The focus for finance leaders in 2025: Insights from the Gartner CFO conference
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Unlocking strategic agility with AI and predictive analytics, data integration, and connected planning.
At this year’s Gartner CFO & Finance Executive Conference on May 20-21 in National Harbor, MD, one session in particular caught the attention of forward-thinking finance leaders. Led by Regina Crowder, Senior Director Finance Analyst at Gartner, the session highlighted the three foundational capabilities shaping the future of financial planning software:
- AI and predictive analytics
- Enhanced data integration
- Connected planning
These aren’t futuristic trends — they’re already making an impact on modern finance teams. And for Anaplan customers, they’re part of everyday planning.
Let’s explore what each of these areas means in practice, and why they’re top-of-mind for FP&A leaders striving to build more resilient, agile finance functions.
FP&A capabilities exist on a spectrum
Each of these three capabilities exists on a spectrum of maturity. Whether you’re just starting your journey or scaling your strategy, understanding where your business falls on the spectrum can help guide your next move.
AI and predictive analytics: From formulas to foresight
AI’s role in finance is evolving beyond buzzwords. At the basic end of the spectrum, organizations use rules-based calculations or simple statistical modeling. At the advanced end, teams are embedding machine learning and generative AI into core planning workflows.
Key aspects of advanced AI modeling and predictive analytics in finance:
- Scenario modeling that adapts to real-time signals
- Predictive insights that flag opportunities or risks before they hit your P&L
- Natural language queries and recommendations powered by AI (like Anaplan’s CoPlanner)
What this delivers:
- Less time on manual forecasting
- Faster, more informed decisions
- Greater agility to respond to market volatility
With Anaplan CoPlanner embedded in our Integrated Financial Planning application, finance leaders can analyze data instantly, ask questions in natural language, and get AI-driven recommendations on where to go next.
Enhanced data integration
Finance professionals know the pain of working with disconnected systems. Poor integration slows down reporting, clouds decision-making, and creates trust issues with the data. Moving toward centralized data integration with master data management (MDM) is key.
What advanced data integration looks like:
- Pre-built data hubs to connect ERP, GL, and HR systems
- Real-time data flows with version control
- MDM governance with standardized rules and dimensions
What this delivers:
- A unified source of truth across finance and operations
- More time for strategic planning, less on data wrangling
- Better auditability and compliance
Our data management tools — Anaplan Data Orchestrator (ADO) and CloudWorks — bring automation and simplicity to complex integration challenges. ADO delivers no-code, repeatable workflows for data transformation and orchestration, ensuring transparency, traceability, and faster time to value. Meanwhile, CloudWorks empowers business users to connect data across cloud sources like AWS and Google BigQuery, schedule recurring integrations, and automate data refreshes — all through an intuitive UI. Together, these tools provide the foundation for agile, intelligent planning powered by trusted, enterprise-grade data. Additionally, our IFP application provides out-of-the-box integration with enterprise systems, allowing you to consolidate data into one location, streamline workflows, and maintain data integrity across the enterprise, no heavy IT lift required.
Connected planning
The ultimate goal of connected planning is to align your financial plans with the broader business. FP&A teams are increasingly being called on to collaborate with HR, sales, supply chain, and operations. This is where connected planning moves the needle.
Key components of connected planning:
- Unified platform for all functions, not just finance
- Built-in collaboration and version control
- Real-time updates that reflect cross-functional impact
What this delivers:
- Faster decisions across the business
- Alignment between strategy and execution
- More confident forecasting with broader inputs
As the pioneer of connected planning, Anaplan enables the alignment of strategic, financial, and operational plans through shared models, integrated data, and a consistent interface for collaborative planning across every function — from workforce planning to sales performance to supply chain operations.
Anaplan: A Leader in the 2024 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Financial Planning Software
Anaplan has been named a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Financial Planning Software for three consecutive years — a recognition we believe reflects our consistent ability to help finance teams execute with agility and plan with confidence.
Gartner defines Leaders as vendors with a strong ability to execute and a clear, future-focused vision. We believe Anaplan earned this recognition because we empower FP&A teams with:
- AI-powered planning tools (like CoPlanner) and predictive analytics that cut through complexity
- Enterprise-wide data integration to create a unified, accurate view
- Truly connected planning that aligns every corner of your business
Our planning, budgeting, and forecasting capabilities offer best-practice models, prebuilt dashboards, and extensible applications that scale with your business. Additionally, our Integrated Financial Planning application enables your finance teams to effortlessly perform driver-based planning, “what-if” analysis, and forecasting, all in real time.
Take the next step in your FP&A evolution
As the finance function continues to evolve, so must the tools that power it. Whether your team is focused on agility, accuracy, or alignment — Anaplan helps you get there faster.