ExecOpinion: CFO’s guide to AI’s impact on risk management
January 14, 2025
Digital CFO: architect of business value
October 5, 2019
Allan is Group Editor-in-Chief for CXOCIETY writing for FutureIoT, FutureCIO and FutureCFO. He supports content marketing engagements for CXOCIETY clients, as well as moderates senior-level discussions and speaks at events.
Previous Roles
He served as Group Editor-in-Chief for Questex Asia concurrent to the Regional Content and Strategy Director role.
He was the Director of Technology Practice at Hill+Knowlton in Hong Kong and Director of Client Services at EBA Communications.
He also served as Marketing Director for Asia at Hitachi Data Systems and served as Country Sales Manager for HDS’ Philippine. Other sales roles include Encore Computer and First International Computer.
He was a Senior Industry Analyst at Dataquest (Gartner Group) covering IT Professional Services for Asia-Pacific.
He moved to Hong Kong as a Network Specialist and later MIS Manager at Imagineering/Tech Pacific.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering degree and is a certified PICK programmer.
The role of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) has undoubtedly moved outside the traditional accounting function and into a strategic...
Read moreDetailsIn 2025, the integration of AI into the finance function in Asia has the potential to reshape operational frameworks and...
Read moreDetailsThe finance function is undergoing a seismic shift. By 2025, the traditional image of number-crunching accountants confined to back offices...
Read moreDetailsThis article explores the essential skills, career pathways, and challenges faced by finance professionals aspiring to leadership roles.
Read moreDetailsTransformation imperatives tend to revolve around modernising processes and systems to enable more agile operations that can adjust to the...
Read moreDetailsImagine a scenario where your company's operations grind to a halt, sensitive data is exposed, and customer trust is shattered...
Read moreDetailsIt was supposed to be the merriest time of the year in 2019 when Typhoon Odette, or Super Typhoon Rai,...
Read moreDetailsThe accountancy profession is at a pivotal crossroads as it grapples with significant challenges going forward, with technological advancements and...
Read moreDetailsA recent World Bank Report has shown that Malaysia's path to becoming a high-income nation involves economic reform focusing on...
Read moreDetailsAt the FutureCFO Conference series, organised by Cxociety, finance leaders in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand ranked automation...
Read moreDetailsArtificial intelligence promises to enhance operational efficiency, improve decision-making, and help CFOs and the finance team drive strategic value. However,...
Read moreDetailsFinancial transformation has emerged as a critical imperative for organisations in 2024, driven by the need to adapt to rapidly...
Read moreDetailsThe Horváth CFO Study 2025 reveals a notable sense of optimism among Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), with 65% expressing positive...
Read moreDetailsThe banking sector in Asia is renowned for its resilience and adaptability, and it must continue to innovate to thrive....
Read moreDetailsThe convergence of AI and ERP offers the potential to overcome traditional barriers to efficiency and accuracy in financial management,...
Read moreDetailsOn 31 July 2023, the European Union (EU) adopted the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), requiring EU and non-EU companies...
Read moreDetailsThe CIMA Foundation says “disaster don’t discriminate, but people do”. The journey to gender parity remains obstructed by a myriad...
Read moreDetailsThe Workiva 2023 Global ESG Practitioner Survey reveals that 90% of surveyed practitioners agree that in the next two years,...
Read moreDetailsBiopharma firm, Cytiva, formerly known as GE Healthcare, developing many products for researchers, academia, and biopharma, including end-to-end solutions from...
Read moreDetailsA Forbes article suggests that 2024 will be tough for everyone. FutureCFO discourse with finance and business leaders echoes the...
Read moreDetailsThere are many issues and priorities that are high on the agenda of the Board and C-suite in 2024. According...
Read moreDetailsNatalie Runyon Natalie Runyon, director of ESG content and advisory services at Thomson Reuters Institute, predicts that in 2024, businesses...
Read moreDetailsIn recent years, the role of chief financial officer (CFO) has never been more challenging as it is fulfilling for...
Read moreDetailsTalent shortage continues to persist in many parts of the world including Asia. In Singapore, for example, the shortage of...
Read moreDetails“The role of the CFO has become one of the most complex and demanding in the C-suite. From financial expertise...
Read moreDetailsSpreadsheet use remains a staple of many business functions. And why not? It is relatively easy to use. The software...
Read moreDetailsHowever, we may belittle it as a product of the late 70s technology, the spreadsheet remains a preferred first tool...
Read moreDetailsThe Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) team performs budgeting, forecasting, and analysis that support major corporate decisions of the CFO,...
Read moreDetails“I think we need to recognise that the CFO role can mean a lot of different things in different businesses....
Read moreDetailsBusinesses face a tremendous number of uncertainties. And this list is only getting longer daily, with many uncertainties remaining persistent....
Read moreDetailsGartner says to build an AI-driven finance organisation for the future will require a combination of technical and business skills...
Read moreDetailsThe demand for mobile wallets, online banking services, and the increasing adoption of digital technologies has led to the expansion...
Read moreDetailsWithout a doubt, artificial intelligence (AI) is now a topic of interest among CFOs. How to properly channel this interest...
Read moreDetailsIn an autonomous finance function, processes and activities are partly governed and majority operated by self-learning software agents that optimise...
Read moreDetailsS&P forecasts that Asia-Pacific will achieve real growth of 3.5% in 2023 while Europe and the U.S. will likely face...
Read moreDetailsIn its perspective, Finance 2025: Digital transformation in finance, Deloitte predicts that with the automation of operations, finance will double...
Read moreDetailsCOVID-19 may have gone the way of a pandemic, but uncertainty remains the norm in 2023. Be it the geopolitical...
Read moreDetailsThe three years since 2020 saw organisations focus on digitalisation, payment efficiency, security, and cash forecasting. With continuing uncertainty in...
Read moreDetailsIndonesia is the largest archipelago in the world to form a single state and consists of five main islands and...
Read moreDetailsGartner surveys looking to 2022 show that CFOs, controllers and heads of financial planning and analysis (FP&A) are all focused...
Read moreDetailsFor much of 2022, CFOs faced a new list of responsibilities and the added pressure of fostering a culture and...
Read moreDetailsGartner says finance transformation encompasses strategic initiatives designed to revolutionise the way the corporate finance function manages its strategy, processes,...
Read moreDetailsWarren Buffet famously explained his management strategy with the University of Maryland students in November 2013 saying: “Cash at that...
Read moreDetailsEach year, FutureCFO invites executives to share their experiences and expertise so that others can benefit from the shared wisdom....
Read moreDetailsDigital transformation has elevated the role of the finance function from financial steward to enabled. The extended COVID-19 pandemic has...
Read moreDetailsThe latest projections from the Asian Development Bank are that the region is expected to grow 4.3% this year, down...
Read moreDetailsWhile it is common to find a chief finance officer (CFO) helming a large or multinational organisation, the costs associated...
Read moreDetailsChallenging may be the appropriate word to document the environment that will greet businesses in 2023. We are faced with...
Read moreDetailsExponential technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and automation have sparked the next wave in enterprise transformation, offering both...
Read moreDetailsFinancial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) teams play a crucial role in companies by performing budgeting, forecasting, and analysis that support...
Read moreDetails* Editor's note: This article is co-produced by Sukhpreet Kaur The Accenture report, CFO Now: Breakthrough speed for breakout value, noted...
Read moreDetailsThe face of retail has been changing since the start of digital transformation. Many traditional retailers have witnessed the rise...
Read moreDetailsThe Kroll 2022 Cyber Risk and CFOs report, Over-Confidence is Costly, revealed that 84% of CFOs in Asia Pacific acknowledge...
Read moreDetailsThe fans of inflation are diverting focus for many CFOs from pursuing innovation and growth strategies to curtailing possible runaway...
Read moreDetailsAccording to S&P Global, APAC M&A activity in Q1 2022 retreated from 2021’s highs, with deal value for the quarter...
Read moreDetailsIn June 2022, after two years of delay, the Thailand Personal Data Protection Act B.E.2562 came into effect. The act...
Read moreDetailsIn March 2022, a University of Georgia’s Consumer Analytics programsurvey noted that burnout is an increasingly prevalent and impactful issue...
Read moreDetailsIDC forecasts that direct digital transformation investments will accelerate to 16.5% CAGR 2022-2024 becoming 55% of all ICT investments by...
Read moreDetailsEnvironmental, social and governance (ESG) programs can pose unique challenges to finance chiefs charged with maximizing returns. Reason? Big price...
Read moreDetails* Editor's note: This article is co-produced by Sukhpreet Kaur During the first quarter of 2020, while China, the UN World...
Read moreDetailsWith businesses and governments becoming more digital, this puts the onus on data centres, regardless of who owns or operates...
Read moreDetails* Editor's note: This article is co-produced by Sukhpreet Kaur Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie may have challenged the wealthy to support social...
Read moreDetailsLarge companies typically have subsidiary businesses that sell to each other. The idea is to build the capability to deliver...
Read moreDetails"ESG has become a popular shorthand for all the non-financial issues that affect business and investor success. It stands for...
Read moreDetailsThe travel industry has been at the hard hit by the pandemic. But with markets around the region and globally...
Read moreDetailsLove them or hate it, spreadsheets have been around since 1979 with the release of VisiCalc, a program written for...
Read moreDetailsIn an EY podcast on Why “cash culture” is a critical lever in today’s PE climate, Nick Boreo from EY...
Read moreDetailsFinance leaders are increasingly focused on digital transformation initiatives despite having to deal with other pressing issues like revenue, profitability,...
Read moreDetailsThe Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, unanimously adopted by 189 countries in 1995, remains the strongest global consensus for...
Read moreDetailsThe pandemic remains a test of mettle. This is particularly so for leadership. In good times, it is easy to...
Read moreDetailsCo-produced by Sukhpreet Kaur, community manager, CXOCIETY According to McKinsey, in the last decade, finance departments have reduced costs by...
Read moreDetailsCo-produced by Sukhpreet Kaur, community manager, CXOCIETY Deloitte’s updated Finance 2025: Digital transformation in finance lists eight predictions revolving around...
Read moreDetailsCo-produced by Sukhpreet Kaur, community manager, CXOCIETY Alexander Bant, chief of research for CFOs at Gartner predicts that 2022 will...
Read moreDetails“Life challenges us, so that we become enlightened. And by recognizing our true intrinsic nature — our transcendent potential —...
Read moreDetailsAccording to Fung Business Intelligence Centre (FBIC), a Hong Kong-based think tank, China’s retail sales will likely grow by six...
Read moreDetailsAccording to the Gartner View from the Board of Directors 2021 survey, 69% of board members want to accelerate digital...
Read moreDetailsIra Winkler, chief information security officer with Skyline Technology Solutions in the US, recommends that CFOs consider ransomware prevention as...
Read moreDetailsGartner predicts that 90% of large organizations globally will adopt Robotic process automation (RPA) in some form by 2022 and...
Read moreDetailsGartner forecasts that global spending on security and risk management will exceed US$150 billion in 2021 adding cloud adoption and...
Read moreDetailsIt is anticipated that the next decade’s finance's focus will be towards achieving even higher levels of effectiveness.
Read moreDetailsS&P Global noted $100 million of US M&A deals were terminated in 2020 because of COVID-19. Aris Wong cautions this...
Read moreDetailsTransformation will require an ecosystem of technologies, skills, and experiences to help the business meet its stated goals cost-effectively.
Read moreDetails“The best-of-breed solution, like Esker’s, gives you a platform to allow AR and AP specialists to perform their jobs more...
Read moreDetailsKim Yeoh, CFO for Sun Life Asia, explains that the role of the CFO is no longer just about accounting....
Read moreDetailsThe CFO’s role remains unchanged. He or she will be involved in the financial aspects of any M&A activity, whether...
Read moreDetailsThis Oracle NetSuite guide offers clear benefits to investing in financial management software earlier than might feel necessary.
Read moreDetailsThis whitepaper offers a different perspective on how to deliver on that uniqueness businesses want to convey by internalising the...
Read moreDetailsAutomation will give finance leaders deep insight into all their financial transactions which they currently cannot achieve especially where paper-based...
Read moreDetailsFutureCFO spoke to two CFOs on how women finance professionals are coping with the changes brought about by the COVID-19...
Read moreDetailsProper tax management can lead to lower effective tax rates, better business decision-making, and greater accuracy in financial reporting.
Read moreDetailsA CFO cares about the data centre on several accounts: multi-year financial investment, compliance, operational efficiency, and impact to customers.
Read moreDetailsThe pandemic has exposed gaps in the policies, the processes, the technologies that finance and accounting rely on. Technology and...
Read moreDetailsA FutureCFO-Workday roundtable discussed the rising value of data in the CFO organization, the humanization of the role, and how...
Read moreDetailsWith an estimated U$17 Trillion marine-specific cross-border value of goods being traded, Incomlend CEO, Morgan Terigi, is confident there is...
Read moreDetailsCFOs recognise of the role of digital to redefine and transform finance, and the imperative to use the opportunity to...
Read moreDetailsMark Velthuis, president for Asia-Pacific and Japan at Jedox, shares his observation to elevate planning & analysis beyond finance to...
Read moreDetailsA recent FutureCFO C-Engage vRoundtable examined the role of digitalization in addressing these challenges and gaps. Co-hosed by Kyriba, the...
Read moreDetailsIT vendors should not limit their discussions to the CIO because it is a technology project. CFOs have a say...
Read moreDetails2021 is here. It is a new year presenting new opportunities. It is also likely that challenges from 2020 are...
Read moreDetailsWe are winding down the year 2020. With the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, the outlook while still grim remains hopeful...
Read moreDetailsIn this episode of PodChats for FutureCFO, David Upton, Jedox's Director of Strategic Partnerships and Alliances APAC, shares his views...
Read moreDetailsAccounting is the language of business. So said Warren Buffet, billionaire, philanthropist, investor and business tycoon. He acknowledged having taken...
Read moreDetailsIt has been nine months since a virus has been labelled COVID-19 and measures to stop the spread of the...
Read moreDetailsAs finance undergoes adopts technologies like cloud, automation, machine learning, artificial intelligence, Terry Smagh, senior vice president & general manager,...
Read moreDetailsBefore the COVID-19 outbreak, many finance functions across a range of organisations and sectors were already transforming or evaluating their...
Read moreDetailsUnlike a typical financial downturn, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic has been far more difficult to predict. The virus continues...
Read moreDetailsFinance is filled with numerous repetitive tasks (such as copying and pasting variables across spreadsheets), generating countless reports, and offering...
Read moreDetailsCOVID-19 has raised the importance of having cost clarity and cash visibility. This paper offers some tips on how to...
Read moreDetailsThe SAP Concur 2020 survey, Finance in the New World of Work, revealed gaps in organisations’ expense management, business travel,...
Read moreDetailsTo describe the CFO’s role as a strategic advisory to the executive leadership and the Board is to oversimplify what...
Read moreDetailsTechnology has become an important influence and enabler of business – no matter the size and industry. The challenge for...
Read moreDetailsWe are already in the midst of a talent war. Spurred by changing market dynamics, adoption of automation, low-cost outsourcing...
Read moreDetailsIn times of crisis, cash is king. IBM's Tony Lee discusses capital optimization as an everyday strategy that finance must...
Read moreDetailsVenture capitalist Ben Horowitz compared the CEO’s role of “owning the ground” versus the CFO’s role of “owning the map”,...
Read moreDetailsDuring the M&A process, it is always more about people than numbers. It is of the utmost importance to connect...
Read moreDetailsWriting about career prospects for 2020 seems out of place at a time when professionals are worried about their jobs...
Read moreDetailsKarthik Natarajan, regional CFO for P&G's AMA region shares his perspective on digital transformation, the evolving role of the CFO,...
Read moreDetailsSingapore is performing well with over four-in-five companies (83.2%) producing a form of integrated bottom-line, TBL report. However, much still...
Read moreDetailsAs finance undergoes its own transformation and adopts technologies like cloud, automation, machine learning, and collaboration because of WFH, we...
Read moreDetailsWith overall responsibility for the company budget, the CFO needs to understand and guide the organisation's IT strategy as an...
Read moreDetailsMike San Diego says CFOs are trained to “talk” to numbers – to decipher what the numbers are telling "you...
Read moreDetailsThe truth is talent is parity. The reality is that female CFOs outperform their male counterparts because they are held...
Read moreDetailsStatista estimates that total assets under management in the robo-advisory segment will reach US$327,596 million in 2020, with compound annual...
Read moreDetailsAngie Lin, co-founder and chief investment officer at Assured Asset Management adds that the CFO has to look beyond the...
Read moreDetailsGianluca Pizzituti, ceo and co-founder of Velotrade, says SMBs are just one of three groups of companies and people who...
Read moreDetailsI have heard predictions about the future (or lack of it) of spreadsheets. But in the last five years I...
Read moreDetailsAccording to IDC robotic process automation (RPA) and intelligent automation (IA) will play a pivotal role in addressing business problems...
Read moreDetails“If there is a challenge there's an opportunity. If you solve (or invented) an opportunity, another challenge will rise from...
Read moreDetails"Variabilization of cost is music to the CFO’s ears. And with the amount of competition in the area of cloud...
Read moreDetailsTo say that automation is a recent development is to ignore the 5,000 years of human evolution. The term automation...
Read moreDetailsData management failures have drawn regulatory and public scrutiny, leading to increased regulatory burdens and pressure on organisations and their...
Read moreDetailsFinance transformation is no longer an option. It should be a given – at least for organisations that are on...
Read moreDetailsThe Robert Half report, Finance 2020 Closer than you think, paints a conundrum for those pursuing a career in finance....
Read moreDetailsThe new expectation of finance is decision-support. Knowing what happened in the past and why it happened is important. But...
Read moreDetailshttps://youtu.be/dZEpqvxJtFs Rishi Mehra, financial controller Asia-Pacific at AON, observed that the amount of data organisations have created is huge. “We...
Read moreDetailsToday, finance is about understanding and checking the hypotheses behind management’s views, and ensuring the goals being pursued are aligned...
Read moreDetailsFutureCFO spoke to TIBCO Software CFO, Tom Berquist, on the evolving role of a CFO as influenced by data, cloud...
Read moreDetailsTIBCO Software's Pierre Bonnet expands upon the challenges, trends and opportunities for the Chief Finance Officer and the Finance function to...
Read moreDetails“It’s not a backroom role anymore. It’s to drive confidence, attract capital, and put capital to best use. The new...
Read moreDetailsGrab and GO-JEK reinventing on-demand mobility to go beyond rides-haring for sustained profitability
Read moreDetailsIDC says enterprises worldwide will pour $1.18 trillion into digital transformation-related efforts in 2019. Much of this budget will go...
Read moreDetailsCIOs concede that technology is mind-numbingly rapid and is coining new phrases. Your real concern lives elsewhere.
Read moreDetailsSpreadsheets have been around since 1969. Perhaps it is time to make way for new technology like AI or automation....
Read moreDetailsCFOs and the finance department are the typical target for hackers because they are the caretakers of the business’ finances...
Read moreDetailsThe average person in Hong Kong has 4.5 credit cards. With the introduction of virtual banking, the interest in personal...
Read moreDetailsThe Deloitte paper, The Future CFOs: Thriving in chaos and driving change, highlights the growing importance of finance for driving...
Read moreDetailsIn the digital economy, a well-performing company, particularly a publicly traded business, must have a good handle over its financial...
Read moreDetailsUnderutilized shared services means 29% more service disruptions and 19% more customer complaints
Read moreDetailsFutureCFO.net is about empowering the CFO and the Finance Team to take on the leadership position in the digitalization of the enterprise. It's more than just a portal for the exchange of industry best practices, it is about creating and growing a community of finance professionals able to share learned experiences, providing a platform for the current and next generation of finance leaders and professionals.
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