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6 ways finance leaders can leverage AI
In this episode of Suite Talk, CFO of Insurwave Premal Gohil joins Birchstone CEO James Arnold to explore how finance leaders can practically adopt AI in their teams and workflows. From automating working capital processes to using generative AI for board reporting and valuation modelling, Premal shares real-world examples of how AI is transforming the finance function, even in highly regulated, data-sensitive industries.
Premal has over 20 years of experience in the global insurance and financial services industry. He has held senior roles at PwC, the Financial Services Authority (now the PRA), Liberty Mutual Insurance and FTSE 100 insurer Beazley. His background spans audit, regulation, M&A, corporate development and venture investing, with a focus on insurance technology. At Insurwave, he is helping lead the company’s transformation into an AI-native platform serving the global specialty insurance market.
⏱ Timestamps
00:00 – Intro
00:43 – Premal’s background in insurance, finance and venture investing
05:07 – First exposure to AI and early learnings
07:08 – Starting small: using AI for board prep and investor memos
09:18 – Automating working capital and AP/AR processes
11:23 – Forecasting with AI and predictive tools
13:18 – Advice for CFOs in non-AI native businesses
15:01 – Learning from peers and online resources
17:16 – Involving your team in the AI journey
18:22 – Overcoming resistance and building buy-in
20:55 – Using AI to model valuation scenarios
23:44 – Human plus machine: building trust in AI-generated insights
25:13 – Risk, compliance and audit considerations
27:09 – Data security and operating in a secure AI environment
30:36 – Upskilling teams and public learning
32:24 – Learning about AI agents and staying curious
33:51 – Strategy: focus on the problem, not the product
35:16 – Advice to his 20-year-old self
🔗 Follow Premal Gohil
🔗 Follow Insurwave
💡 Resources mentioned
⬜️ Run the Numbers podcast: https://www.mostlymetrics.com/s/run-the-numbers
⬜️ Marc Benioff on Bloomberg discussing AI agents and Salesforce’s billion-dollar investment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-s-3V56o54
⬜️ Jeff Su’s YouTube explainer – a simple breakdown of AI agents in under 10 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwOTs4UxQS4