FINANCIAL STRATEGY
reconciling information, rebuilding reports and determining which numbers are reliable. That slows decision-making at exactly the point when leaders need visibility into cash, spend, performance and risk. It reflects a wider challenge for the finance function. In the UK, 91 % of finance respondents say they spend significant time coordinating or translating work between teams or business systems. During an integration, that burden becomes even more acute: finance can end up acting as the manual connection point between two organisations. Controls can also come under pressure. New entities, processes and regulatory requirements add complexity to close, audit and compliance activities, while the business expects finance to demonstrate that the deal is delivering its intended value. The strategic priority is to establish a trusted, connected foundation early, so finance can focus on accelerating integration and value creation rather than repairing fragmented information flows.
How are those hurdles best mitigated with AI versus‘ oldfashioned’ human methods? We don’ t want to frame this as AI versus people. The better model is AI and finance professionals working on what each does best. Traditionally, finance has depended heavily on manual coordination: extracting data, reconciling differences, chasing approvals and updating reports.
The best model allows AI and finance professionals to work on what each does best
Tim Wakeford VP of Product Management Workday
These activities will always be necessary, but they consume time that finance teams could be applying to risk assessment, scenario planning and strategic decision-making. AI can support defined, repeatable parts of that work, such as identifying exceptions, preparing reconciliations for review, explaining variances and routing issues to the right person. That leaves finance teams the capacity to concentrate on judgement, oversight and exceptions rather than acting as the glue between disconnected systems. However, this only works when AI is embedded in trusted finance processes. In high-stakes activities, it needs access to the relevant financial context and must operate within established permissions, controls and audit trails. That is how AI can help finance move faster without weakening governance.
Will finance leaders look to AI to replace human counterparts in the M & A process? No one is looking to clear out the finance department. The opportunity with AI is to take pressure off of the work that slows them down and give finance the capacity to re-focus on value creation.
68 September 2026