In this episode of CFO Weekly, Ashok Manthena, CFO and Chief Finance AI Officer at ChatFin, joins Megan Weis to explore what practical AI adoption inside finance teams actually looks like, where the greatest value is being unlocked, and how leaders can move from early experimentation to meaningful transformation. Ashok brings a uniquely hands-on perspective, having worked closely with CFOs across FP&A, treasury, tax, and controllership to automate manual work, improve decision-making, and drive productivity through AI.
With experience spanning mid-sized to large enterprises and a background that predates the ChatGPT era of AI in finance, Ashok shares how organizational readiness, change management, and domain expertise are often more decisive than the technology itself. Currently serving as CFO and Chief Finance AI Officer at ChatFin, he helps organizations bridge the gap between AI excitement and sustainable, high-ROI implementation, challenging conventional thinking on process cleanup, build-vs-buy decisions, and the future skills that will define the finance function.
What You’ll Learn:- Why change management matters more than technology in AI adoption
- How to identify the highest-ROI use cases in finance vs. the obvious ones
- Why broken processes may not need to be fixed before deploying AI
- How mid-sized companies can move faster on AI without overspending
- What slows down large enterprises and how an AI champion changes that
- Why domain knowledge not AI fluency will be the ultimate differentiator
Learn More About Ashok:- Ashok Manthena on LinkedIn
- ChatFin Website
Episode resources:- Personiv's Website
- Personiv on LinkedIn
- Personiv on Facebook
- Personiv on Twitter
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Previous guests include: Tom McDermott, CFO at Career Certified, Claire Bramley, CFO at Teradata, Chris Miles, Founder of Money Ripples, Ranil DeSilva, CFO & COO at CARE, Jordan Grumet, Financial Independence Expert & Host of Earn & Invest & William Washington, Global CFO at Baker McKenzie
Check out some of our most recent episodes:- Driving Value Beyond Finance with Tom McDermott
- Why CFOs Are the Chief Everything Officers with Claire Bramley
- Why Traditional Financial Advice Fails and What To Do Instead with Chris Miles
- NGO Finance Secrets: CARE’s $900M Strategy with Ranil DeSilva
- What Lights You Up? with Jordan Grumet
- Become a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt with William Washington
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