On November 19, Beyond Plans once again took part in Financium, the national congress of the DFCG. A key event for financial leaders, the conference brings together several hundred professionals every year in a format combining strategic conferences, thematic workshops, expert debates, and networking moments.
Financium: A Unique Event for the Financial Community
Organized by the DFCG, the association that brings together more than 3,000 finance and management control leaders in France, Financium has established itself as a major forum for reflection and exchange. Its ambition: to offer CFOs, controllers, FP&A experts, and performance leaders an up-to-date perspective on the economic, technological, and organizational challenges transforming their profession.
The 2025 edition was particularly rich, blending inspiring presentations with practical operational insights. Key highlights included:
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an opening session focused on geopolitical tensions and their impact on competitiveness,
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the presentation of the PwC/DFCG study on CFO priorities for 2026,
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several workshops on AI-enhanced planning, extra-financial performance, e-invoicing, and risk management,
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networking moments designed to encourage peer-to-peer discussions.
This diversity makes Financium a unique event—where strategic thinking, hands-on experience, and best-practice sharing intersect.
A Lunch Debate on Budget Transformation Led by Beyond Plans
As part of its partnership, Beyond Plans hosted a lunch-and-learn discussion on a highly operational topic for finance departments:
“From Scattered Excel Files to an Integrated and Collaborative Budgeting Vision.”
The session gathered around a dozen financial leaders from various organizations. At the table:
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Waad Melliti, Senior Consultant at Beyond Plans,
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Hélène Gonnet, Head of Management Control at our client 1001 Vies Habitat.
Designed as an interactive exchange, the format enabled an open and transparent discussion on budget transformation challenges within organizations where business lines are diversifying and data frameworks are multiplying.
A Gradual Evolution to Support Rising Complexity
Hélène Gonnet explained how, over the years, the diversity of business lines and activities at 1001 Vies Habitat naturally enriched—and complicated—budgeting practices. While the steering model was solid, consolidation gradually became more demanding, particularly due to the variety of models and the different rhythms across business units.
The goal of the transformation was therefore not to start from scratch, but to harmonize, streamline, and modernize a budgeting framework that must now keep pace with a constantly evolving financial and regulatory environment.
Hélène shared her experience transitioning from a largely Excel-based process to budget modeling in Anaplan—a step-by-step journey led with the support of Beyond Plans throughout all phases of the project. Participants then exchanged freely about the challenges faced, methodological choices, and the benefits experienced.
The Role of Beyond Plans: A Pragmatic and Collaborative Approach
During the discussion, Waad Melliti detailed the methodology used to structure the transformation:
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start with an MVP focused on the core elements of financial steering,
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clarify scope and business rules,
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co-build the model with the teams,
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secure user adoption before expanding functionality,
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advance iteratively to maintain model clarity.
This approach aims to avoid unnecessary complexity and establish a clear governance framework adapted to business realities.
Waad Melliti summarized it this way:
“The value of a model lies in its ability to be understood, shared, and continuously adapted.”
A Full Customer Case Available for Further Insight
The case shared during the lunch-and-learn is explored in greater detail in a dedicated article on our website. It covers:
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the initial challenges faced by 1001 Vies Habitat,
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the reasons behind choosing Anaplan,
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the implementation steps carried out with Beyond Plans,
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the concrete benefits observed after several budgeting cycles.
Go Further
➡️ Read the full customer case: 1001 Vies Habitat – Beyond Plans
➡️ Explore our expertise in connected planning
