In the premiere episode of Finance in Flow, recorded live at Lucanet World 2025, host and CEO Elias Apel sits down with Kevin Smith, Lucanet’s Chief Technology Officer, for a wide-ranging conversation on the SaaS model, the future of finance, technology, and the CFO’s evolving role. Reflecting on the energy and momentum from the event in Berlin, Elias and Kevin discuss the accelerating pace of change in the finance world and the critical importance of real-time insights. A major theme of the episode is artificial intelligence—how it’s transforming both Lucanet’s platform and internal development processes, and what it means for customers beginning their AI journeys. Kevin shares Lucanet’s newly launched CFO Solution Platform and the vision for embedding AI directly into finance workflows and explains why the move to the cloud is foundational for enabling powerful, scalable, and trustworthy AI capabilities.

About the guest

Kevin Smith is the Chief Technology Officer of Lucanet, a leading global provider of software solutions for the Office of the CFO. Kevin is experienced at building world-class SaaS platforms from the ground up as well as transforming on-prem software to SaaS. He has extensive experience building and scaling high-performing engineering teams deployed both on and near shore. As Lucanet’s CTO, Kevin is responsible for technology, engineering, product, and IT.

Key Quotes

*“AI is the biggest transformation in my career. The opportunity to automate meaningful, cognitive work is just profound.” — Kevin Smith, CTO, Lucanet

*“What excites long-time customers is that our core values haven’t changed—ease of use, built-in intelligence, and fast time to value.” -– Elias Apel, CEO, Lucanet

*“We’re not just transforming our product—we’re transforming how we build, test, and think as a team.” — Kevin Smith, CTO, Lucanet

Time Stamps

[00:00] Introduction to Finance in Flow

[00:21] Live from Lucanet World 2025

[00:27] Challenges in Finance: Pace and Insight

[00:39] Insights from Kevin Smith, CTO

[01:55] The Impact of AI on Finance

[03:34] AI in Practice: Tools and Recommendations

[04:57] The Future of AI in Finance

[08:30] Speed and Agility in Software Development

[14:26] AI's Role in M&A Strategy

[20:53] Customer Data Security in the Cloud

[22:49] Reflections on Lucanet World

[25:07] Conclusion and Future Episodes

Links

Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn

Connect with Elias on LinkedIn

Learn more about Lucanet

Finance doesn’t stand still. You need a trusted source to keep you up to date.

Finance in Flow is built for finance leaders who want to keep up without getting overwhelmed. Every episode delivers a clear, curated look at what’s happening across the finance landscape — from new regulations and reporting standards to shifts in planning, technology, and operational strategy.

It’s not a firehose of headlines or a parade of thought leaders. It’s a smart, structured way to stay sharp — designed for people who make real decisions and need information they can trust.

Whether you’re a CFO, controller, or part of a high-performing finance team, this is the signal you tune into to stay current, confident, and a step ahead.

Welcome to Finance in Flow. 

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