CFO Connect Summit 2025: 3 Days of AI in Finance (Recordings + Insights)

The CFO Connect Summit brought together 1,500 finance professionals and leading experts for 3 days dedicated to AI in finance. From practical ROI frameworks to hands-on tool demonstrations, this landmark event delivered the insights finance leaders need to navigate the AI revolution successfully.

According to the 2025 AI Index Report by Stanford HAI, global private investment in AI grew by 26 % year over year. The WEF’s “Artificial Intelligence in Financial Services 2025” report notes that about 70 % of financial services executives now believe AI will directly contribute to revenue growth in the coming years.

What's Inside This Complete Recap

• Day 1 highlights: Strategic AI implementation and ROI measurement frameworks

• Day 2 insights: Building AI-ready teams and driving cultural transformation

• Day 3 takeaways: Live tool demos and practical integration strategies

• Key quotes from industry leaders at OpenAI, Zapier, Dust, and more

• Actionable frameworks you can implement immediately

Day 1: Strategic Foundation - Learn How AI is Reshaping Finance

Day 1 focused on building the strategic foundation for AI adoption, exploring career evolution and establishing robust ROI measurement frameworks.

3 Golden Nuggets from Day 1

→ Treat AI like a product: pick one high-friction workflow, test/iterate, then scale.

→ Focus on ROI from what you already have: consolidate your existing platforms before adding new point tools.

→ Measure beyond "time saved": prioritise zero-to-one capabilities and quality lift tied to top strategic goals.

The opening day set the tone with a crucial insight from Ryan Roccon, CFO at Zapier: "Start bottom-up to spark adoption, but pair it with a top-down edict to drive real transformation."

Watch Day 1 Replays →

Day 1 Sessions: Building Your AI Strategy

Future-Proofing Your Finance Career: Upskilling, Salary Trends, and Thriving Alongside AI

This session explored how finance professionals can adapt and thrive in the AI-driven future, highlighting key upskilling opportunities to stay relevant in evolving roles. Attendees gained insights into emerging salary trends, the growing value of digital and AI fluency, and strategies to position themselves for career growth amid automation and transformation in finance.

Speakers: Jessica Pillow (Global Head of Total Rewards, Deel), Mike Tsang (Finance Director, ARIA), Dav Masaon (Co-founder, Zanda)

Measuring What Matters: How CFOs Can Accurately Assess ROI from AI Initiatives

This session addressed the real-world challenge CFOs face in accurately measuring AI ROI amid unpredictable outcomes and evolving technology. It provided practical frameworks for capturing not just cost savings but also productivity gains, risk mitigation, and strategic advantages—key pain points expressed by finance leaders today.

Speakers: Ryan Roccon (CFO, Zapier), Dan Zhang (CFO, ClickUp), Lucile Cornet (Partner, Eight Roads)

Day 2: Driving Cultural Transformation – Build AI-Ready Teams

Day 2 shifted focus to the human side of AI transformation, providing strategies for driving adoption across the business and building AI-ready finance teams.

3 Golden Nuggets from Day 2

→ Redesign roles, don't backfill: elevate AI champions and run a 90-day automate–upskill–govern plan.

→ Use Copilot Agent Mode: autogenerate a 3-statement financial model (assumptions, IS, BS, CF) in ~90 seconds.

→ Prove ROI like a CFO: track close-time, DSO, errors, decision quality, and deflection—not headcount only.

A standout insight came from Gabriel Hubert, CEO & Co-founder at Dust: "The cost of trying has gone to zero virtually." This perfectly captured the new reality of AI experimentation in finance.

Watch Day 2 Replays →

Day 2 Sessions: Driving Organisational Change

The CFO's Transformation Playbook: Driving AI Adoption, Cultural Change across the Enterprise

This session equipped CFOs with the strategic playbook required for enterprise-wide AI adoption, highlighting the shift from technology deployment to sustained cultural transformation. Senior finance leaders explored executive practices for championing AI as a business imperative, including empowering teams to build their own agentic tools and navigating the build-versus-buy dilemma.

Speakers: Gabriel Hubert (CEO & Co-founder, Dust), Julien Lafouge (CFO, Photoroom), Jérôme Tomasini (Startup & VC Partnerships Southern Europe, Stripe)

Real AI Use Cases: How Microsoft Copilot Integrates with Your Daily Workflows

David Fortin demonstrated practical applications of Microsoft Copilot for finance teams, covering high-level data analysis, complex Excel formula creation, and time-saving chat functionalities. This session cut through the hype to show real, implementable use cases.

Speaker: David Fortin (CPA, Founder, Piggy Bank Accountant)

6 Steps to Build an AI-Ready Finance Team

Rebeca Bichachi shared six practical steps to build an AI-ready finance team, from developing data-driven skills to fostering a culture of adaptability. Attendees walked away with actionable strategies to future-proof their teams and unlock AI's full potential in finance.

Speaker: Rebeca Bichachi (CPA, Product Marketing, NetSuite)

What Are the Most Effective AI Tools for Finance Teams?

Day 3 brought the energy and insights needed to close out strong, featuring live demonstrations from top AI-powered finance tools and a practitioner-led panel on integration strategies.

Day 3: From Insight to Action

💡 5 Live Demos from Top AI-Powered Finance Tools

Featuring Numeric, Drivetrain, Spendesk, Dust, and OpenAI—all showing how AI is reshaping finance workflows today.

🎙️ A Practitioner-Led Panel on Integrating AI into Finance

Experts from OpenAI, Adyen, and Spendesk shared hard-earned lessons:

→ Fix your data before you scale: build one governed finance data core first.

→ Start small, prove value: automate repeatable wins before going big.

→ Make adoption a trust exercise: co-build, explain logic clearly, and give teams time to play.

The panel's key insight came from Yubo She, Head of Technical Accounting at OpenAI: "Treat AI like a control partner: we run detective checks at three stages—contract selection, key-term extraction, and revenue math—so reviewers audit exceptions, not everything."

Watch Day 3 Replays →

Day 3 Sessions: From Insight to Action

AI DemoDay

Quick, 15-minute live demos of the top AI finance tools designed to give attendees a fast, practical look at how leading CFOs are using them today. Each session focused on real workflows and concrete results.

Featured Tools: Numeric, DriveTrain, Spendesk, Dust, OpenAI

Integrating AI Tools Across Financial Workflows

This session distilled the key practical benefits of AI integration—reduced errors, faster reporting, and optimised compliance—while outlining how finance leaders can overcome adoption challenges to achieve efficiency at scale.

Speakers: Yubo She (Head of Technical Accounting, OpenAI), Ido Peled (Head of Finance Data & Technology, Adyen), Pauline Babel (CFO, Spendesk)

Key Takeaways: Your AI Implementation Roadmap

The CFO Connect Summit 2025 delivered a clear message: AI adoption in finance isn't about replacing humans — it's about augmenting capabilities and driving strategic value. Our State of AI in Finance 2025 Report reveals that 85% of CFOs are optimistic about the efficiency gains AI could bring to their teams; however, 61% of finance teams have yet to integrate AI into their workflows. The report highlights that early adopters are already achieving significant time savings — up to 80% reduction in manual data processing time — and more accurate forecasting through automation and AI-powered tools.

Immediate Actions (Next 30 Days)

• Identify one high-friction workflow for AI testing

• Audit your existing tech stack before adding new tools

• Begin measuring AI impact beyond time saved

Medium-Term Goals (90 Days)

• Launch a 90-day automate-upskill-govern plan

• Establish AI champions within your finance team

• Create governance frameworks for AI tool adoption

Long-Term Vision (6-12 Months)

• Build a governed finance data core

• Redesign roles around AI capabilities

• Scale successful pilots across the organisation

In the Contentful CTA format:

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Frequently Asked Questions About AI in Finance

How is AI reshaping finance careers?

AI is creating new roles focused on data analysis, process automation, and strategic decision-making. Finance professionals who develop AI literacy alongside traditional skills are seeing 15-20% salary premiums, according to recent compensation surveys.

What's the ROI of AI tools in finance?

Leading CFOs report 15-25% cost reductions and 23% productivity gains from AI implementation. Key metrics include reduced close times, improved accuracy, and enhanced decision quality rather than just headcount reduction.

How long does it take to see results from AI implementation?

Most finance teams see initial results within 90 days when following a focused approach: pick one high-friction workflow, test and iterate, then scale. Completel transformation typically takes 6-12 months.

What are the biggest challenges in AI adoption for finance teams?

The top challenges include data quality issues, change management, and accurately measuring ROI. Successful implementations focus on fixing data foundations before scaling and treating AI adoption as a cultural transformation, not just technology deployment.

Which AI tools should CFOs prioritise first?

Start with tools that address your highest-friction workflows. Popular starting points include automated financial reporting, expense management, and forecasting tools. The key is consolidating existing platforms before adding new point solutions.

What's Next? Join the Conversation

The CFO Connect Summit may be over, but the AI transformation in finance is just beginning. Don't miss out on continuing this crucial conversation:

🚀 CFO Connect Pro Launch - Join our curated membership for finance leaders who want deeper learning, tighter peer groups, and hands-on support. Official launch on November 18th.

📺 Full Session Replays - Access all recordings, presentation slides, and supplementary materials from every session.

🤝 Community Discussion - Connect with fellow attendees and continue the conversation in our exclusive CFO Connect community.

The future of finance is AI-augmented, data-driven, and strategically focused. The question isn't whether you'll adopt AI—it's how quickly you can implement the frameworks and strategies shared at this groundbreaking summit.

Watch All Replays Now →

Ready to transform your finance function with AI? Start by watching the session replays that best address your current challenges. The CFO Connect community is here to support your journey every step of the way.