Sempre Analytics

22/07/2026

"We have more information than ever, but it doesn't feel any easier to make decisions."

That's a line we hear from finance leaders more and more, and it sounds contradictory.

More data isn't the same as more clarity. Clarity takes time to think, confidence in the numbers, and the ability to look past reporting and toward actual decision-making.

That's the real ambition finance teams are chasing, and it's rarely, if ever, a data volume problem. It's a conditions problem: do people have the time, trust, and tools to operate at that level?

In our latest article, we unpack the Finance Ambition Gap - what it looks like in practice, and what closing it actually requires.

🔗 Read it: link in comments.

21/07/2026

The right planning approach helps finance teams spend less time pulling information together and more time understanding what comes next.

This is particularly important across Higher Education, where teams are balancing financial pressures, changing demand and long-term investment decisions.

I’ve had many conversations with finance leaders where the challenge isn’t producing the numbers but having the time and visibility to understand what those numbers are really showing them.

𝐖𝐞’𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 ↓

University Finance Teams Revolutionise their Financial Planning Models https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0w-dvz0

Always happy to chat with anyone looking at this within their organisation.

Good integrated financial planning is a must have for all universities. Many are still using spreadsheets. This article reviews the reasons to modernise

21/07/2026

Finance transformation programmes have a habit of stalling.

The hardest part of any transformation journey is rethinking processes that have been "the way we do things" for a decade and giving people the confidence and headroom to work differently.

Buy new software onto an old operating model, and you get a faster version of the same problems.

Find out how to do it right. Full article link in comments.

17/07/2026

Last month Harvie, Sempre CEO, sat with a group of finance leaders discussing transformation, AI and the changing role of finance.

All were from different industries and different businesses at different stages of growth. But interestingly all were experiencing a growing gap between what finance is expected to deliver and what its foundations can support. Many were experiencing being spread thin trying to update the processes whilst maintaining all the usual deliverables.

One comment captured it well: "It's like trying to change the engine of the plane whilst we're flying."

And that is often why finance transformation feels so hard.

It’s not just about introducing new technology, or AI will fix it all. It’s about addressing the complexity that has built up over time and restoring confidence in how finance operates.

I've shared some thoughts from the discussion here:
https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0w-hWP0

Finance transformation rarely struggles because of resistance to change. More often, it slows down because legacy processes, systems and ways of working continue to shape what feels possible.

16/07/2026

University finance teams are facing some difficult decisions. Funding pressures, changing student numbers and increasing costs mean the ability to understand different scenarios has never been more important.

Across the sector, the challenge is rarely a lack of information, it's bringing together the right data, assumptions and people so finance teams can see the impact of change before decisions need to be made.

In this blog we look at how universities are evolving their financial planning models to support better conversations and longer-term planning.

𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 ↓

University Finance Teams Revolutionise their Financial Planning Models https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0w-h2H0

And if you’re reviewing how your planning processes are supporting your future plans, we’re always happy to chat.

Good integrated financial planning is a must have for all universities. Many are still using spreadsheets. This article reviews the reasons to modernise

19/06/2026

Finance is being asked to play a different role than it was even a few years ago.

For years, it was expected to explain what had happened. Today, it's increasingly expected to help shape what happens next.

Most finance leaders understand that shift. The challenge is creating the time, confidence and capacity to make it happen while still keeping the day-to-day running.

The ambition is there; it's visualising the path forward.

That's the Finance Ambition Gap.
https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0vTQ9G0

11/06/2026

For years, finance was expected to explain what had happened. Today, it's increasingly expected to help shape what happens next.

That's a very different role. It requires time to think, confidence in the numbers, and the ability to look beyond reporting and towards decision-making.

The ambition is there. The challenge is creating the conditions that allow finance teams to operate at that level.

That's the Finance Ambition Gap.

https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0vTP6d0

10/06/2026

Next week, Neil Harvie and James D'Souza will be at the Richmond Finance Directors' Forum.

What we're most interested in isn't just what's on the agenda. It's the conversations happening around it.

Every year there are common themes, but the detail is always different. Where is growth creating new pressure? Where are finance teams working harder than they should to maintain confidence in the numbers? And where are organisations finding ways to support faster decisions without simply adding more effort?

Those conversations provide a real snapshot of what's happening across finance functions today.

We'll be listening carefully and bringing those insights back into the work we do with our clients.

If you're attending, we'd love to say hello. The best conversations at these events are usually the ones that happen between the scheduled sessions.

04/06/2026

The challenge is rarely knowing what needs to happen. It's finding the time, capacity and confidence to make it happen.

So how do you close the gap between where finance is today and where it needs to be?

Our latest blog explores the Finance Ambition Gap.

https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0vTVyX0

20/05/2026

Join us today at 10am, for Modernising Finance | Moving Beyond Excel.

When a number changes, finance teams are often pulled away from strategic conversations and into explaining spreadsheet movements to stakeholders.

For many teams, that pressure has become normal.

Today’s session is a practical discussion on modernising FP&A and reducing the operational strain that spreadsheet driven planning quietly creates.

There’s still time to join us:
Register here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0vsCBZ0