#180 AI, Automation and the Future of The Finance Function with Chris Tredwell CSO at Aqilla

Chris Tredwell joins regular host Kevin Appleby on the GrowCFO Show. Chris is the Chief Sales Officer at ERP software provider Aqilla. Chris leads GrowCFO’s Future of the Finance Function series of webinars and will be presenting the opening keynote at the upcoming Global Finance Summit on 15-16 May 2024. Aqilla is a mid-market, Cloud-based, Accounting / Postmodern ERP solution that sits above well-known entry-level SME products such as Xero, Quickbooks and Sage. It has the capabilities of products like SunSystems (Infor FMS), SAP Business One, Netsuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Intacct and many others but at a fraction of the complexity and cost. Chris and Kevin discussed how AI and automation are rapidly changing the finance function. They talked about the limitations of legacy on-premise accounting software and how modern cloud-based solutions are needed to take advantage of new technologies. Speeding up month-end close remains a challenge for most businesses, and Chris and Kevin believe this is the biggest opportunity for automation in finance. They emphasized the importance of real-time data access and analytics to drive better business decision-making. They also discussed the importance of benchmarking processes, having a single source of truth for data, and focusing on a few key actionable insights rather than excessive data https://youtu.be/llPpRcJtsps Links Chris Tredwell on LinkedIn Kevin Appleby on LinkedIn Aqilla GrowCFO Global Finance Summit Timestamps The Global Finance Summit. (0:11) Cloud-based accounting software for mid-market businesses. (3:25) Modernizing finance software for efficiency and time savings. (9:08) AI in finance, automating tasks and improving accuracy. (13:58) Focussing on real-time data and decision-making. (18:32) Data accuracy and a single source of truth in business reporting. (23:24) Modernizing finance functions with a focus on technology and automation. (28:17) Find out more about GrowCFO If you enjoyed this podcast, you can subscribe to the GrowCFO Show with your favourite podcast app. The GrowCFO show is listed in the Apple podcast directory, Google Podcasts, Spotify and many others. Why not subscribe there today? That way, you never miss an episode. GrowCFO is a great place to extend your professional network. Join GrowCFO as a free member today and participate in our regular networking events and webinars.  Premium members can also access our extensive training centre and CFO Digital Toolkit. You can enrol in our flagship Future CFO or Finance Leader programmes here.  You can find out more and join today at growcfo.net