to validate the numbers later, but right from the time we start asking questions. What are we trying to solve, what is changing in the market, where are we underperforming? I want their input baked into the thinking, not just tacked on.
At the same time, I push corporate strategy teams to step out of the model and into the field, at least mentally. Go talk to the people running the numbers day to day. Ask what they are seeing. Share early drafts, not just final outputs. I have found that once both sides see each other as builders instead of reviewers, the relationship starts to shift. Strategy brings scale and pattern recognition, and regional finance brings signal and reality. That combination is where good decisions come from.
We keep shared spaces. Sometimes it is OneNote, sometimes it is SharePoint or Notion. The point is, anyone on either side should be able to drop insight, raise a flag, or ask a question. If there is a pattern forming in Germany or pricing pressure in Spain, I want it to show up before it becomes a line item in the close. And when we are modeling something new, regional teams should not hear about it in a final deck. They should have a chance to shape it.
One example that stands out for me was when I was working to understand the P&L margins of a newly acquired European business. The EBITDA movement looked off, and at first, it seemed like a data issue. But I got on a call with the regional finance lead, and within twenty minutes, I had the real picture. There were additional expenses that had not been flagged yet, linked to local systems and market-specific compliance costs. But more than that, they told me how consumers were reacting to our current product, where the gaps were, and how price sensitive that segment had become. That context was not in any of the spreadsheets. Because of that input, we pivoted our M&A follow-up plan. Instead of just cleaning up the financials, we focused our efforts on closing the product and pricing gaps. That was only possible because the regional team was treated as a strategic partner, not a reporting line.
So the short answer is, I encourage collaboration by making sure it is not optional or reactive. It is part of how we build strategy. It is built into the process from day one. And it works because both sides know they are solving the same problem, just coming at it from different angles.
What rhythms, like meetings, reporting cadences, or check-ins, have proven most effective in keeping your team connected and agile?
I have found that the rhythm has to match the phase the team is in. Early in a project or quarter, I start with a kickoff call where we go deep into goals, priorities, what success looks like, and who owns what. That sets the tone. After that, I usually have a weekly team check-in, but it is not a status meeting. It is more like a pulse check. What is moving, what is blocked, what needs discussion? Everyone comes in prepared, and it helps surface misalignment early without wasting time.
For reporting, I keep it lightweight but frequent. I like having a live dashboard or a shared tracker that people update regularly, so there is no need to wait for an official report to see what is going on. If we are using something like Power BI or Google Sheets, everyone can see the latest numbers as they move. In the past, I have tied this into Planful as well during forecast cycles, so there is one place where the plan, the actuals, and the commentary live together.
1:1s are every two weeks, and I never cancel those. That is where I get into the real stuff. Not just what someone is working on, but how they are thinking, what they are worried about, what they need from me. Sometimes I will do a quick Loom if I need to explain a decision or respond to something outside those meetings, just to keep the context flowing.
End-of-week or biweekly summaries are helpful too. I might post a short recap in OneNote or in our shared doc space. What shifted this week, what needs attention next week, what do we need to escalate or re-prioritize? It does not need to be formal, but it keeps everyone moving in the same direction. I have learned that the goal is not more meetings, it is fewer surprises. And that only happens when people know what is expected, what is changing, and that someone is paying attention to both the work and the people doing it.
As a company grows, how do you ensure the finance team evolves into a strategic partner rather than just a compliance function?
You start with a lean finance team, everyone is scrappy, close to the numbers, helping make decisions. Then suddenly the company grows, there are board requirements, compliance stuff, audit cycles, and finance slowly gets boxed into just keeping the lights on. And the team starts reacting and just pushing reports, cleaning up books, answering questions after the fact. That is where it gets dangerous. Because at scale, you need finance at the table early, not just to check the math but to shape the decision. That only happens if you push against that drift constantly.
So I keep pulling the team back into the business. Even if it feels messy or undefined. If the product is talking about a new market, I bring finance in. Not to build a model, not yet, but to listen, to ask questions, to connect dots. Same with sales strategy, pricing, and retention work. Finance should not be waiting for someone to give them a task. They should be in there helping frame the tradeoffs.
And then it is who you hire. I do not want someone who just wants to be accurate. I want someone who is curious. Who sees a number move and immediately wants to know why. Not for reporting, but because something might be broken or something might be working. That is the instinct I look for. And then I give them space. I let them go talk to sales, to product, to ops. I want them to build those muscles. It is not about building models in a corner. It is about knowing enough to ask the one question nobody else in the room is thinking about.
Sometimes we still get pulled into compliance stuff. That is fine. But I make it clear that is not the ceiling. That is the baseline. The real value is in helping the business make better calls. And once the business starts relying on finance for insight, not just output, it gets really hard to go back.
