Black Diamond Podcast

S1E9 | Reflecting on Community, Technology and What's Next

The wrap-up conversation you weren't supposed to hear - four hosts getting real about conferences, careers, and the future of OneStream
Our hosts step away from interviewing guests to have an honest conversation about what they've learned, where they're going, and why this little corner of the tech world matters so much.
The Magic of Conferences (And Why We're All Secretly Introverts)
The hosts get surprisingly vulnerable about the conference experience - from Cameron's revelation about being "selectively extroverted" to the reality that they all went to bed by 11 PM. They explore the paradox of being seen as "rock stars" on stage while being regular people who just want to solve problems and teach others.
Key insights:
Why conferences are both exhausting and career-defining
The isolation of specialized technical work and how community events solve it
Meeting your heroes vs. becoming someone else's hero
The difference between stage personas and real personalities
Dynamic Cubes: When Technologists Get Excited
Watch four cube veterans get genuinely excited about OneStream's dynamic cubes announcement. While they acknowledge that customers care more about narrative reporting and AI voices asking "what was my budget here?", they can't help but geek out over the technical implications.
The technical perspective:
Why dynamic cubes solve what Cameron calls "relational extensibility"
How this enables seamless movement between relational and cube data
Why it's been attempted before but never executed well
The consultant's dilemma: knowing when to "lower the temperature" of what you implement
Career Evolution in Real Time
Perhaps most compelling is watching Cameron and Celvin process their career transitions in real time. For the first time since 1996, Cameron isn't doing implementations - he's moved to product management. Celvin is now development manager. They're questioning whether it's surprising they're not doing the "geeky technical presentations" they used to.
Career reflections:
The difference between self-awareness and true reflection
Letting go of ego while embracing new roles
Why teaching and sharing knowledge became core to their identities
The maturity that comes from understanding your strengths and limitations
The Investment and the Future
The hosts reveal the substantial investment Black Diamond made in this podcast experiment - from the vice presidential suite at Harrah's to the full production crew. They're genuinely uncertain if it will continue, making this conversation feel like both a celebration and a potential goodbye.
The business reality:
Why no other consulting partner has attempted this format
The risk-taking required to prioritize community over pure profit
Their hope that competing firms will create their own content
The genuine request for audience feedback to guide future decisions
Why This Matters Beyond OneStream
At its heart, this episode captures something universal about specialized technical communities. Whether you work with OneStream, other planning platforms, or any niche technology, you'll recognize the themes: the isolation of deep expertise, the magic of finding "your people," and the responsibility that comes with knowledge.
Perfect for anyone who's ever felt alone in their technical expertise, wondered about the real personalities behind conference presentations, or is navigating their own career evolution from implementer to something else entirely. This is community building in its most authentic form.
 

S1E8 | Why We Bet on OneStream

From the C-suite perspective: How a conscious decision to be OneStream-only transformed a consulting firm into a product powerhouse
Randy Werder, CEO and Co-founder of Black Diamond Advisory, says BDA isn't just another consulting success story—it's the strategic blueprint of how to build a modern technology services company.
The OneStream-Only Decision
Randy shares the pivotal moment when BDA's founders made a controversial choice: they would only do OneStream. No Oracle, no Anaplan, no hedge bets. Coming from a previous firm where competing technologies created constant internal conflict, they saw opportunity in complete commitment.
Key insights from the CEO:
Why "all boats rise together" became more than a slogan—it became business strategy
The three-tier progression: demo assets → accelerators → products (and why most firms stop at tier two)
How speed-to-value became their competitive advantage: "I don't want to spend X dollars to see benefit in two years"
The accordion rolling forecast origin story: when FP&A impatience drives innovation
Building external value from internal excellence: how their COE became the Expert Roundtable
The Growth Journey Reality Check
Randy gets refreshingly honest about scaling pains: "Everything breaks at 100 people." He shares the specific challenges at 20, 50, and 100+ employees, and how maintaining culture while scaling requires constant reinvestment in what matters most.
Looking Forward: AI and the Next Bet
While others are nervous about AI disruption, Randy is "excited" because "with any innovation, there's opportunity." He reveals BDA's investment strategy around AI and machine learning, OneStream's potential IPO, and why he's doubling down on the OneStream bet.
The Human Element
Perhaps most compelling is Randy's focus on people over process. He shares stories of "overly collaborative" culture (where 50 people respond to help requests), the Expert Roundtable's nail-biting launch moment (when all pilot participants initially ghosted the paid version, then signed up within 24 hours), and why innovation became a core company value.
Perfect for executives considering technology partnerships, anyone curious about strategic decision-making in professional services, or leaders thinking about how to scale culture alongside growth. This is strategy from the C-suite, with the honesty that only comes from someone who's lived through every growth stage.
 

S1E7 | How to Build a Software Company Inside a Consulting Firm

What happens when your CTO admits he built most of your products because he was "just lazy" and didn't want to hack XML anymore?
Damon Mittleider, Black Diamond Advisory's Chief Technology Officer  takes a rare look behind the scenes of how a consulting firm became a software innovator in the OneStream ecosystem.
The Accidental Software Company
Damon reveals how BDA's product vision emerged from day one—not as an afterthought, but as a core strategy. Coming from the Oracle Hyperion world where every implementation was a custom rebuild, he recognized OneStream's object-oriented architecture could support something revolutionary: truly reusable, transportable solutions.
What you'll discover:
Why OneStream's relational blending and metadata capabilities make it fundamentally different from Hyperion
The "platform on a platform" architecture: how Task Editor became the foundation for Accordion, which became the foundation for Compensation Management
The real story behind BDA's metadata manager and security tools (spoiler: built out of pure laziness to avoid XML hacking)
What it means to be in Partner Place's first two cohorts and why OneStream chose BDA as a launch partner
The team dynamics behind constant innovation (and the Teams channel that's apparently a hotbed of "snark and sarcasm")
Building Blocks, Not One-Offs
This isn't about individual tools—it's about architectural thinking. Every BDA solution is designed to be a component in larger industry solutions, creating an ecosystem of capabilities that build on each other rather than reinventing the wheel.
The Honest Take on Partner Place
Damon shares a refreshingly honest perspective on OneStream's marketplace: still maturing, incredibly valuable for marketing and recognition, but the real value comes from having the structured thinking of a software company within the consulting space.
Perfect for anyone curious about the intersection of consulting and software development, the technical possibilities within OneStream, or what it takes to innovate at the pace of platform evolution. Plus, you'll get Damon's retirement plan: opening a petting zoo to escape technology forever.

S1E6 | Break out of Excel Jail

What happens when a company gets so serious about modernization they create an entire "Digital Ambition" department?
Amanda Christensen and Dane Arbuckle from Richardson International are two managers who were pulled from their day jobs and given one mission: make OneStream's Phase 2 implementation succeed, no matter what.
The 100% Commitment Experiment
Richardson tried something most companies won't: they assigned full-time resources to their OneStream project instead of hoping part-time efforts would work. Amanda and Dane reveal what it's like to be completely dedicated to digital transformation while learning an entirely new platform from scratch.
What you'll discover:
Why going from "ERP and Excel" to OneStream creates different challenges than migrating from other systems
The reality of building buy-in when users are genuinely excited about getting faster access to data
How a grain exporter plans to use weather data and growing conditions in their forecasting models
What it means to split an implementation between agribusiness and processing operations
The unexpected connections that happen at conferences when you're solving similar problems
Beyond the Buzzwords
These aren't seasoned performance management veterans—they're finance professionals thrown into the deep end of a major transformation. Their fresh perspective on everything from narrative reporting to AI integration offers a grounded view of what adoption actually looks like when you're learning as you go.
Perfect for anyone managing digital transformation, wondering about full-time project dedication, or curious about real-world OneStream implementations in complex industries.

S1E5 | A Finance Leader's Platform Journey

What happens when someone who's "grown up" in the Oracle ecosystem discovers OneStream?
Mike Burens from Univar Solutions, a finance systems veteran moved from Oracle HFM and BPC to OneStream and discovered what he'd been missing all along...
The "Single Platform" Reality Check
Mike shares what it actually means to consolidate from separate planning and consolidation systems onto one platform. After nine months on OneStream, his team is experiencing something they never had before: everyone looking at the same data, speaking the same language, using a single global chart of accounts.
What you'll discover:
The real difference between having separate systems vs. one integrated platform
Why the vendor relationship matters more than you might think (especially coming from Oracle)
What a proper OneStream roadmap looks like: from basic implementation to driver-based forecasting, people planning, capital planning, and account reconciliations
The challenge of AI adoption in finance: technology vs. organizational comfort
The Attention Factor
Coming from the world of massive enterprise vendors, Mike reveals what it's like to work with a company that's still focused on growth and customer success. Sometimes smaller really is better—especially when you can feel the difference in partnership and attention immediately.
Looking Forward: The AI Question
As someone who's "been in this industry a really long time" and seen trends come and go, Mike offers a grounded perspective on AI in finance. The technology is impressive, but the real challenge isn't technical—it's getting CFO organizations comfortable with leveraging AI from security and cultural perspectives.
Perfect for finance leaders evaluating platforms, anyone curious about vendor relationships in enterprise software, or those wondering whether the AI hype in finance will actually stick.

S1E4 | Leaving Excel Hell

What happens when a legacy manufacturing company finally breaks free from spreadsheet chaos?
We sat down with Ryan Smith, Corporate Accounting Manager at Anderson Corporation, to explore their ongoing transformation from outdated consolidation tools to OneStream's integrated platform.
The Real Story Behind Digital Transformation
Ryan shares the honest reality of moving a traditional organization away from Excel-based processes that "work very well" toward a more streamlined, analytical approach. This isn't a success story about overnight change—it's about the messy, ongoing journey of getting people to embrace new ways of working.
Key insights covered:
Transitioning from a "bare bones, basic and very old" legacy system to OneStream
Getting Excel-savvy teams to adopt new consolidation and budgeting tools
The challenge of employee retention when people are stuck doing manual, non-value-add work
Why having "our most valued people doing non-value-add work" is killing organizations
Building transaction-level visibility beyond trial balance uploads
Why This Conversation Hits Different
Ryan's candid take on the struggles of change management offers a refreshing perspective on what digital transformation actually looks like in practice. He discusses losing employees due to tedious manual processes and the ongoing effort to give teams the analytical tools they want to use.
Perfect for finance leaders wrestling with legacy systems, change management challenges, or anyone curious about the human side of technology adoption.

S1E3 | A Journey from Implementation to Empowerment

Hosts Greg Beaton and Ashwin Manthena chat with Adrian Griffin, Financial Systems Manager at Subaru of America, about the company's transition to OneStream. This goes beyond typical software implementation—it's about changing how teams work and think about their processes.
What You'll Discover
Adrian walks through Subaru's journey from traditional financial methods to a more integrated, user-friendly system. He shares practical insights about getting teams on board with change and building systems that actually make sense to the people using them.
Key topics covered:
Getting buy-in from finance teams who were comfortable with existing processes
Making financial systems more transparent and easier to audit
How AI is starting to simplify complex financial tasks
Lessons learned about user engagement and change management
Why This Conversation Matters
Whether you're in finance, IT, or leadership, Adrian's experience offers a realistic look at what digital transformation actually looks like on the ground. It's not just about the technology—it's about the people and processes that make it work.
Perfect for anyone curious about modernizing financial operations or leading successful tech implementations.

S1E2 | Navigating OneStream Implementations: Lessons Learned

Join hosts Cameron Lackpour and Ashwin Manthena as they chat with Jerri Ciambriello, Director of Financial Systems and Reporting at Hubble Incorporated. Discover the transformative journey of Hubble's financial systems, moving from traditional spreadsheets to advanced forecasting with OneStream implementations.
Jerri shares insights from multiple CPM implementations and reveals how a partnership with Black Diamond Advisory revamped their planning processes. Listen in to learn about the strategic steps taken, challenges faced during the transition, and the exciting future possibilities with machine learning and AI.

S1E1 | Unraveling Cross-Cultural Dynamics in Performance Management

In this episode of the Splash 2024 Black Diamond Advisory YouTube Podcast, hosts Cameron Lackpour and Celvin Kattookaran are joined by special guest David Blanco to explore the intricate dynamics of cross-cultural interactions in the realm of performance management. David shares his journey from Latin America to North America, highlighting the unique challenges and opportunities faced when working across different cultures.
The conversation veers into the comparison between business practices in Latin America and North America, delving into the varied approaches to customer relationships and the meticulous care required in planning amidst economic pressures. The trio also examines the evolution of OneStream technology and its impact on global consultancy practices.
Listeners are encouraged to reflect on the broader implications of cultural sensitivity in consulting and technology adaptation, enriched by personal anecdotes and industry insights from David's vast experience.