One week + meetings with 10 Finance leaders. Here's what they told us...

One week in Sofia... 10+ Finance leaders.
Here’s what I’m seeing on the ground right now.

Despite all the AI hype, very few finance teams are getting real, measurable impact from it yet. But awareness is growing.

From the hundreds of CFOs and finance leaders I’ve spoken to, 90% fall into one of these 3 stages:
1️⃣ Gaining Clarity
Mapping processes. Understanding workflows. Trying to see where time and money are really lost. Before AI, teams need structure.
Most are here.

2️⃣ Fixing Processes
Cleaning ERP flows. Improving reporting. Reducing manual work.
Strong foundations but still limited leverage.
Many are stuck at this stage longer than they’d like.

3️⃣ Trying Things
Testing tools. Running pilots. Learning by doing. Still rare but this is where acceleration starts. It took us 100+ projects to master this phase.

Here’s the pattern I see:
Teams that move fast don’t “buy AI tools”. They build a clear roadmap first.
Processes → Priorities → Automation → Agents.
That’s what creates ROI.

If you’re somewhere between stages 1 and 2 and wondering how to move to 3 without wasting time or budget, feel free to reach out.
Happy to share what’s working and what to avoid.

Intense week. Great conversations.
More details next week.

Have a great weekend,
Alexis

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Originally posted on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/alexischevallot_one-week-in-sofia-10-finance-leaders-activity-7430639085448273921-DCEA