AI Governance & Implementation for CFOs

Help Your Finance Function Implement AI Your Auditor Can Sign Off On

AI is already shaping forecasts, provisions and the numbers that reach your board. The model doesn’t sign the accounts. You do. I help CFOs decide where AI belongs, implement it, and govern it.

25
Years in regulated finance
75+
Elite sources
7
Top-tier firms studied
Leonard Schokker

Leonard Schokker

Founder & AI in Finance Advisor

Former member MT Individual Life at Athora Netherlands. At a.s.r. asset management I led monthly investment reporting for a €105B portfolio, presenting insights to the investment committee, directly influencing portfolio rebalancing and liquidity strategy. Now I advise CFOs on the governance and control architecture around AI, with the rigour regulated finance demands.

Capital, risk & controls in regulated finance
Author, The CFO AI Playbook
Contributing author, FP&A Trends Group
Moderator & speaker, Insurance Investor Live Benelux
MIT: 95% of firms get no AI P&L impact
BCG: Only 10% median AI ROI vs 20% targets
HBR: Back-end AI produces the highest ROI
Gartner: Most failures are foundation, not technology

Why 90% of Finance AI Never Scales

The promise is clear. The reality in most finance functions is not.

The Promise

  • 45%
    lower cost and 57% faster forecasts for top-performing finance teams
    FP&A Trends, 2025
  • 87%
    of CFOs believe AI will be crucial to finance operations in 2026
    Deloitte, 2026
  • 61%
    of CFOs say AI agents are critical to compete in the current economic environment
    Salesforce, 2025

The Reality

  • 45%
    of FP&A time is spent on data cleaning and reconciliation
    FP&A Trends, 2025
  • 22%
    of organisations have a single, structured data source
    FP&A Trends, 2025
  • <10%
    have fully scaled AI
    McKinsey, 2025
The gap

AI doesn’t scale in finance without explainability, controls and audit trails.

That’s the gap I help CFOs close →

Advisory Services for Finance Leaders

Structured engagement models designed to take you from AI readiness diagnosis to full implementation support.

Starting Point

AI Readiness Assessment

Fixed fee · 4–6 weeks
A structured diagnostic of your finance function’s AI readiness, governance gaps, and highest-value implementation opportunities.
  • Stakeholder interviews across finance leadership
  • Process mapping against proven AI frameworks
  • Governance gap analysis
  • Written report with prioritised use case recommendations
  • Executive readout session
Start with the Assessment
Coming 2026

Self-Serve Course

Self-paced · Launching later in 2026
A structured self-paced programme for finance professionals who want to build their AI implementation capability independently.
  • Cross-firm frameworks distilled into modules
  • Use-case selection methodology
  • ROI measurement templates
  • Governance & audit readiness checklists
  • Community access
Join the Waitlist

Is Your Finance AI Ready for Audit?

Take the 5-minute assessment to discover exactly where your finance function stands—and what to fix first. You’ll receive a personalised scorecard with prioritised recommendations.

Take the Free AI Scorecard

Match Process and Technology

One of the most common—and costly—mistakes in finance AI implementation is selecting the wrong type of technology for the task. This clip explains the deterministic vs probabilistic distinction and how to apply it in practice.

What You’ll Learn

  • Why most AI tool selections fail from day one
  • Deterministic vs probabilistic process categories
  • How to match technology type to task type
  • Practical examples from the finance function

About This Training

Filmed at a recent finance leadership event. Part of the broader AI implementation methodology taught in Leonard’s advisory practice.

Want the Full Framework?

Book a Discovery Call
Leonard Schokker – Founder, QuipuCFO
25
Years in
Finance

Finance Discipline Meets AI Rigour

After 25 years in insurance and finance leadership—including serving as MT member at Athora Netherlands and leading a €658M capital forecasting model at a.s.r. asset management bridging IFRS 17 and Solvency II—I transitioned to independent consulting to apply systematic analysis across multiple domains.

Following an inspiring trip to Peru, I discovered Quipu—the Incan system for recording complex information using knotted strings. Just as the Incas organised complexity through structured methodology, I help finance leaders cut through the noise of fragmented AI advice.

That work comes together in The CFO AI Playbook. Drawing on academic studies and leading consulting frameworks, it gives finance leaders a practical architecture for responsible AI adoption: where AI creates value, where automation is the better choice, and where human judgement must remain central, all governed so it stands up to audit.

MT Member, Athora Netherlands Individual Life
€658M capital forecasting model at a.s.r. asset management (IFRS 17 & Solvency II)
Capital management, risk & controls across insurance, asset management and banking
Moderator & speaker, Insurance Investor Live Benelux
MSc Financial Economics · Executive MBA, Rotterdam School of Management
Author, The CFO AI Playbook (October 2026)
Contributing author on AI in finance, FP&A Trends Group
Connect on LinkedIn

Contributing Author, FP&A Trends Group

I write periodically for FP&A Trends Group, the high-profile international think tank on modern financial planning and analysis. My articles cover AI implementation in finance: governance, operating models and the people side of an AI-first finance function.

All articles

The CFO AI Playbook

AI your auditor can sign off on.

A framework-based guide for CFOs on AI adoption and governance.

AI is already shaping forecasts, provisions and the numbers that reach your board. When the auditor, the regulator or the board asks how a figure was produced, the accountability sits with you. The model doesn't sign the accounts. You do. This book gives you the governance to carry it.

  • One governance structure: COSO ERM as the frame, with the EU AI Act, ISO 42001 and the NIST AI RMF inside it
  • Controls over AI in financial reporting, built to stand up to audit
  • Where AI creates value, where automation is the better choice, and where human judgement must stay
  • Governing agentic AI, model validation and vendor selection as a risk-allocation decision
  • Monday Moves: chapter self-assessments that build into your own AI maturity roadmap
The CFO AI Playbook: Designing Audit-Ready AI Systems, by Leonard Schokker
Out October 2026
“It is the reference I would hand a CFO who has to certify something on Monday.” Brad Wolfe · Three-time NASDAQ CFO

Five pillars. Twelve chapters.

The full arc, from finance-led AI strategy through execution and governance to a personalised roadmap for your own operation.

I

Foundations

Why finance must architect its own AI strategy, choosing the right scope, and the organisational readiness that makes transformation stick.

II

Execution

Budgeting for uncertain outcomes with financial discipline, and AI-ready teams: 70% of the work is people and process.

III

Governance & Compliance

COSO, the EU AI Act, ISO 42001 and NIST in one structure, AI in financial reporting, and governing agentic AI.

IV

Implementation

Data quality and RAG, model validation and explainability, and buy, build or boost as a risk-allocation decision.

V

Digital Roadmap

Your Monday Moves come together as a personalised AI maturity roadmap for your finance function.

See the full chapter list and what finance leaders say →

Join the Wait-list

We'll tell you the moment the book is out. Subscribe now and get the process selection framework: a practical tool for deciding where AI belongs in finance.

Launching October 2026. No spam. Unsubscribe at any time.