Irena Teneva, an associate technical director at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, joins the FM podcast to share insights gathered from a new AICPA and CIMA report, Future Ready Finance: Productivity at the Human-Technology Crossroads.

Teneva illustrates the types of tasks experiencing clear efficiency gains from artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, where finance leaders are more cautious about implementation, and steps those leaders are taking to expand how tools can be used.

Teneva also highlights why productivity still hinges on finance talent, priority areas for skills development, and how finance leaders are collaborating across business functions.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• Process and people priorities for finance leaders in 2026.
• Where AI implementation is leading to time savings for companies.
• Some steps leaders are taking to optimise and expand AI use.
• Why productivity is still a "people game".
• How finance leaders are approaching cross-business collaboration.
• Three key steps to improving efficiency, according to leaders.