Editor's note: In today’s A Day in the Life interview, Justin Barch (pictured), CAE, Managing Director, Revenue & Growth, Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) shares with FutureCFO audiences how professional education and travel inspire him to understand clients’ needs better as well as his typical work day.
FutureCFO: What does a typical day look like for you?
Justin Barch (JB): AFP’s mission is to make finance practitioners more successful. In my role as Managing Director of Revenue & Growth, I spend a lot of time talking to executive finance leadership all over the world to get a better understanding of the challenges they're facing.
Some markets are established, such as Singapore and Hong Kong, while others are emerging, so they require different skill sets.
I want to understand, not just for them but for the rest of our members, the issues they’re dealing with, and whether we have the resources to help—from a professional development standpoint. And if we don't, what can we do to address it?
A lot of our job is aggregating information. We're asking our members, councils and prospective customers to make sure we’re addressing the problems they have today—and the challenges that are coming around the corner, so we can provide them with the resources that will help address those problems.
FutureCFO: What excites you the most when you work with CFOs and finance functions?
JB: I lovehelping people solve problems. It's not always easy to identify where the skill gaps are on your team; I enjoy helping people figure that out and providing them with the right product mix to alleviate their problems.
As AFP offers a wide range of training opportunities, I enjoy helping people figure out what they need and providing them with the right product mix to alleviate their problems—whether it’s professional certifications such as the CTP (Certified Treasury Professional) and the FPAC (Certified Corporate FP&A Professional) which many organisations have used these to help level up the competency of their teams or anything from instructor-led training, digital badges, an annual conference, an FP&A forum, virtual meetups and, of course, our membership, which offers a whole slew of benefits, including access to AFP Collaborate, where you can talk with members all over the world to get answers and advice and collaborate on projects.
I get to coach my son's football team. I love it! Nothing in life is just about winning, and these kids are learning that early on, along with the importance of good sportsmanship, teamwork and looking out for one another.
FutureCFO: Can you share an experience which was key to your professional growth?
JB: While I was working full-time, I earned my MBA in finance. The education I received gave me a deeper understanding of the issues our customers face; it taught me how to speak the language of finance.
Another experience that’s important to talk about is the platform AFP has provided me to travel around the world and to meet with different people and experience their cultures. It helped me to understand that finance is a global language. The problems that they're having in Singapore could be happening in Amsterdam or New York or Dubai. That experience has given me a global perspective that has allowed me to then create products and services that truly get to the heart of solving our members’ and clients’ problems — in any market.
FutureCFO: Is there anything outside work—such as a travel experience, a book, participation in a sport event or any volunteering experience—that serves as an important inspiration to your work or life? Can you tell us more about it?
JB: I have a 13-year-old son who is obsessed with American football (like his dad), and I get to coach his football team. I love it! Nothing in life is just about winning, and these kids are learning that early on, along with the importance of good sportsmanship, teamwork and looking out for one another.
They’re also learning how to problem solve—if a play doesn’t go the way we planned, how can you switch it up in the moment to make it work?
Also, for eight years I served as a board member of the National Blood Clot Alliance (NCBA). As someone who has a genetic blood disorder and who suffered from a blood clot, I understand the important work this organisation does and wanted to be part of it. NBCA is a patient-led, voluntary health advocacy organization. They are an inspirational group of people.
You could say that both of these activities are an outcrop of what I love to do professionally — coach, problem-solve, educate and help others.
