Beyond the AI Hype: Building Finance Teams Ready for 2026

The reality check: Gartner predicts 90% of finance functions will deploy at least one AI-enabled solution in 2026, but adoption alone won't transform your team. The real question is whether your finance professionals have the skills to leverage AI to save time and focus on better serving the business or organization. You're caught in a familiar bind. Leadership wants faster insights and strategic analysis, but your team is stuck maintaining manual reporting processes and fighting with tools that weren't built for finance in 2026. Meanwhile, AI promises to revolutionize everything - but without the right foundation of data, skills and technology, it's just another buzzword. Join Wassia Kamon, CPA, CMA, MBA (CFO, ACE, and Host, The Diary of a CFO podcast), Paul Barnhurst (The FP&A Guy, and host of FP&A Unlocked), and Mike Wiley from insightsoftware for a candid conversation about what it really takes to prepare your finance team for the next evolution of financial planning and analysis. In this session, you'll discover:

• The skills gap holding teams back - Why data analytics and AI literacy matter more than ever (and how to build them without overwhelming your team)

• Where AI actually delivers value - Moving beyond the hype to identify practical applications that free your team from reporting drudgery and enable strategic work

• The human advantage that technology can't replace - How business acumen, data storytelling, and strategic thinking become your team's differentiators in an AI-enabled world

• Practical implementation strategies - Building a roadmap that balances modern technology with skill development, without creating IT dependency or data bottlenecks

Whether you're leading a team of 3 or 30, this conversation will give you actionable insights to help your finance professionals move beyond tactical reporting and into strategic partnership - using tools that actually understand how finance data works.