By CXOCIETY | FutureCIO FutureCFO FutureIoT
The podcast currently has 404 episodes available.
CIOs face the challenge of balancing transparency with the competitive edge of proprietary AI models. This requires a strategic approach to communicate AI practices without compromising sensitive algorithms. As global AI regulations evolve, especially in Asia, CIOs must adopt flexible compliance strategies and foster a culture of adherence to both local and international guidelines.
Choosing between custom solutions, vendor partnerships, or off-the-shelf software presents unique pros and cons. Custom solutions offer tailored benefits but require significant investment, while off-the-shelf options provide quick deployment with less flexibility. Regardless of the choice, prioritizing high-quality, unbiased data is essential for ethical AI outcomes. Implementing robust monitoring processes can mitigate biases in AI decisions. To address the talent gap, CIOs should invest in training programs and collaborate with educational institutions, ensuring their organizations possess the necessary skills to navigate the complexities of AI implementation effectively.
In this PodChats for FutureCIO, Ser Yoong Goh, head of compliance at Advance.ai Group helps us navigate the complex landscape of AI implementation.
1. How should a CIO/compliance balance the need for transparency with the competitive advantage of proprietary AI models and algorithms?
2. Given the evolving state of AI regulations and guidelines in Asia and globally, how will CIOs ensure ongoing compliance as the landscape shifts?
3. Is it better to build custom AI solutions in-house, partner with external vendors, or use off-the-shelf AI software? What are the pros and cons of each approach?
4. How are/should CIOs ensuring AI models are trained on high-quality, unbiased data that respects user privacy and data rights?
5. What processes should be in place to monitor for and mitigate unintended biases or errors in AI-driven decisions?
6. Given the pervading talent crunch/gap, how should CIOs address the need to have the right talent and skills in-house to successfully implement and manage AI systems? What works in terms of acquiring or developing this expertise in-house?
7. Mel: Can you share your views on AI guardrails?
As one of the most populous and rapidly developing nations, Indonesia faces unique sustainability challenges, from managing its natural resources to addressing social inequalities. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles have become integral to the country's long-term growth and development strategy, as businesses and policymakers recognize the need to balance economic progress with environmental protection and social responsibility.
At the forefront of this movement are chief financial officers (CFOs), whose role has evolved beyond traditional financial management to encompass strategic decision-making and risk mitigation.
In Indonesia, CFOs are now expected to be sustainability champions, integrating ESG factors into their financial planning and reporting processes. This includes identifying and mitigating ESG-related risks, allocating resources towards sustainable initiatives, and communicating the company's ESG performance to stakeholders.
By aligning financial objectives with sustainability goals, Indonesian CFOs can help their organizations maintain a competitive edge, attract investment, and contribute to the country's broader sustainability agenda.
Joining us today on PodChats for FutureCFO is Yohanes Jeffry Johary, former CFO and now managing director at OCS Indonesia.
Questions:
1. Is sustainable growth a new initiative (in 2024) or something that has been a priority for many businesses in recent years? How is sustainable growth related to the other priority: cost efficiency?
2. Do you think the CFO is the best leader to drive the two goals: sustainable growth and cost efficiency? What qualifies a CFO to lead these two goals?
3. What would be the key metrics (financial and non-financial) that a CFO must focus on to drive sustainable growth and cost efficiencies?
4. How would CFOs integrate new initiatives like ESG and sustainability while driving positive sustainable growth and improving cost efficiency?
5. Name one key emerging strategy that CFOs can adopt to drive sustainable growth and cost efficiency in today's rapidly changing business environment?
The Gartner Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies 2024 highlights four dynamic areas: autonomous AI, developer productivity, total experience, and human-centric security and privacy programs, encompassing 25 groundbreaking technologies.
While some of these innovations are still in their infancy, often lacking proven use cases and the expertise to implement them, they present both a challenge and an opportunity for CIOs and CTOs. The question arises: why should leaders invest their attention and resources in these nascent technologies? And in particular, how should CTOs and CIOs approach these technologies in their quest to drive innovation, growth and profitability?
In this PodChats for FutureCIO, we are joined by Arun Chandrasekaran, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner, to share with us his perspectives on the business value of AI and other emerging technologies.
Arun, welcome to PodChats for FutureCIO.
Autonomous AI:
1. Are there specific business processes or functions where autonomous AI could have a significant impact? How do you map this to other efforts like autonomous finance?
2. Concerns around AI ethics continue to rise (and mature?), can you suggest guidelines that the organisation can use to guide/govern the deployment of autonomous AI systems?
Boosting Developer Productivity:
3. What tools and practices can CIOs adopt to streamline software development and reduce time-to-market?
4. How do we balance speed with quality in the development processes, without dropping the security side of DevOps (DevSecOps)?
Total Experience:
5 Do organisations pay attention to partner and employee experience?
6. Are there any pain points in current interactions that need improvement?
Human-Centric Security and Privacy Programs:
7. What technologies can enhance an organisation’s security posture while respecting user privacy?
8. Is it possible to build a security-aware culture across the organisation? How do you ensure this practice is sustainable as organisations through generations of employees, customers and partners?
Any advice for CIOs, CTOs, and CFOs regarding how they should approach these emerging technologies to extract business value?
When speed is of the essence, budgets are limited, resources are strained, and the risks for failure are high, the collaboration between CFOs and CIOs may spell the difference between growth and profitability, or the end of the road for the company.
As organizations navigate digital transformation and rely heavily on data for decision-making, the partnership between these two roles has the potential to significantly enhance operational efficiency and strategic alignment.
CFOs bring financial acumen and risk management expertise, while CIOs contribute technological insight and innovation. Together, they can leverage technology investments to drive shareholder value, improve data governance, and optimize business processes. This collaboration is essential not only for successful project execution but also for fostering a culture of agility and responsiveness within the organization.
How to make this work sustainably is the subject of this special edition of PodChats for FutureCFO and FutureCIO. Joining us to share his perspective on the topic is Andrew Seow, Regional General Manager, South East Asia and Greater China, Rimini Street.
1. Looking back, have these personas worked well together in the past? Why or why not?
2. What is the secret to getting the two personas, each with its own strengths, weaknesses and priorities, working together effectively?
3. Not all IT projects, including digital transformation, are guaranteed to work the first time every time. How should each leader approach these projects to minimise failures when such becomes inevitable?
4. If there is a clash, how should the two roles approach the differences to come out with a solution that is mutually beneficial for the two roles and the company as a whole?
5. Who is the best intermediary when faced with an escalating clash of personas?
6. Can you list three actions critical to achieving a strong, and lasting, CFO-CIO partnership?
7. What is your expectations for 2025?
The National Institute for Standards and Technologies defines cyber resiliency as the ability to anticipate, withstand, recover from, and adapt to adverse conditions, stresses, attacks, or compromises on systems that use or are enabled by cyber resources.
According to the Veeam Ransomware Trends 2024, APJ edition, leaders in the region are increasing their budgets for cyber prevention and detection by 6.3%, while spending on recovering technologies will rise by 6.2%. The figures are double the forecasted IT budget increase of 3.5%, according to Gartner.
As organisations in Asia up their cyber readiness postures, it may be critical to revisit some of the issues, challenges, opportunities and options, that organisations will need to address as they look to improve their cyber resilience.
Beni Sia, general manager and senior vice president for Asia Pacific and Japan at Veeam Software joins us on this edition of PodChats for FutureCISO.
1. Whose job is cyber resilience? We often hear of breaches. In practice, who is held accountable for failure to achieve cyber resilience?
2. Give us a state of cyber resilience of enterprises in Asia as of August 2024.
3. Given the state of awareness around cyber threats (and presumably measures taken to mitigate these risks), where are the top three vulnerability points for most enterprises in Asia?
4. How are enterprises addressing these vulnerabilities? Is this sufficient?
5. What can enterprises do better to further lower the cost/risks of attacks like ransomware? Conversely, what are they doing not too well thereby being less effective than on paper?
6. How can we leverage emerging technologies without introducing new vulnerabilities?
7. I am aware that cyber resilience, including data resilience, cannot be achieved solely through one’s efforts – that this is a collaborative effort by many, if not all. How can the CISO ensure that they are not introducing new vulnerabilities by engaging with others –
In the digital economy, businesses rely on external partners, parties, regulators, and security experts out there.
8. Finally coming into 2025, what is your advice for CISOs, and other members of the C-suite and board, to ensure the effectiveness of their strategies, frameworks and practices not just against ransomware, but against all threats both internal and external?
The convergence of AI and ERP offers the potential to overcome traditional barriers to efficiency and accuracy in financial management, enabling Asian companies to compete more effectively on a global scale.
AI-powered ERP systems can help address regional challenges such as complex regulatory environments, diverse currencies, and rapidly changing market conditions by providing more agile and responsive financial tools.
However, challenges such as data security concerns, the need for specialized AI talent, and cultural adaptation to AI-driven decision-making processes may require careful navigation.
In this PodChats for FutureCFO, we are joined by Sunil Wahi, Vice President of APAC Solution Engineering, Applications at Oracle, to talk about Intersection of AI and ERP for Business Success.
1. How can finance function leverage AI-driven cloud ERP tools to provide timely, strategic insights that drive accurate decision-making in the rapidly evolving Asian markets?
2. How can we ensure the seamless integration of analytics, machine learning, and AI into the organization's core technology stack while maintaining data integrity and security?
3. In what ways can finance enhance the organisation’s business resilience against regional disruptions through advanced AI-driven planning and forecasting?
4. How can finance address the skills gap and cultural challenges associated with implementing AI-powered financial systems in our diverse Asian workforce?
5. What measures should finance take to ensure compliance with varying regional regulations while leveraging AI for financial reporting and risk management?
6. How can finance optimize current supply chain and procurement processes using AI-ERP integration, considering the complexities of Asian markets and trade relationships?
7. What strategies can finance employ to maximize the ROI of our AI-ERP investments?
As the role of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) continues to evolve, the need for a strategic approach to talent management has become increasingly crucial. In today's rapidly changing business landscape, finance leaders must focus on financial performance and ensure their teams are equipped with the skills and mindset to navigate future challenges.
A sustainable talent management strategy is key to building a pipeline of skilled professionals committed to the organization's long-term success. Just what those strategies are is why we are here today.
In this PodChats for FutureCFO, we are joined by Vignesh Kannan, vice president, of business process services with the Everest Group.
1. How real is the talent crunch in the finance function (can you regionalise to Asia)?
2. Why do we struggle with talent acquisition and retention (particularly post-pandemic)?
3. What new skills/behaviours will be needed in the finance function? (answer: storytelling)
4. To what extent will tech, data, and compliance skills impact the talent crunch?
5. Name a proven strategy to creating a balanced approach in recruiting, onboarding, training and up-skilling finance talent.
6. Should finance leaders encourage experimentation among finance teams and do so without introducing friction or uncontrolled risks?
7. Name an effective approach for the finance team to collaborate on finance talent management with HR.
8. What advice to share for finance leaders/professionals for the coming years?
McKinsey says artificial intelligence (AI) adoption (globally) increased dramatically in 2024 after years of little meaningful change. Marketsandmarkets forecasts the AI market to reach US$407 billion by 2027, experiencing substantial growth from its estimated US$86.9 billion revenue in 2022. A Forbes Advisory survey reveals that 64% of businesses believe that AI will help increase their overall productivity. Now its all well and good to try out a technology and get it to work in a department or business unit. But scaling it so that a large percentage of your workforce can use the technology effectively and efficiently is another story.
Scaling AI in the workforce involves integrating artificial intelligence technologies to enhance productivity, streamline processes, and create new job roles while addressing potential challenges related to human experience, trust, and job displacement.
In this PodChats for FutureCIO, Ricky Kapur, head of APAC for Zoom, shares his views on how CIOs can lead their organisations as they scale AI in the workforce.
1. In Asia, how do you see enterprises, led by the CIO, are arming their workforce with AI-assisted tools to improve productivity and well-being?
2. What strategies can organizations use to ensure AI integration does not undermine trust and empathy in the workplace?
3. How can businesses address the potential for AI to perpetuate systemic bias in the workforce?
4. What are some effective methods for fostering a culture of learning when introducing AI tools?
5. How can companies ensure data privacy while using AI-driven feedback loops for workforce insights?
6. How can companies balance the benefits of AI with the need to maintain human connections?
7. Our topic is scaling AI in the workplace. Can you cite a couple of best practices for ensuring properly scaling their AI initiatives? Any pitfalls to avoid?
IDC predicts by 2025, the cloud will surpass on-premises infrastructure as the primary location where operational data is stored, managed, and analysed for 65% of A2000 organisations.
The rapid growth of data and the increasing complexity of managing it in the age of AI and hybrid cloud environments present significant challenges for organisations. As AI adoption accelerates, enterprises must rethink their data storage, management, and processing strategies to support performance-intensive workloads like generative AI.
Faced with mounting pressures to support growth and profitability, how should CIOs architect their IT strategy so that it is able to adapt to changing market conditions, nearly unpredictable technology innovations, and yet to be ironed out regulations around data privacy, security and ethical practices?
In this PodChats for FutureCIO, we are joined by Matthew Hardman, APAC chief technology officer for Hitachi Vantara, to share with us his views on crafting meaningful data strategies for the AI-native enterprise.
1. [Setting the scene] Where are Asian enterprises today around data management?
2. [Data management] How can we streamline data management processes to handle the increasing volume and complexity of data?
3. [Performance] How are enterprises addressing the need to minimise operational latency while improving data movement in hybrid cloud environments?
4. [Operations] What’s the right balance between on-premises infrastructure and cloud services?
5. [Security] How can CIOs ensure data security and compliance across different cloud environments? (multi-public and private plus edge)
6. [Compliance] Given the difference in national laws relating to data use, how should CIOs prioritize data governance across borders?
7. [Scalability vs sustainability] What data strategies can we adopt to balance the need for scalability with sustainability goals in our AI and cloud initiatives?
8. [The future] Given all the unpredictability that lies ahead, ahead suggestion for CIOs?
Zero trust adoption in Asia has been gaining momentum, albeit with varying levels of progress across the region. While 76% of global organisations have begun implementing zero trust strategies, with 35% claiming full implementation, the Asia Pacific region shows a disparity in adoption rates. Organisations are motivated to adopt zero trust primarily to improve overall security, enhance user experience, and foster cooperation among security teams.
Zero trust segmentation emerges as a viable option for enhancing cybersecurity postures, as it addresses the challenges posed by dissolving network perimeters and the increasing complexity of IT environments.
As Asian companies continue to grapple with cybersecurity challenges in 2024, zero trust segmentation offers a promising approach to fortify their defences against evolving threats.
John Kindervag, chief evangelist at Illumio and creator of the zero trust security model, joins FutureCISO to share his views on the following:
The podcast currently has 404 episodes available.