CFOs keep asking us the same question: “What’s next?”
Here’s the honest answer: The future of finance will not wait for anyone.
A Reality Every CFO Will Face.
Imagine it’s 2035.
No accountants. No FP&A analysts. No controllers.
Finance teams look nothing like they did today. No endless reconciliations. No manual close. No version conflicts. Just you — and 10,000 → AI agents running finance in real time.
The close happens instantly. Cash flow adjusts itself before you even ask. Board reports land in your inbox while you’re asleep. Compliance updates the second a regulation changes.
- No more SaaS vendors.
- No more vendor negotiations.
- No more procurement headaches.
FP&A vendors are eager to sell “AI-optimized strategy consulting,” but no one buys because AI handles that too. Why pay for software when your AI agents build what you need on demand? Makes sense, right?
The future isn’t about adding more tools — it’s about replacing scattered software with one intelligent decision support system. This is why we build AI-DSS like ZAKAA – The first Arabic-driven AI Decision Support System in the Middle East.
And this is where ZAKAA changes everything:
- Need a new FP&A model? → ZAKAA AI Agent designs it in seconds.
- Regulatory change? → ZAKAA AI Agent updates compliance in real time.
- Board report? → ZAKAA AI assembles the slides before you wake up.
Finance runs itself.
- No audits.
- No errors.
- No manual work.
This sounds futuristic… until you look around:
- AI companies are scaling faster than any software category in history.
- Teams report 70–80% of their code is now written by AI.
- Models already outperform top human specialists in analysis and mathematics.
- Benchmarks show exponential leaps every few months.
We’ve crossed the line where AI isn’t “assistive” anymore. It’s agentic. It builds, fixes, reconciles, and runs.
So what does this mean for you, CFOs?
You have two choices:
- Be the Blockbuster CFO:
“The AI project is too expensive right now.”
- Be the Netflix CFO:
“Let’s find out how AI accelerates our profitability.”
The CFO role is shifting from “controlling numbers” to engineering decisions. And the ones who adapt will lead the next decade of competitive advantage, says, Hatem Elkady
So, How Do CFOs Actually Start with AI?
Not with a big AI transformation project.
Not with hiring “AI experts.”
Not with fancy software.
You start with the basics — the parts of finance that break every month.
Here’s the simple 3-step path we use with CFOs across Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Qatar, and beyond, through our AI-Decision Support System [ZAKAA].
- Fix What’s Already Broken.
Many finance teams still rely on legacy ERPs, scattered Excel models, and disconnected systems. This leads to:
→ ERP data that doesn’t match reality
→ Dozens of Excel files are living in email chains
→ Slow close cycles
→ Outdated forecasts the moment they’re approved
→ Fragmented reporting tools
AI can solve all of this — but not if the foundation is messy.
Start with these basics:
→ Break your data silos
→ Standardize your finance processes
→ Move to modern, cloud-based systems
→ Automate repetitive workflows
When the fundamentals are healthy, AI delivers real ROI. When they’re not, AI becomes another failed project.
The Pareto rule applies: 80% of inefficiency comes from the same 20% of broken processes.
Don’t treat AI like a magic button.
Treat AI as a journey.
- Build Buy-In From CEO & IT.
AI will not sell itself — not to the CEO, not to IT.
CFOs who succeed show clear financial impact, not “innovation slides.”
Here are the use cases that get fast approval:
➤ Real-time forecasting
➤ AI-powered risk simulations
➤ Automated financial close
➤ Scenario planning updated by live market data
These aren’t experiments. These are practical, profit-driving, cost-reducing use cases.
And this is exactly where ZAKAA helps CFOs:
300+AI-optimized predictive KPIs, autonomous planning and budgeting, executive dashboards with AI consultants, and real-time insights — all aligned with Gulf market needs and national transformation agendas.
ZAKAA includes 10 Modules That Change the CFO’s Conversation.
- Ro’ya (Vision): Connects Vision 2030 goals to your department’s daily projects. One CDAO called it “the missing link between strategy and execution.”
- Takhteet (Planning): Predicts workforce needs before they become crises. Three CHROs spent the coffee break discussing this module. The word they kept using: “proactive.”
- Mezania (Budget): Automates budget preparation according to the State’s General Budget Execution Manual. One CFO quietly calculated: “Three weeks. We could get three weeks back every budget cycle.”
- Bianat (Data Lakes): Creates that single version of truth everyone was asking for. Integrated data warehouse with automated ETL processes and real governance.
- Qarar (Decision Intelligence): The core brain where data becomes actionable answers to those four critical questions.
- Twfeer (Cost Management): Optimizes AI investments and operational efficiency.
- Twheed (Consolidation): Consolidates complex data structures faster and more accurately.
- Radar (Risk & Compliance): Monitors everything 24/7. Catches problems before they become disasters. Escalates issues automatically based on severity.
- Farida (AI Consultant): Your intelligent assistant that learns your business and provides contextual advice.
- Mwjz (Mobile Intelligence): Decision intelligence in your pocket. “I’m in back-to-back meetings most days,” one deputy minister explained. “I need something I can check between sessions that tells me what actually matters and what I should do about it.”
Remember: When ROI is obvious, buy-in comes quickly.
- Lead With Data, Not Tools.
AI is only as strong as the data supporting it.
Bad data = wrong decisions. Wrong decisions = no AI adoption.
Most finance data breaks because:
- Systems don’t talk to each other
- Formats are inconsistent
- Governance is weak
- The data is outdated
- Multiple versions of truth
CFOs must fix this early by:
- Removing data silos
- Invest in a finance data lake
- Standardizing reporting structures
- Integrating real-time data feeds
- Opt for a single version of truth
- Stay on top of data governance & compliance
- Standardize finance data formats
This is the backbone of autonomous finance. No shortcuts.
Don’t treat AI like a magic button.
Treat AI as a journey.
The Time to Start Is Now.
Gartner reports: 64% of CFOs believe autonomous finance will be a reality by 2028.
That’s not far. And the gap between early adopters and late adopters is widening every quarter.
AI is not about replacing people. It’s about replacing outdated work.
AI is not dangerous. AI without human expertise is.
CFOs who learn to work with AI — not against it — will lead the most efficient, intelligent finance organizations we’ve ever seen.
Where Diamond Fits In?
At Diamond Professional Consultants, we’ve spent the last decade helping CFOs modernize finance systems, optimize decision-making, and build predictable performance.
Our AI-Decision Support System platform, ZAKAA, was built for one purpose:
Give CFOs a single, trusted, AI-powered version of truth — and help not only finance teams but CHROs, CIOS, and decision-makers to make data-driven decisions in real-time, speed, and clarity anywhere, anytime.
We help CFOs:
- Modernize their finance stack
- Build clean, governed finance data
- Automate planning, budgeting & reporting
- Deploy AI agents responsibly
- Reduce operational friction
- Increase profitability with intelligent workflows
This isn’t the future. It’s happening in front of us.
Your Next Step.
CFOs, you don’t need to “master AI. You just need to start.
Start with fixing the basics. Start with proving ROI. Start with your data.
Start now!
And start small — because small AI steps compound into massive competitive advantage.
If you want to explore how CFOs across the region are using ZAKAA to modernize finance, automate decisions, and prepare for autonomous finance, Diamond is here to guide you.
Want to learn more about ZAKAA?
📧 Contact Us: hello@diamond-dpc.com
🌐 Visit us at: diamond-dpc.com
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