Tariq Munir

The term “thought leader” is bounced around rather a lot these days, but what does it take to really influence an entire industry in a meaningful way? 

For Tariq Munir, the answer lies far from buzzwords and in a genuine desire to see others succeed:

“Passion and purpose are what open doors. And it’s my passion for sharing knowledge with others that’s led me to my position today.”

We sat down to hear more about his impressive tenure at PepsiCo, and the journey that led him to becoming a finance transformation expert for a digital age.

Trailblazing finance transformation

Speaker, trainer, writer, and transformation expert extraordinaire - Tariq has added many strings to his bow over the years. But it all began decades ago on a much more traditional path, with an entry-level role at one of the big four:

“I had a fantastic start to my career in finance at PwC, before landing my first Head of Finance role at a global coatings manufacturer AkzoNoel. That’s where I really led on end-to-end finance transformation, and decided to go all-in on it as an area of expertise.”

What followed was the start of a twelve year career at global giant PepsiCo, where Tariq took on roles across every facet of the finance function from financial reporting to integrated business planning, supply chain finance, and everything in between. What never changed was the thread of finance transformation he weaved throughout:

“The possibilities that digital transformation can open for finance are limitless and that’s what gets me excited and why I love it so much — its sheer potential to make us so much better at what we do.”

Redefining the finance function

It’s fair to say finance leaders have been experiencing something of an identity crisis in recent years. The parameters of the modern finance function have expanded and evolved to include all manner of exciting - and at times, difficult - responsibilities in the finance transformation space. But for Tariq, the biggest challenge facing finance leaders is how they see themselves:

“We are way too focused on stewardship as opposed to being a co-pilot of the business. This is mainly because — while we're drowning in data — we're still spending too much time collecting and reconciling it, rather than analysing and driving insights.”

With data arguably the most powerful currency today, there’s a prime opportunity for finance leaders to rise to the occasion and leverage this most valuable resource for the better of the business:

“I really do believe finance is the only function with a unique vantage point over the entire operations of the business. The access and visibility we have is unmatched! If we can leverage data through finance transformation to generate actionable insights and dynamic workflows, there’s no end to the value we can deliver for the business as a whole.”

Tariq knows a thing or two about reimagining work processes for the better, having made it a major focus of his finance transformation efforts in recent years:

“Processes in any organisation are usually a major pain-point. I’ve used from time &motion studies to advanced AI-based process mining to drive data-driven process improvement initiatives which has really challenged me to rethink the way we work.”

And let’s be honest, if there’s one area of the business that could stand to benefit from an upgrade or two to its processes, it’s finance: 

“Unfortunately, a lot of corporate finance has historically been littered with manual workarounds, complicated tech stacks, and disparate spreadsheets creating a whole lot of inefficiencies. It’s a huge challenge to leverage technology to fix that - but luckily I have always loved a good challenge!”

People, passion and purpose

Tariq has turned finance transformation into more than a value-add action for the business - he’s turned it into a career: 

“We are so lucky to be alive in today’s digital landscape, where the likes of AI and the internet have the potential to transform the way we live, work, and create for the better. I’ve made it my mission to play my part in creating a tech-enabled, humanistic future for all.”

Executing that mission involves delivering numerous keynotes and trainings globally, writing for various publications, and even launching a digital capability learning platform for finance professionals in need of support on their own finance transformation journey:

“At the end of the day, people are the most important part of any digital transformation. Investing in their development is the best way we can be humanistic and keep our teams relevant for the future. That’s what gets me up in the morning, and what keeps me persistent in my work.”

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