From Numbers to Narrative: A guide to data storytelling for finance leaders

How to improve your data storytelling – and get AI to help you along the way.

Finance leaders sit at the intersection of numbers and decisions, but numbers alone don’t change minds or influence strategy. As many CFOs can attest to, a board member may glance at a set of financial statements and nod politely — but without context and a clear next step, those reports can fall short of making the impact intended.

Data storytelling bridges this gap. It’s the skill of combining numbers, context and narrative in a way that makes stakeholders understand the “so what” and feel compelled to act.

We spoke to some of the finance leaders in our network to get their advice on how finance professionals can strengthen their approach to storytelling ...and use AI to help.

It's also worth checking out the case study towards the end of this guide which illustrates the power of storytelling in a real world scenario.

Why data storytelling matters for finance leaders

Traditional reporting often falls into the “data dump” trap — full of figures, ratios and charts but with little guidance on meaning or direction. Which means the results can be one or all of the following:

• Lost impact: Stakeholders focus on individual numbers rather than the big picture.
• Missed urgency: Without a compelling frame, even serious risks can feel abstract.
• Decision paralysis: People are overwhelmed by data but starved of insight.

Data storytelling solves this by structuring information so it resonates emotionally and logically. For finance leaders, this means turning a variance analysis into a story of opportunity or risk that leadership cannot ignore.

The six core skills of data storytelling

1. Start with your audience, not your data

The most effective stories are audience-first. The CFO’s job is to tailor the same set of numbers differently for each group.

• Executives want the strategic outcome — how the numbers affect growth, risk, or shareholder value.
• Operational managers want the tactical implications — what actions they need to take in their departments.
• Investors want the forecast and return potential — where the business is headed.

Advice from our CFO network: “Before creating your slide deck, write down the three questions each audience is most likely to ask, and make sure your story answers them without being prompted.”

2. Focus on the “Why,” not just the “What”

Data without explanation is like a plot twist without a backstory.

• The What: “Gross margin dropped from 48% to 44%.”
• The Why: “Our raw material costs rose 12% due to global supply shortages, and our price increase lagged the market by two months.”

Advice from our CFO network: ”Use the “because” rule: if you can’t finish the sentence “This happened because…” you’re not ready to present that point.”

3. Visuals that clarify rather than confuse

A table with 500 cells may technically contain “all the data,” but it rarely tells a story.

• Use waterfall charts for variance analysis to show how each factor contributes to change.
• Use heatmaps to spot and emphasize performance differences across products or regions.
• Use trend lines to show progress toward a target over time.

Advice from our CFO network: “Before finalising any chart, ask yourself: If this slide were shown without my voiceover, would the audience still get the main point?”

4. Build a narrative arc

Even in finance, storytelling follows the classic arc:

• Setup: The context — “We entered Q3 with strong sales momentum.”
• Conflict: The challenge — “However, cash conversion deteriorated due to delayed payments from top customers.”
• Resolution: The action — “To address this, we’re implementing stricter credit terms and automating collections, expected to free up £12m in working capital.”

Advice from our CFO network: “Avoid cliffhangers in financial storytelling, you’re not writing a Netflix series. Always close the loop with a proposed resolution.”

5. Turn insights into actions

The goal isn’t just to inform; it’s to drive a decision.

• End every section with a clear call to action.
• Link the recommendation to financial impact — either cost avoided, revenue gained, or efficiency improved.
• Show time sensitivity to prompt movement.

Example: By renegotiating supplier terms, we can improve cash flow by £3m in the next 90 days — but the window for negotiation closes at the end of the quarter.

6. Practice, measure & refine

Even the most seasoned finance leaders benefit from feedback loops.

• Dry runs with a trusted peer can highlight jargon or complexity.
• Post-presentation surveys can show which parts of your story resonated most.
• Recording and reviewing can reveal pacing issues or unclear transitions.

Advice from our CFO network: “If a stakeholder remembers your chart but not your point, your visual is winning the battle but losing the war.”

Where AI supercharges data storytelling

It will be no surprise to many reading this that AI can be a powerful tool when it comes to storytelling.

Here’s how you can use it to deliver sharper, faster and more compelling stories:

Automated Insight Discovery

AI tools like anomaly detection can scan millions of transactions to flag unusual patterns — giving you a head start on spotting the “plot twists” in your data.

Example: An AI tool flags that while revenue is steady, profit erosion is concentrated in a single high-volume product due to unnoticed freight surcharges.

Natural Language Generation (NLG)

Platforms can turn complex datasets into readable narrative summaries. You still need to add the “human interpretation,” but the first draft of your story is already written.

Example: “Operating expenses rose 7% in Q2, primarily driven by a 15% increase in marketing spend to support new product launches.”

AI-Powered Visual Selection

Tools like Power BI, Tableau with AI extensions, or Google Looker can suggest the most effective chart type for your data, ensuring that your visuals match the story you need to tell.

Scenario Modeling in Minutes

AI can run “what-if” simulations — e.g., interest rate changes, FX swings, supply chain disruptions — in seconds, letting you present multiple possible futures rather than just one forecast.

Example: “If we accelerate debt repayment under the current interest rate trajectory, we save £4.2M over 36 months.”

Audience-Specific Dashboards

AI can dynamically tailor reports for different stakeholders from the same dataset — so the CEO sees strategy-level KPIs while the operations manager sees departmental variances.

Finance leaders who master data storytelling shape decisions, influence strategy and build trust. Adding AI to the mix doesn’t replace the need for judgment but gives you the time and tools to apply that judgment where it matters most.

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Case Study: How a CFO in food retail used AI to change the conversation

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Company: National food retail chain with 180 stores and over £700m annual revenue

Challenge: Gross margins had been under quiet but steady pressure for 18 months. Leadership attributed it to “general inflation” and competitive pricing pressure, but the CFO suspected something more targeted was happening.

What Happened:

The CFO deployed an AI-powered analytics tool to analyse SKU-level sales, supplier invoices and regional pricing data.

Within days, the AI flagged a sharp increase in cost-of-goods-sold for fresh prepared meals, a high-margin category, driven by rising input costs from a single regional supplier.

Further analysis revealed that certain stores were discounting these meals heavily to match local competitors, but without visibility into how this was eroding category profitability.

The Storytelling Moment:

In the quarterly leadership meeting, instead of starting with “Margins are down again,” the CFO led with:

“We’ve found a £5.1m margin leak in one category — and it’s coming from a single supplier and inconsistent discounting policies across 42 stores.”

Using a simple side-by-side chart, the CFO showed two versions of the business:

• Current State: Margins on fresh prepared meals down 14% year-over-year.
• Optimised State: Supplier renegotiation + targeted price adjustments = £5.1m in recovered profit annually.

The Outcome:

• The executive team immediately approved renegotiating the supplier contract.
• Store managers were given AI-driven dashboards to monitor discounting impact in real time.
• Within two quarters, the category margin improved by 11%, and the CFO was invited to co-lead a chain-wide profitability task force.

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Thanks to all those who contributed to this guide - if you would like to find out more about the events and insights we provide for our finance leadership network, get advice on your career or discuss your future recruitment plans please do get in touch with Lucy Davison to arrange a call.

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