AI STRATEGY FOR FINANCE LEADERS IN 2026
A 5-Session (10 Hrs) Workshop | Live Online
Starting on 1st November, 2025
Saturday | 4:00 PM Dubai time
REGISTERDesigned for Finance Leaders
to Move From Finance-Reporting to Finance-Innovation
via AI.
Learning Outcome
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Define how AI can reshape the finance function’s role and value-creation potential.
- Identify, prioritise and build AI use-cases bespoke to finance (forecasting, working-capital optimisation, anomaly detection, decision-productisation).
- Craft an AI strategy for the finance organisation: vision, operating model, investment case, metrics, value capture.
- Design governance, risk-management and talent/culture frameworks to enable responsible AI adoption in finance.
- Deploy a roadmap (90-day, 12-month) for finance-AI transformation, with business-case metrics and stakeholder alignment.
05 WEEK COURSE OUTLINE
Session 1: Framing AI in the Finance Function
Key Topics
- Shift in the finance function: from reporting & control → business-partnering & value creation.
- What AI means for finance: from automation to augmentation to strategic insight.
- Landscape: Generative AI, large language models, no-code/low-code, analytics ecosystems.
- Value levers in finance: forecasting accuracy, cycle time reduction, cash-conversion cycle, risk & anomaly detection, decision-product mindset.
- Quick exercise: Finance-AI heat-map (identify 3-5 opportunities in your finance org).
Session 2: Building the Use-Case Portfolio & Operating Model
Key Topics
- Use-case taxonomy for finance (e.g., planning/forecasting, working capital, compliance/controls, strategy support, treasury/asset-liability).
- Criteria to prioritise: value, feasibility, data readiness, regulatory risk, adoption.
- Operating model: CoE vs decentralised pods; data/analytics team placement; “decision-product” orientation.
- Build vs buy decisions; vendor/partner ecosystem; technology stack implications.
- Case study/workshop: Select two use-cases for your organisation; map inputs, outputs, owners, success metrics.
Session 3: Value Capture, Metrics & Business-Case Design
Key Topics
- Translating use-cases into measurable finance value: ROIC, cash conversion, cost‐capital, risk-adjusted return.
- Designing success metrics: adoption rate, accuracy gain, cycle-time reduction, cost avoidance, risk reduction.
- Business-case structure: baseline, delta, cost, pay-back, intangible/strategic value.
- Portfolio balancing: quick wins vs long-horizons; risk-mitigation; change fatigue.
- Workshop: Draft the business-case outline for a flagged use-case (with CFO as sponsor).
Session 4: Talent, Culture, Governance & Risk in Finance-AI
Key Topics
- Talent & roles: competency map (finance analytics, data literacy, AI literacy, change leadership); role redesign (analytics pod, finance business-partner plus data lead).
- Culture & ways of working: from “reporting” culture to “insight & decision” culture; agile sprints, cross-functional pods, experimentation.
- Governance & ethics: model risk, data governance, audit-readiness, AI bias, explainability, regulatory compliance (finance + AI).
- Risk management: operational risk, cyber/data risk, finance-automation risk, vendor risk, regulatory risk.
- Workshop: Build your Finance-AI Talent & Governance Charter (org-chart snippet, roles, metrics, guardrails).
Session 5: Roadmap, Execution & Change Leadership
Key Topics
- Roadmap design: 90-day sprint, 12-month program, key milestones, dependencies, funding model.
- Stakeholder engagement: CFO, business units, IT, risk/compliance, audit, HR. Communicating business case and change narrative.
- Change leadership: overcoming resistance, incentivising adoption, measuring progress, celebrating wins.
- Sustainability & continuous learning: AI capability build-up, lifecycle of models, change in finance KPIs, scaling use-cases.
- Final workshop: Draft your Finance-AI Execution Roadmap with owner-ship, milestones, dependencies, KPIs.
Saleem Sufi
Global Strategic CFO | Executive Coach | Founder, MECA CFO Academy
Saleem Sufi is a seasoned Global Strategic CFO with over 20 years of leadership experience working with Fortune 500 and top Private Equity-owned companies across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States. His expertise spans corporate finance, strategic leadership, business transformation, and executive development, making him a trusted mentor and thought leader in the finance community.
Founder & Visionary Leader – MECA CFO Academy
In 2014, Saleem founded MECA CFO Academy, which has since established itself as a global leader in executive education for finance professionals. Under his leadership, MECA has:
✔ Built a thriving professional network of over 45,000 finance professionals worldwide, growing from scratch when he knew only five people in Dubai.
✔ Designed and developed the flagship MECA Strategic CFO Program, now running its 18th batch, which has produced over 600 CFO-level professionals and is considered one of the most comprehensive 12-month leadership programs for finance executives.
✔ Personally coached and mentored hundreds of CFOs and senior executives, equipping them with the skills to navigate business transformation, leadership challenges, and strategic execution.
✔ Organized 15 large-scale CFO Conferences across major Middle Eastern cities, attracting sponsorship and participation from top global brands such as SAP, Thomson Reuters, NBD Bank, and Standard Chartered.
✔ Established MECA CFO Academy as a benchmark for quality and practical executive education, with many alumni ranking it as more valuable than Ivy League programs due to its real-world applicability and direct impact on career growth.
Global Speaker, Corporate Trainer & Executive Coach
Beyond his work at MECA, Saleem is an accomplished keynote speaker, corporate trainer, and executive coach. He has conducted high-impact executive workshops and seminars in international business hubs, including Tokyo, Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Milan, Riyadh, Dubai, and New York.
Saleem holds an MBA in Strategy and Finance and is a Fellow of the Institute of Cost & Management Accountants. He has also attended Harvard Business School multiple times for Executive Education, further enriching his expertise in leadership, strategy, and financial excellence.
Today, Saleem remains fully dedicated to empowering finance professionals worldwide, helping them transition into high-impact leadership roles and drive strategic success in their organizations. His vision is to continue expanding MECA’s global influence, shaping the future of CFO leadership and financial strategy in a rapidly evolving digital economy.
MECA CFO Academy
MECA CFO Academy is a premier global institution specializing in executive education for finance professionals, with a focus on leadership, strategy, and digital transformation. Since its establishment in 2014, MECA has trained over 3,000 finance leaders, including CFOs, Directors, VPs, and Controllers from some of the world’s leading organizations.
As a trailblazer in CFO education, MECA developed the Strategic CFO Program, a comprehensive 12-month executive program that has now completed its 18th batch and produced over 600 CFO-level professionals. This program has set a new industry benchmark for its practicality, real-world application, and depth of strategic content, consistently rated as offering greater value than many Ivy League programs by its alumni.
Beyond executive education, MECA CFO Academy has played a pivotal role in shaping the global CFO community. It has organized 15 large-scale CFO Conferences across major cities in the Middle East, bringing together industry leaders, financial experts, and global brands. These events have attracted sponsorship and participation from top organizations such as SAP, Thomson Reuters, NBD Bank, and Standard Chartered, reinforcing MECA’s position as a thought leader in the finance and business strategy space.
MECA CFO Academy is an approved institution by NASBA (National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, U.S.), providing Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits that are recognized by all major accounting bodies worldwide, including ICAEW, IMA, ACCA, ICAI, and ICAP.
Today, MECA’s global network of over 45,000 finance professionals continues to grow rapidly, fostering a vibrant community dedicated to transforming CFOs into strategic business leaders. Through world-class programs, executive coaching, and influential industry events, MECA is empowering finance professionals to drive innovation, corporate growth, and digital transformation in an ever-evolving business landscape.
For more details, visit https://mecacfoacademy.com/
