Financial Modeler Spotlight: Ian Schnoor, CFA, CFM – Executive Director of the Financial Modeling Institute

Every great model has a great mind behind it, and that’s exactly what our new financial modeler spotlight series is about.

In this series, we will take you behind the spreadsheets to meet the people shaping the way finance is practiced around the world. Think of it as us pulling up a chair together, having a chat, and learning the stories, struggles, and successes of professionals who are raising the bar for financial modeling. To kick off this new series we will be spotlighting the incredible Ian Schnoor, CFA, CFM.

Sometimes the best ideas are born out of frustration. For Ian, long hours as an investment banker at Citi and BMO left him wondering: “Why isn’t financial modeling taught in a clearer, more practical way?”

That question sparked a journey. In 2002, Ian founded The Marquee Group to teach modeling differently, with a focus on clarity, usability, and storytelling through numbers. Over two decades, he trained thousands of professionals and students worldwide, shaping how modern finance professionals learn to build and trust their models. In 2023, Marquee’s impact was recognized when it was acquired by Training The Street.

Today, Ian serves as Executive Director of the Financial Modeling Institute (FMI), where he leads the world’s only global accreditation program for financial modelers. His mission: give financial modeling the professional recognition it deserves. Along the way, he’s created the CFA Institute’s Practical Skills Module, lectured at Queen’s University (twice winning Professor of the Year), and continued to be a global voice for valuation, Excel modeling, and corporate finance excellence.

What began as one banker’s frustration has become a global movement to raise the standards of financial modeling for generations to come. Ian’s journey shows us that the stories behind the spreadsheets are just as powerful as the numbers inside them.

We’ve got more incredible financial modelers to introduce you to in the coming weeks, people whose paths will inspire, challenge, and maybe even mirror your own. Stick around, the next spotlight might just surprise you.