The world of modern finance can feel like navigating an unfamiliar city with outdated tools. Taryn Salida, Head of Finance Solution SA for SAP Fioneer painted this vivid picture, recalling the days of paper maps and relying on a Golden Arrow bus schedule – often arriving late and having to make excuses.

“Don’t be like the person pushing a boulder uphill,” KC Rottok Chesaina, Chief IFRS Officer, Financial Minds, cautioned the finance industry at the recent Finance Indaba in Sandton. “Be curious about AI and take time to experiment with the technology in financial reporting.”

Successful technology projects in finance start with a clear vision and strong alignment between strategy, technology and data, said Stefan van Heerden, CFO of Microsoft, at the recent 2025 Finance Indaba. He and fellow panellists Morne van Tonder of Pragma and Jofi Alexander of Anaplan agreed that success depends on a solid business case, scalable platforms, AI-driven agility and empowering people to embrace transformation.