AI won’t save you from bad data – but your people can, at GENCFO Meet in London
At the latest GENCFO Meet in London, finance leaders gathered to explore the gap between AI potential and real-world readiness. Chris Argent opened the session by framing the conversation around a critical paradox: finance teams want AI to deliver smarter, faster decisions—but most still struggle with disorganised, disconnected data.
To unpack this, the panel featured Rajiv Chandra, Director of Finance Analytics and Value Creation at Virgin Media o2, Maria Olympha Preston, CFO of Luca Faloni, and Matt Glock, VP of Client Services at Keboola.
Rajiv emphasised that tools alone can’t solve broken data processes. “You can’t automate chaos,” he noted, arguing that transformation starts with empowered, data-literate teams. Maria shared her experience restructuring teams to better steward and govern data. She stressed that many issues labelled as ‘tech problems’ are really ‘people problems’—and leadership must recognise that.
Matt highlighted the disconnect between what AI could do and what organisations are truly ready for. Without usable data and collaborative practices, AI becomes more of a distraction than a solution. The discussion repeatedly returned to a core idea: people, not platforms, are the foundation of future-ready finance.
Questions from the audience reflected shared concerns—about Excel dependency, slow adoption of data skills, and leadership hesitation. The panel encouraged attendees to build confidence and clarity internally before investing heavily in new tools.
The event closed with three provocations:
- What’s the real barrier—budget or belief?
- Are we expecting AI to fix problems we haven’t defined
- And most importantly—are our teams ready for the tools we already have?
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Author
Former CFO, Analytics & Finance Transformation Lead, and Founder of GENCFO, Chris is also the creator of the Digital Finance Function Model. Chris specialises in guiding organisations through the shift towards digital transformation in accounting and finance, demonstrating what success looks like and providing the support needed to achieve it.