Specialisations:

Financial modelling / Budgeting and Forecasting / Business cases and pricing models / Data Analysis / Activity Based Costing / Management Reporting

Qualifications:

Master Financial Modeler (MFM)

Master of Business Administration (MBA MGSM)

Certified Diploma in Accounting and Finance (ACCA UK)

Bachelor of International Business Relations (GU)

Danielle Stein Fairhurst is a Microsoft MVP, Master Financial Modeler (FMI) and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM). She is a distinguished financial modeling expert and Principal Consultant at Plum Solutions, with extensive expertise spanning multiple industry sectors including telecommunications, information systems, manufacturing, and financial services. She has established herself as a leading global voice in the field of financial analysis and modelling.

Danielle is the author of two critically acclaimed books: "Financial Modeling in Excel for Dummies" (second edition, 2022) and "Using Excel for Business and Financial Modelling" (third edition, published by John Wiley & Sons). Her publications have become essential resources for professionals seeking to enhance their financial modeling skills.

As a highly experienced speaker, course facilitator, and consultant, Danielle delivers training seminars globally. Her professional engagements extend to significant industry roles, including serving on the judging panel for the Financial Modelling Innovation Awards and as an Advisory Board member of the Financial Modeling Institute (FMI). She is a LinkedIn Learning instructor as well.

Danielle has regular engagements around Australia and globally as a speaker, course facilitator and financial modelling consultant. She founded the Financial Modellers’ Meetup groups which attract participants from all over the world as well as a LinkedIn forum with over 140,000 members.

An advocate for women in finance, she founded the Women in Financial Modelling Meetup group and runs other groups and forums including a LinkedIn group with over 200,000 members. In 2022, she was awarded the "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the Financial Modelling Summit.

Her unique blend of academic knowledge, practical experience, and exceptional communication skills makes her a pivotal figure in financial analysis and financial modeling education and consulting.

Danielle Conference Topic:

Building Financial Model Timelines with Dynamic Arrays

Almost every financial model has a time-based element, and building a flexible timeline is the cornerstone to beginning its construction. It’s important to get the time frames right from the outset, and if you don’t, subsequent adjustments can waste time and introduce errors.

By using Excel’s dynamic array functions to build the timelines, we can adjust both the unit of time measurement and the timeframe of the model instantly, making the model robust, reliable, and easy to use. This not only enhances usability but also expedites the model-building process. In addition, the use of a variable start date, when applied correctly, enhances the model’s durability and adaptability over time.

However, the techniques needed to build a model using dynamic arrays are significantly different from the traditional way of building formulas. Developing a fully dynamic model requires additional thought and layout planning compared to conventional methods, but the extra planning is worth the effort!