The Controllers Council and Paystand had a discussion on CFO and Controller Tech Bets for 2026. The conversation brought together Genevieve Hancock, CFO and Principal Consultant at G Hancock Advisory, and Dinah Chen, Business Controller at Atlas Copco Group. The discussion moved beyond tools and trends, focusing instead on judgment, sequencing, and the organizational realities that shape technology outcomes.
A mixed landscape of automation
Polling during the session confirmed what many corporate finance and accounting (F&A) leaders experience daily. Most organizations are operating in a blended environment, with manual processes alongside pockets of automation. Dinah Chen described this as an expected result of scale and decentralization, noting that within Atlas Copco, “hundreds of entities globally within the group are in different phases of the projects.” More mature entities have achieved high levels of automation and stronger business intelligence, while newer or recently acquired units continue to rely on manual intervention. Genevieve Hancock echoed this view from her experience across public and private organizations, particularly those with international operations. She observed that the level of automation often depends on statutory requirements, local systems, and audit expectations, adding that some European ERP environments are already designed to translate local reporting into U.S. GAAP with minimal friction.
Ownership of F&A technology decisions
Another clear theme was the expanding role F&A leaders play across the technology lifecycle. Polling showed that respondents are most involved in identifying requirements, followed closely by implementation and selection. Training, while critical, often receives less direct attention from leadership. Genevieve emphasized that implementation success depends on seeing technology as a full process change, not a software event. She stressed the importance of timing system cutovers cleanly and involving auditors early, explaining that if data cannot be replicated across periods, “it’s a lot harder to audit.” She also recommended documenting decisions through an IT scorecard to preserve institutional reasoning as teams and systems evolve. Dinah offered a practical example from Atlas Copco, where finance initiated a real-time labor efficiency report by coordinating IT, digital leaders, and a third-party payroll provider. The goal was speed and relevance, allowing teams to respond to performance deviations immediately rather than waiting for month-end results.
Where technology investment is heading?
Looking ahead to 2026, both panelists converged on a clear priority. Accounts payable and accounts receivable remain prime candidates for further automation, especially in organizations still operating manually. Genevieve framed the decision in simple terms, stating that finance has two levers as companies grow: “It’s either adding more headcount or it’s automation.” She emphasized scalability and system connectivity as the deciding factors when evaluating new investments. For more advanced organizations, artificial intelligence is becoming the next layer rather than a replacement. Dinah described initiatives within Atlas Copco to apply AI in AR workflows, including sorting customer emails, summarizing correspondence, and ranking priorities so teams know where to start each day. She also outlined plans to reorganize data platforms to support more frequent refreshes, customized analysis, and fewer manual journal entries, all under what the team refers to as smarter accounting.
AI adoption with caution and intent
Audience polling revealed that experimentation dominates current AI adoption. Most organizations are testing specific workflows, while fewer are running formal pilots or engaging consultants. Neither panelist found this surprising. From a consulting perspective, Genevieve noted that discomfort often stems from security and governance concerns. She cautioned against treating AI as a search engine, describing it instead as “a synthesizer that can learn based on what your trends are.” Without clear prompts, rubrics, and controls, results can mislead as easily as they can inform. Dinah described a similar approach within her organization, where built-in tools such as Microsoft Copilot and Power BI are being explored to reduce repetitive work and enable more agile analysis without constant IT involvement. Larger, standardized AI initiatives, she noted, still require external support to ensure that scale and return on investment justify the effort.
How F&A roles are changing?
When asked to look three years ahead, both speakers anticipated a continued shift away from data preparation and toward business partnership. Dinah expects future roles to focus on applying AI tools to improve communication across functions and to surface operational risks earlier. Genevieve shared that expectation, adding that faster closes and more reliable outputs should allow finance leaders to spend more time on capital allocation, growth decisions, and cross-functional collaboration.
Advice for 2026 planning
As the discussion closed, each panelist offered concise guidance. Dinah encouraged finance leaders to engage directly with emerging technologies and use them to strengthen business support. Genevieve advised leaders to assess the entire process and prioritize investments that free up the most time, creating capacity for future innovation rather than incremental change. For F&A leaders mapping their technology roadmaps, the message was consistent throughout the session. Progress comes from clear ownership, realistic sequencing, and disciplined evaluation of where automation and AI truly add value. Watch the full webinar: https://controllerscouncil.org/events/cfo-and-controller-tech-bets-for-2026/ ABOUT OUR SPONSOR: Paystand is revolutionizing B2B payments with a modern infrastructure built as a SaaS on the blockchain, enabling faster, cheaper, and more secure business transactions. Paystand’s mission is to reboot commercial finance by creating an open financial system. Learn more at www.paystand.com.
