FP&A Career Path for Finance Professionals to Become Strategic CFOs with Rey Del Valle

Feb 19, 2026

Rey Del Valle, a strategic CFO with 25+ years across media, entertainment, e-commerce and fintech, shares his FP&A-to-CFO journey. He discusses turning data into actionable insight. He explains driver-based models, the mindset shift from reporting to steering, and why curiosity, collaboration, and operational understanding matter in finance.

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INSIGHT

Model The Mechanics Not Just The Numbers

Deeply understand business mechanics so models map inputs to outcomes accurately.
Rey stresses mapping inputs (audience, rates, keywords, click-throughs) into models that produce reliable scenario outputs for recommendations.

ADVICE

Be Curious And Work Backwards To Find Drivers

To learn a new company's drivers, be curious and work backwards from results to inputs.
Rey recommends peeling layers like an onion: ask what the result is, then trace audience, rates, keywords, CTRs, and margins to connect mechanics to outcomes.

INSIGHT

CFOs Should Get Into The Trenches

Great finance leaders jump in and do hands-on work; no job is too small.
Rey argues CFOs should get into the trenches, help with close or tasks, and replace people when roles don't fit to keep the team strong.

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In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with Rey del Valle to discuss what it really takes to move from reporting the business to steering it. Rey shares lessons from more than 25 years across media, entertainment, ecommerce, and fintech, explaining why curiosity, collaboration, and driver-based modeling are essential to effective finance leadership.

Rey del Valle is a strategic CFO with deep roots in FP&A, having built his career at organizations such as FedEx, Norwegian Cruise Line, MTV Networks, and The Walt Disney Company. He has since served as CFO and advisor for companies including Ticketmaster, AXS, Guitar Center, OpenX, and several entertainment-focused fintech platforms.

Expect to Learn:

What great FP&A looks like beyond spreadsheets and reporting
The biggest mindset shift required when moving from FP&A to CFO
Why curiosity and operational understanding matter in finance
How collaboration plays a key role in successful turnarounds
How benchmarks and driver-based models uncover opportunities

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:

“FP&A is about taking data and turning it into actionable insight so the business can actually do something with it.” - Rey del Valle
“Our role in finance is not to look at numbers for their own sake, it is to help the company make better decisions.” - Rey del Valle

Rey shares practical insights on how FP&A teams can become stronger strategic partners by understanding business drivers, building models that support decision-making, and working closely with operations. He emphasizes that finance leaders create the most value when they listen first, stay curious, and help teams translate strategy into execution, especially during periods of change.

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Follow Rey:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reydelvalle/

Company - https://www.linkedin.com/company/everestadvisorsllc/

Earn Your CPE Credit

For CPE credit please go to earmarkcpe.com, listen to the episode, download the app, and answer a few questions and earn your CPE certification. To earn education credits for FPAC Certificate, take the quiz on earmark and contact Paul Barnhurst for further details.

In Today’s Episode

[03:12] - What Great FP&A Really Means

[04:56] - Choosing the CFO Path

[07:49] - CFO of the Year Nomination

[10:00] - Architect vs Engineer in Finance

[13:38] - Execution and Overcommunication

[16:41] - Understanding Business Drivers

[21:26] - From Reporting to Steering

[29:03] - Finance Inside Operations

[33:25] - Turning Around a Business