XL CFO

AI in Finance Is Built From the Bottom Up. Almost Everyone Starts at the Top.

Every finance leader I talk to wants to know how AI makes their team faster.

It's the wrong question.

The better one is: what slows finance down before AI ever enters the room? The answer is almost never the technology. It's two things — processes nobody designed to be understood, and the wrong people making the decisions.

I've walked into organisations running the best ERPs money can buy. Significant investment. Long implementations. Every module purchased. And half the team is still living in Excel. The software was bought. The process was never designed. When the process is unclear, the tool just executes that lack of clarity at scale.

Then there's the room. Leadership is excited, the board is aligned, the budget is approved — and the AP manager who processes invoices every day was never asked. Neither was the controller who owns month-end exceptions, or the analyst rebuilding the same broken report every week. These are the people who know where it breaks. Exclude them, and someone who doesn't live with the consequences decides what everyone else has to.

That gap is where implementations go to die. And it almost always starts in the same place: the back office.

# # The first stack: operational maturity

Look at where AI actually pays off, and it's not the glamorous top of the pyramid. It's the foundation.

**Invoice & AP processing** is the base. Fix this first — everything above depends on it.

**Reconciliation & close** runs on what AP produces. Clean inputs, clean close.

**Cash flow visibility** depends on accurate AP and AR data underneath it.

**Reporting & dashboards** are only ever as good as what feeds them.

**FP&A & forecasting** sits at the top. It looks strategic. It breaks the moment anything below it is messy.

Most CFOs start at the top — the forecasting, the dashboards, the board-ready strategy layer. That's the wrong order. The back office is unglamorous, but it's where AI returns capital first, because every layer above inherits its quality. Fix the foundation and everything above gets faster, cleaner, and more reliable on its own.

# # The second stack: control maturity

Here's the part nobody puts on the roadmap. The same bottom-up logic governs whether you can trust any of it — AI governance.

Governance isn't a policy document. A policy you can't enforce is just a PDF. And you can't audit what you never inventoried. It's six layers, and most teams skip the first five:

**1. AI Inventory** — You can't govern what you can't see. Run a shadow-AI pass, list every tool in use, tag each with an owner and a risk tier.

**2. Data Foundation** — Track where every input comes from. Screen for bias before it touches a model. Stale data is its own failure mode — monitor freshness.

**3. Data Security & Access** — Encryption, anonymisation, role-based access. Least privilege by default. Not everyone needs the model keys.

**4. Model Assurance** — Write a model card for everything in production: what it does, what it trained on, where it breaks. Then red-team it and watch for drift.

**5. Human Oversight** — Name who can override the model and who's accountable when it's wrong. In writing, before you need it.

**6. Compliance & Audit** — Regulatory mapping, alignment, audit trails. This is the layer everyone starts with. It only holds if the five below it exist.

# # The same mistake, twice

Both stacks fail for one reason: people start at the top, where it looks strategic, and skip the foundation that makes the top hold.

Operationally, that's chasing AI-powered forecasting on a back office that can't close cleanly.

In governance, it's writing a policy you can't enforce because nothing underneath it was ever built.

Most finance teams have an ERP. Almost none have designed the process. Most have a governance policy. Almost none have governance. The difference, in both cases, is the layers nobody sees — and the right people in the room to build them.

AI reaches its potential in finance only when the processes are defined and the right people are at the table. Once those two things are in place, the right tools become obvious.

Start at the bottom.

Which layer is your organisation actually working on right now — and which one did you start with? Curious to hear where others began. Get in touch with us for an assessment and whiteboard session to map it out for your organisation.

What a day at the NZ CFO Symposium. 🙌

Last Thursday, our Founder and CEO, Richard Chew had the privilege of joining the panel "Finance is Evolving: Are You Keeping Up? The CFO Guide to AI & Fintech," and the room was standing room only, which tells you just how front of mind this topic is for finance leaders right now. A real privilege to share the stage with Singh and Hauenstein, with Solomons moderating.

The feedback honestly blew us away, both before and after. So many great conversations during morning tea and lunch, and a wave of thoughtful LinkedIn messages and connection requests since. Inquisitive, generous, and exactly the kind of exchange that makes these events worth it. Wonderful to deepen existing relationships and make so many new ones.

Beyond the session, the wider programme really captured where the CFO role is heading:

🔹 CFO Horizons: Leading Through Uncertainty with Conway (Heartland Bank), Bellette (AgResearch) and Chetty (Deloitte NZ).

🔹 What Makes a Great CFO? bringing a CEO, Chair and PE lens via Michael Boggs (NZME), Greenwood (Westpac NZ & a2 Milk) and Cotterill (Direct Capital).

🔹 Thiss (Eftsure) on cross-border fraud, and Cameron, FCA, FCPA (Consult NZ & LEAD) on the 2026 CFO Outlook.

🔹 Jepson (The FBP Team) on the number one finance business partnering skill, and Woolf (Trintech) cutting through the AI hype.

🔹 An energetic afternoon, from Bennett on why CFOs need to be the second best salesperson in the room, to the team building and retention panel, and Enriquez (Fusion5) on the financial case for AI transformation.

The through line all day: AI is reshaping finance faster than most expected, and the leaders who lean in now will define the next era.

A big nod too to the corporate partners who make this community possible: , Recruitment, , , , , , , and .

Huge thanks to McBride and Magazine A/NZ for another outstanding event. Already looking forward to 2027. 👋

If we connected on the day, or meant to and missed each other in the crowd, do reach out. We would love to continue the conversation.

📣 We're heading to the 2026 NZ CFO Symposium!

Our Founder & CEO, Richard Chew, is on the panel — "Finance is Evolving – Are You Keeping Up? The CFO Guide to AI & Fintech."

📅 Thursday 18 June 2026
⏰ 12.15pm
📍 Pullman Auckland CBD

Richard joins a sharp line-up moderated by James Solomons (CFO Magazine A/NZ), alongside Vik Singh (Group CFO, General Capital) and Damon Hauenstein (CFO & COO, Weel).

The panel goes beyond the buzzwords — what AI in finance is really delivering, where the quick wins are, how to choose tech that actually works, and how to build a finance function that's scalable, secure and future-ready without losing control. 🚀

Heading along? Come and say hi to Richard. 👋

🎟️ Agenda & registration 👉 https://www.nzcfosymposium.co.nz/

What a weekend.

Two days at NZCryptoCon 2026, NZ ICC Auckland — and Saturday 2:35 PM I walked out to a full Theatre 1 to share how institutions actually decide yes or no on crypto.

The framework: four filters every audit committee uses. Risk. Governance. Treasury. Portfolio Fit. Pass all four, or the answer is no.

The reception was generous, the questions were sharp, and the room was clearly more institutionally curious than the public commentary would have you believe.

Day 2 was where the substance went deep — Property vs Crypto, RWA tokenisation, FX day trading, stablecoins, AI and the future of finance — all topics that sit on the CFO desk now, not someday.

Huge thanks to NZCryptoCon — Dave, Kelly, Matt and the team — and to the partners who made it possible: Swyftx (Naming Rights), Binance (Keynote Theatre Partner), and BlackBull Markets (Gold Partner). And the wider lineup — Tiger Brokers, Sumsub, Avalanche, Litecoin, Coinstash, Macro Pod, Mastering the Markets, Blockchain NZ and many more — for the genuine breadth.

Sunday night closed with Avalanche networking drinks at Baxters, then the official afterparty at AKA Rooftop, Radisson RED Auckland. Auckland skyline at sunset, the right people in the right place, exactly the right way to wrap.

To everyone who turned up, asked a question, or commented CRYPTO on my LinkedIn or here — the ticket winner has been sorted, the slides are coming your way this week.

Roll on NZCryptoCon 2027.

· · · Markets · International Convention Centre · RED Auckland
Brokers · · · Foundation · · Pod · the Markets · NZ · · · · · · ·

Pleased to share that our Founder & CEO, Richard Chew, will be speaking at NZCryptoCon 2026 - New Zealand's largest crypto and blockchain conference at the NZ International Convention Centre in Auckland.

His session: "A CFO's Lens on Crypto: How Institutions Actually Evaluate Digital Assets"
Theatre 1 · Saturday 6 June · 2:35 PM

Most crypto conversations start with price. Richard's starts in the boardroom. Drawing on 20+ years as a CFO and board advisor across fintech, media and high-growth businesses, he'll break down the four filters every institution actually uses to evaluate digital assets : risk, governance, treasury and portfolio fit and what they mean in a New Zealand context.

Expect practical frameworks, real (anonymised) approve-versus-reject case studies, and a clear playbook for founders and operators seeking institutional capital.

No hype, no jargon - just how the money actually decides.

If you're attending, come along to Theatre 1, or grab Richard afterwards - he's always happy to talk shop.

Tickets and full agenda: https://nzcryptocon.com nzcryptocon NZCryptoCon

🚨 Raising Capital? Here’s What Actually Breaks You (It’s Not the Pitch)

Everyone thinks raising a round is about the deck, the story, the big meeting.

It’s not.

It’s everything around it — and most of it doesn’t get posted.

🧠 1. Your story will evolve (mid-process)
You don’t walk in with the perfect narrative.

You find it along the way.

➡️ The wedge gets sharper
➡️ The positioning tightens
➡️ The category becomes clearer

But here’s the catch:
Your early conversations are usually your weakest.

💡 Lesson: Do the hard narrative work before you go to market — not during.

📊 2. It’s not the numbers… it’s what’s behind them
Headline metrics get you in the room.

They don’t get you through it.

The real pressure comes from second and third layer questioning:

🔍 What breaks in your model?
🔍 Where are the sensitivities?
🔍 What happens if things move 20% against you next quarter?

💡 Lesson: Know your business forensically, not just fluently.

🎯 3. Exit strategy shows up earlier than you think
Most founders treat this as a “later” problem.

It’s not.

Serious investors want to understand:
➡️ How this ends
➡️ Who buys it (and why)
➡️ What path you’re building toward

💡 Lesson: If you haven’t thought about the endgame, you’re already behind.

⏳ 4. Timelines are fiction
Every stage takes longer than expected.

➡️ Conversations drag
➡️ Diligence expands
➡️ Legals stretch
➡️ Final approvals… take their time

💡 Lesson: Build buffer into your cash runway — then add more.

🤝 5. The right investor matters more than the valuation
A cheque is a commodity.

A partner is not.

The best investors:
✅ Are transparent in how they think
✅ Show you how they underwrite your business
✅ Engage like operators, not just negotiators
✅ Turn up with context, not questions you’ve already answered

They’re there in the good quarters and the hard ones.

💡 Lesson: Optimising for valuation alone is short-term thinking.
Optimising for the right partner compounds over time.

📂 6. “Always Be Closing” (ABC)… applies to your data room too
Most founders treat the data room as a last-minute scramble.

That’s a mistake.

When interest shows up — from investors or buyers — speed and readiness matter.

➡️ Financials updated regularly (monthly/quarterly)
➡️ Key agreements organised and accessible
➡️ Cap table, forecasts, governance docs clean and current
➡️ Metrics aligned to what you’re presenting externally

💡 Lesson: Run your data room like a live system, not a project.
Being DD-ready at all times is a competitive advantage.

⚙️ 7. The business doesn’t pause while you raise
This is where most underestimate the load.

While you’re fundraising:

➡️ Customers still need delivery
➡️ Revenue still needs to land
➡️ The team still needs direction

And you’re doing it all at ~50% capacity.

🧭 8. You’re managing energy, not just ex*****on
There’s a hidden layer to all of this:

⚡ Your co-founder — under the same pressure, different seat
⚡ Your team — reading every micro-signal
⚡ Stakeholders — expecting confidence and clarity

All while making decisions that shape the next 3–5 years.

💡 Lesson: This is as much an emotional and leadership test as it is a financial one.

🔁 What I’d do differently:

✔️ Refine the story before going out
✔️ Stress-test every metric and assumption
✔️ Start with the endgame in mind
✔️ Keep your data room investor-ready at all times
✔️ Build a leadership team that can run without you

Because whether you plan for it or not…
That’s what’s happening.

Closing a round is a milestone.

But the real value?

👉 What it exposes about your business
👉 What it reveals about your team
👉 And how it stretches you as a leader

If you’re heading into a raise — go in with your eyes open.

This isn’t just capital raising.

It’s a full-system stress test.

**The Future CFO: From Financial Steward to Enterprise Operating System Architect**

AI, operating models, and leadership expectations are converging to reshape the CFO role in real time.

What is emerging is not incremental change — but a structural shift in how finance functions operate, how decisions are made, and how CFOs create value across the enterprise.

Across CFO and finance conversations globally, four clear shifts are defining this evolution.

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# # 1. AI is moving from experimentation to embedded finance operations

AI is no longer a standalone capability sitting outside the finance function. It is increasingly being embedded directly into core workflows.

Across organisations, AI is already being used in practical finance applications:

🤖 Drafting formulas, accelerating analysis, and generating commentary (ChatGPT)
📊 Working directly within spreadsheets to interpret datasets (Claude for Excel)
🟢 Identifying anomalies and supporting forecasting insight (Gemini in Sheets)
🟦 Supporting reconciliation, reporting, and spend analysis (Microsoft Copilot)

💡 Example in practice: AI-assisted month-end workflows

Finance teams are now using AI tools to:

* summarise variances vs budget
* highlight anomalies in datasets
* generate first-draft board-level commentary

The CFO then reviews, refines, and approves the output.

👉 AI accelerates the first 80% of the work
👉 Finance retains control over the final 20%

The constraint is no longer capability — it is governance.

For AI to scale in finance, organisations must establish:

* auditability of outputs
* clear ownership and accountability
* consistent workflows
* robust data controls and lineage

This marks a critical shift:

From AI as a tool
➡️ To AI embedded within finance operating systems

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# # 2. The CFO is becoming an enterprise operating system architect

The CFO role is expanding beyond financial stewardship into enterprise-level operating design.

Finance is no longer just reporting on performance — it is increasingly shaping how the business operates.

This includes:

🧠 How decisions are made across the organisation
📊 How data is structured and interpreted
⚙️ How systems and workflows connect
🔁 How performance is measured and acted upon in real time

In practice, CFOs are increasingly responsible for designing:

* what gets measured
* how insights are generated
* how quickly decisions are made
* how consistently ex*****on follows

The CFO is shifting from financial steward to **enterprise operating system architect**.

This requires a broader capability set:

* systems thinking
* data and workflow design
* cross-functional leadership
* decision architecture ownership

CFOs are no longer just reporting outcomes.

They are shaping how outcomes are created.

---

# # 3. Finance operating models are becoming modular and flexible

Traditional finance operating models are being redefined.

The “fully in-house finance team” model is no longer the default. Instead, organisations are moving toward more modular and capability-driven structures.

Three models are emerging in parallel:

🏢 **In-house (AI-augmented teams)**
Lean internal teams enhanced by AI-driven efficiency and automation

🌐 **Hybrid operating models**
Core finance retained internally, with ex*****on layers (AP, AR, payroll, reporting) supported externally

🔄 **Outsourced / fractional-led models**
Smaller internal teams supported by external partners delivering specialist capability and scale

The key shift is conceptual:

Outsourcing is no longer purely cost-driven.

It is becoming a **strategic capability design lever**.

CFOs are now designing finance functions to:

* scale without increasing fixed cost structures
* access specialist capability on demand
* focus internal teams on higher-value activities
* maintain control while increasing flexibility

AI is accelerating this transition by reducing the volume of work that requires traditional full-stack internal ex*****on.

The fundamental question is changing:

From “Should we outsource?”
➡️ To “What should we own vs orchestrate?”

Finance functions are becoming ecosystems rather than fixed structures.

---

# # 4. CFO capability is shifting from technical ex*****on to influence leadership

As finance becomes more embedded across the enterprise, the CFO role is increasingly defined by influence rather than technical output alone.

Modern CFO effectiveness depends on four capability dimensions:

🧠 Strategic thinking
Linking financial outcomes to long-term business direction

📊 Commercial fluency
Understanding value creation across the entire business model

🗣️ Communication and storytelling
Translating financial insight into clear decisions for boards and leadership teams

⚙️ Organisational influence
Driving alignment and ex*****on across multiple functions without direct authority

The CFO is no longer just explaining performance.

They are shaping decisions, aligning leadership teams, and influencing ex*****on across the organisation.

In a world of increasing data availability and AI-generated insight, the differentiator is no longer access to information.

It is the ability to turn insight into action.

This represents a clear evolution:

From technical finance leader
➡️ To enterprise influence leader

---

# # Closing perspective

These four shifts are interconnected:

1. AI is embedding into finance workflows
2. CFOs are becoming enterprise operating system architects
3. Finance operating models are becoming modular
4. CFO capability is evolving toward influence and leadership

Together, they describe a single transformation:

The CFO is no longer just the custodian of financial truth.

They are becoming the designer of how the enterprise thinks, decides, and operates.

---

# # Final reflection

The question for finance leaders is no longer whether these shifts are coming.

It is how quickly their organisations are adapting to them.

---

Curious to hear perspectives from others in the CFO and finance community — particularly on where the biggest structural shifts are being felt in practice.

And if you are exploring how to evolve your finance operating model, AI integration, or leadership capability, happy to share how leading organisations are approaching this at **XLCFO**.

🚀 🚀 Scaling your business? Your next move isn’t just growth — it’s better governance.

Founder → Advisory Board → Formal Board

The governance journey every scaling business goes through (whether you plan it or not).

Most founders don’t realise this…
👉 You already have a Board from Day 1
👉 Then you build an advisory layer
👉 Then eventually… you answer to a real Board

Here’s how it actually works 👇

🟢 Phase 1: You ARE the Board (Founder-Led Governance)
The moment you incorporated:
⚖️ You became a Director (with legal duties)
At this stage, governance is simple but critical:
✔️ Know your cash (runway & solvency)
✔️ Document key decisions (decision log)
✔️ Track ownership (cap table)
✔️ Record conflicts (interests register)
✔️ Keep clean company records
💡 It’s not admin, it’s protection.

Common mistakes:
❌ “Winging it” with no documentation
❌ Verbal equity promises
❌ Ignoring cashflow reality

🟡 Phase 2: Build Your Advisory Layer
As you grow, you need better thinking, not more control.

This is where advisors come in:
🧠 Bring experience, networks, and challenge
🚫 But NO legal authority or decision-making power

Advisors ≠ Directors

Structure matters:
✔️ Clear scope & deliverables
✔️ Regular cadence
✔️ Time-bound agreements
✔️ Equity tied to milestones (if any)

Watch out for:
❌ “Big names” with no real impact
❌ Too many advisors → noise
❌ Loose or undocumented equity

🔴 Phase 3: Formal Board (Governance shifts)
This happens when:
• You bring in investors
• Appoint external directors
• Introduce shareholder controls / reserved matters
⚠️ This is the big shift:
👉 As Director: duty = company
👉 As CEO: you now report to the Board
You are no longer the sole decision-maker.

⚠️ Why this matters
Getting governance wrong early can cost you:
❌ Personal liability
❌ Equity loss (dilution / disputes)
❌ Failed capital raises
❌ Investor distrust

Getting it right gives you:
✅ Credibility with investors
✅ Faster, clearer decisions
✅ Scalable foundations

🔑 Bottom line
Good founders evolve their governance:
👤 Start: You make all the calls
🧠 Then: You surround yourself with the right advisors
🏛️ Then: You build a Board that holds you accountable

📈 Governance isn’t corporate overhead,
it’s how real businesses scale properly.

If you’re navigating this shift (or about to), we help founders structure it properly at XL CFO - from day one through to capital raise and beyond.