WASHINGTON, DC –
February 7, 2012 – The Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), the
professional society for treasury and finance, is pleased to announce the development
of the first certification for the corporate financial planning and analysis (FP&A)
profession.
Serving professionals
who perform FP&A work on behalf of organizations, the new certification
will follow the model of AFP’s successful Certified Treasury Professional
TM designation (CTP TM), which has been earned
by more than 23,000 people worldwide. As
with the CTP TM credential, the new FP&A credential will be
based upon a comprehensive, multi-source body of knowledge compiled by top corporate
practitioners and updated when necessary.
AFP will serve as sponsor and facilitator on behalf of the profession.
The FP&A profession
is growing quickly, one of the most sought after areas of expertise by CFOs. Executive
recruiter Korn/Ferry International in a recent report noted that within the
finance area, “The hottest position today is financial planning and
analysis."
Worldwide financial and
economic uncertainty makes the FP&A function all the more critical. “If accounting is the interpretation of past
events and treasury is optimizing the present, then I like to think of FP&A
as preparing a company financially for the future,” said Jim Kaitz, AFP’s
president & CEO.
By standardizing global
performance competencies, AFP believes that FP&A professionals who earn the
certification will be recognized for their understanding of complex processes,
tools and best practices, and therefore well-positioned to drive strategic
business decisions at companies, no matter where they are located. In addition to passing a rigorous exam,
candidates may be required to meet certain education and experience
requirements.
For an in-depth
analysis of the FP&A job function, AFP initially convened subject matter
experts from Microsoft, AT&T, World Fuel Services, The Cheesecake Factory,
Hunter Douglas Fabrication, Convergys Corp. and SPT, Inc., among many other
companies. Next, AFP will survey a large,
global group of FP&A practitioners about the importance and frequency of the
tasks they perform and the specific knowledge and skills they use on the job,
finally working with a wide range of practitioners to produce the exam and the
ongoing training that FP&A professionals will need in order to perform their
jobs competently.
Further details about
the credential will be announced at the AFP Annual Conference in Miami this
October. FP&A professionals who wish to provide their expertise or
participate in the survey phase of the credential’s development should contact FP&A@afponline.org
or visit www.afponline.org/FPA
About AFP®
The Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) serves a network of more than
16,000 members with news, research, treasury certification programs, networking
events, financial analytical tools, training, and public policy representation
to legislators and regulators. AFP's global reach extends to over 150,000
treasury and financial professionals worldwide, including AFP of Canada;
London-based gtnews, an on-line resource for the treasury and finance
community; and bobsguide, a financial IT solutions network.