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19 June 2026 9:45:00 AM
14 min
“Your finance team today is probably the largest it's ever going to be.” That statement sparked plenty of discussion during my presentation at the Finance Transformation Summit Victoria 2026 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. For many years, finance transformation conversations have centred around automation, process improvement and digitalisation. This year felt different. The conversations were no ...
“Your finance team today is probably the largest it's ever going to be.”
That statement sparked plenty of discussion during my presentation at the Finance Transformation Summit Victoria 2026 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.
For many years, finance transformation conversations have centred around automation, process improvement and digitalisation. This year felt different.
The conversations were no longer about whether AI will impact finance. They were about how quickly organisations can implement it, where to start, and how to do it safely while maintaining governance and control.
With more than 300 CFOs, finance leaders and transformation professionals in attendance, the event provided an excellent opportunity to discuss the future of finance and demonstrate how AI is already delivering measurable outcomes in real-world finance teams.
The attendance throughout the summit highlighted the growing urgency around finance transformation.
During my session, I focused on practical use cases rather than AI theory.
The message was simple:
AI is no longer a future concept for finance teams. It is already being deployed to improve forecasting, accelerate month-end close processes, automate repetitive tasks and provide deeper business insights.
One of the strongest themes discussed was that finance leaders can no longer view AI as an optional innovation project. Boards are already asking questions about how AI will improve productivity, enhance decision-making and reduce operational costs.
As I shared with attendees:
"If finance teams are seeking additional budget or additional headcount in the future, one of the first questions leadership will ask is how AI is being used to improve efficiency."
One of the key topics discussed was the growing risk of disconnected planning processes.
Many organisations continue to operate with fragmented planning models, disconnected spreadsheets and departmental silos. While these approaches may have worked in the past, they create significant risk in an increasingly volatile business environment.
Today's organisations need to understand the cause-and-effect relationship between sales, workforce planning, inventory, operations and financial performance.
Without integrated planning, leaders are making decisions based on incomplete information.
Before organisations can fully realise the benefits of AI, they must first establish a solid foundation of trusted data and integrated planning processes.
AI can accelerate decision-making, but it cannot compensate for poor data quality or disconnected planning practices.
One of the highlights of the event was the strong interest generated at the Octane booth.
Rather than talking about AI in abstract terms, we ran live demonstrations throughout the day, showing finance professionals exactly how AI can be applied to their daily operations.
Our demonstrations showcased:
Finance teams spend countless hours reconciling data, preparing journals, investigating variances and producing reports.
Using AI-powered agents, much of this repetitive effort can now be automated, allowing finance professionals to focus on analysis rather than administration.
Attendees were particularly interested in seeing how AI can assist finance teams to:
Build forecasts faster
Analyse larger data sets
Identify emerging trends earlier
Generate deeper business insights
Produce more accurate planning scenarios
How do we get started?
Which use cases deliver value first?
How do we maintain governance and control?
How do we protect sensitive financial information?
How can AI support our existing finance systems?
What skills will finance teams need in the future?
Rather than replacing finance professionals, AI becomes a force multiplier that allows teams to operate at a much higher level.
Perhaps the most popular demonstrations showed how AI can take responsibility for repetitive process work that consumes valuable finance resources.
Tasks that traditionally required significant manual effort can now be completed faster, more consistently and with greater transparency.
The reaction from attendees was overwhelmingly positive because they could immediately see how these capabilities could be applied within their own organisations.
Throughout the day, our team had conversations with CFOs and finance leaders from many of Melbourne's leading organisations.
Interestingly, the questions were no longer focused on whether AI works.
Instead, the discussions centred around:
These are exactly the right questions.
The organisations that will succeed with AI are not necessarily those investing the most money. They are the organisations that start with practical business outcomes and implement AI responsibly.
The level of engagement at the summit exceeded expectations.
Our team conducted demonstrations throughout the day and generated strong interest in follow-up workshops, executive briefings and deeper demonstrations focused on finance-specific AI use cases.
What became clear is that finance leaders are looking for practical guidance.
They want to understand:
Where AI can create value today
How to implement it safely
How to maintain auditability and governance
How to prepare their teams for the future
The most important takeaway from the Finance Transformation Summit was that AI has moved beyond experimentation.
Finance leaders are no longer evaluating whether AI will impact their organisations.
They are actively determining how quickly they can adopt it.
The organisations that embrace integrated planning, trusted data foundations and practical AI use cases will be best positioned to improve productivity, enhance decision-making and create a competitive advantage.
The future of finance won't be defined by larger teams.
It will be defined by smarter teams, empowered by AI.
Octane is helping organisations across Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, India and the Middle East implement practical AI solutions for planning, forecasting, financial close and decision support.
Contact us to arrange an executive briefing, workshop or live demonstration and see how AI can transform your finance function today.
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300+ finance leaders. One clear message. AI in Finance has moved from theory to reality.
It was a privilege to present at the Finance Transformation Summit Victoria 2026 at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, alongside many of the industry's leading finance and transformation experts.
My presentation focused on a simple reality:
"Your finance team today is probably the largest it's ever going to be."
AI is already helping finance teams:
✅ Close faster
✅ Forecast better
✅ Automate repetitive work
✅ Deliver deeper insights
✅ Improve decision-making
Throughout the day, the Octane team ran live demonstrations showing AI in action for finance teams. The response was incredible, with strong interest in follow-up workshops and executive demonstrations.
The conversations have changed. CFOs are no longer asking if AI will impact finance. They are asking how quickly they can implement it safely and effectively.
Thank you to everyone who attended our session, visited the Octane booth and shared their perspectives on the future of finance.
The future of finance is not about bigger teams. It's about smarter teams powered by AI.
#FinanceTransformation #AI #CFO #Finance #FPandA #PlanningAnalytics #IBM #Watsonx #FinanceLeadership #DigitalTransformation #Octane #ArtificialIntelligence #FinanceInnovation #MarvelStadium #MelbourneBusiness #FutureOfFinance
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