AI Hit Squads and Million Hour Time Savings with Zak Fay, AI Innovation Manager at BDO

Zak Fay, AI Innovation Manager at BDO, is leading the RAID team, an internal AI innovation group that is turning a highly regulated global accounting firm into an AI powered force multiplier for its professionals. In this episode, Russ and Zak walk through how BDO went from early experiments with ChatGPT to launching Chat BDO on Azure OpenAI and rolling out nine AI agents in under a year, all while keeping data secure, governance tight, and people at the center.​They dig into how RAID partners directly with business line stewards, why creativity and curiosity matter as much as technical skills, and how tools like Chat BDO and consultative selling intelligence have already saved over a million hours across the firm. Zak also shares how BDO is using AI to eliminate research drudgery rather than replace people, what it takes to build trust with executives and frontline teams, and why responsible experimentation, governance, and agile iteration are key to scaling AI in complex, compliance heavy environments.Topics Covered:[01:20] How the Digital Transformation Innovation Group sparked RAID​[02:30] From ChatGPT experiments to launching Chat BDO on Azure OpenAI​[03:30] Why RAID focuses on exploratory work instead of predictable work​[04:10] Building a small team of creatives, futurists, and fast learners​[05:05] Spotlight on Gavin, Nate, Steven, and Jordan and their roles on RAID​[07:00] How RAID is positioned as the tip of the spear inside a large firm​[09:00] Working directly with executives and business line stewards to pick high value problems​[10:00] Using five whys and root cause analysis to define the real problem before[13:30] Rolling out nine AI agents in under a year and how RAID prioritizes initiatives​[14:30] How consultative selling intelligence compresses eight hours of research into minutes​[16:00] Turning fragmented client research into packaged insight reports and next best actions​[17:00] Why AI should make humans more human instead of replacing relationship building​[18:30] The future of sales and service intelligence in complex product and service portfolios​[20:10] Eliminating waste between expert professionals and the work they are best at​[21:00] How Chat BDO and other tools have already saved over a million hours at BDO​[22:00] Force multipliers, quality of life improvements, and getting people to their kids’ soccer games​[23:10] Which tools have had the biggest impact and where Zak sees the most potential next[26:30] Governance, legal, and why professional judgment always comes before AI outputs​[31:10] Advice for organizations that want to build their own AI strike team like RAID​[33:40] Shoutouts to the AI engineering team and closing thoughts on BDO’s AI journey​Links and Resources:BDO: https://www.bdo.comBusiness Intelligence Group: https://www.bintelligence.comBIG Innovation Awards: https://www.bintelligence.com/awards/big-innovation-awardsAbout The Winners Circle:The Winners Circle is hosted by Russ Fordyce, CEO and founder of Business Intelligence Group. Each episode features leaders and innovators recognized through BIGs annual award programs across AI, innovation, sustainability, cybersecurity, and more. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.Nominate your company or team for a BIG award: https://www.bintelligence.com