Finance professionals are operating in a world that looks very different from even a few years ago. Reporting cycles are faster. Stakeholders expect deeper insights. Data volumes continue to grow. Yet many qualified professionals still rely heavily on spreadsheets, often without realising how significantly the digital skills landscape has shifted.
That was the focus of ICAEW's recent webinar, Future-ready finance: Power BI and the data skills you need — a practical session exploring why analytics capabilities are becoming essential for finance professionals.
Rather than diving straight into technical features, the discussion began with a broader question:
Why does this matter now?
The growing analytics skills gap in finance
During the session, speakers explored how the role of finance is evolving from traditional reporting towards strategic analysis and decision support.
Key themes included:
- Why Excel alone is no longer enough
While spreadsheets remain a powerful and familiar tool, they were never designed to handle the scale, automation, and visualisation capabilities required by modern finance teams. - The shift towards data-driven decision-making
Organisations increasingly expect finance professionals to interpret trends, identify risks, and communicate insights — not just produce numbers. - The widening digital skills gap
Many professionals are aware of tools like Power BI but lack the confidence or structured learning needed to use them effectively in a financial context.
One of the most compelling moments came from Jenny Blewett, Head of Finance at Costello Medical Consulting, who shared how developing Power BI and data skills transformed both her reporting processes and professional impact.
By automating recurring workflows and connecting live data sources, Jenny described saving around nine days per month in reporting time — while simultaneously delivering more dynamic, insight-driven dashboards to leadership teams.
How Power BI transforms financial reporting and analysis
A central part of the webinar focused on what Power BI enables finance professionals to do differently.
Speakers discussed how Power BI can help teams:
- Automate repetitive reporting processes
- Consolidate multiple data sources
- Improve data accuracy and consistency
- Create dynamic, interactive dashboards
- Communicate insights more clearly to stakeholders
Importantly, the emphasis was not on replacing existing skills, but enhancing them. As Ian Pay noted, finance professionals are already highly data-literate — Power BI extends those capabilities beyond static spreadsheets.
Common misconceptions addressed
The webinar also tackled several barriers that often prevent professionals from exploring analytics tools:
“Power BI is only for data specialists.”
In reality, Power BI is increasingly becoming a core competency for finance roles.
“Learning analytics requires deep technical expertise.”
Structured, sector-specific learning removes much of the complexity.
“I don’t know where to start.”
This was one of the most frequently echoed concerns — and led naturally to the solution discussed in the session.
From insight to action: building Power BI skills in finance
This is where the Analytics in Power BI: ICAEW Certificate comes in.
Developed in collaboration with ICAEW data experts and Kaplan’s learning specialists, the programme focuses on practical application through interactive modules, case studies, and assessments.
Learners gain hands-on experience in:
- Data visualisation and transformation (Power Query)
- Data quality management
- Data visualisation
- Modelling and analysis
- Advanced reporting techniques
- Communicating financial insights through dashboards
- Using DAX for advanced reporting
Certification that validates real-world capability
A major theme of the discussion centred on credibility.
Learning a tool is valuable — but proving competence is what truly strengthens career progression.
The Analytics in Power BI: ICAEW Certificate includes four practical, case-study-based assessments that validate a learner’s ability to apply Power BI in realistic business scenarios.
This ICAEW-awarded certification provides:
- Industry-recognised credibility
- Evidence of practical Power BI skills
- A competitive edge in the job market
Flexible learning for busy professionals
Attendees also highlighted the challenge of fitting professional development around demanding schedules and CPD requirements.
The certificate addresses this through:
- OnDemand learning
- A structured yet flexible study path
- 12-month course access
- 20 CPD hours upon completion
This allows professionals to build meaningful analytics capability without disrupting their work commitments.
The key takeaway from the webinar
If there was one consistent message from the session, it was this:
Analytics and data skills are no longer optional extras in modern finance.
Power BI is rapidly becoming a core tool for reporting, forecasting, and strategic analysis. Developing confidence in its use is increasingly tied to career resilience and progression.
Ready to take the next step?
If the webinar sparked your interest — or confirmed what you may already have suspected about the changing demands of finance roles — now is the ideal time to act.
Missed the live webinar? You can still watch the session recording.
Explore the Analytics in Power BI: ICAEW Certificate and start building the skills that modern finance teams expect.