About this Event
Following strong demand across our previous “AI for CFOs” sessions, we’re bringing the series to Paddington with a focus on one of finance’s most persistent pain points: the month-end close.
This working breakfast shows finance leaders how AI, including tools like Claude, can take the close from a manual, spreadsheet-driven scramble to a faster, more controlled and more transparent process. It’s practical and based on real-world use cases, not hype.
The Problem
Finance teams are under relentless pressure. Costs need to come down. Compliance is tightening. Audit scrutiny is sharper than ever. And finance is expected to do more with less.
Nowhere is that pressure felt more than at month-end.
Every Close Is a Crisis
Days of reconciliations, accruals, journals and chasing inputs. Your best people spend the first week of every month compiling numbers instead of analysing them.
Spreadsheets Hold It Together
Critical close steps live in spreadsheets, email threads and individual knowledge. Version control is fragile, dependencies are hidden and one error can ripple through the whole pack.
Trust and Auditability
You need to know why a number is what it is. Where’s the audit trail? Can the calculations be validated? Finance demands transparency and deterministic output. Generic AI doesn’t deliver that.
The Starting Problem
There’s little time to explore. Skills are stretched. The tools feel complex. Where do you start without risking the close itself?
What You’ll Discover
Moving from a 10-day close to a much shorter one takes more than access to AI. This session walks through how finance teams are applying AI across the close, step by step.
1. Where AI Fits in the Close
Which close activities benefit most, such as reconciliations, accruals, variance analysis, flux commentary and reporting. And where human judgement and existing systems should stay in control.
2. Live Use Case: Month-End Close from 10 Days to 1 Day
Selona will showcase a close run on Excel spreadsheets and show how it can be cut from 10 days to 1 day using AI.
3. Building Context That Makes AI Finance-Specific
Why rich, structured context (your chart of accounts, close calendar, policies and review standards) is the real differentiator between generic output and output you can rely on.
4. Control, Transparency and Audit Trail
How to keep calculations traceable, outputs reviewable and your control environment intact while introducing AI into the close.
5. Working Alongside Your Existing ERP and Tools
How to layer AI on top of your current systems and spreadsheets without disruption.
6. Your 30-Day Roadmap
A simple, structured approach to choosing your first close use cases, piloting quickly and scaling what works.
📅 Date & Time
Tuesday 24th November 2026, 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM (UK)
📍 Location
WeWork, 2 Eastbourne Terrace, Paddington, London W2 6LG
🎟️ Tickets
Free | Limited Seats | Early Registration Only
Please note: If you would like to bring a colleague or guest, each attendee must register separately using their own registration so we can accurately manage seating, catering and event communications.
Why Attend
✓ See how AI can shorten the month-end close, from reconciliations to reporting
✓ Watch a real use case taking a spreadsheet-based close from 10 days to 1 day
✓ Understand how to keep control, transparency and audit trail when using AI in finance
✓ Learn why context building is the difference between generic AI and finance-ready AI
✓ Network with CFOs and Finance Directors tackling the same close challenges
✓ Intimate working breakfast format: ask questions, explore challenges and leave with a practical roadmap
Who Should Attend
- CFOs and Finance Directors
- Financial Controllers and Heads of Finance, Accounting and Shared Services
- Finance Operations and Close Leaders
- Internal Audit and Compliance Leaders
- Finance leaders in mid-size and enterprise organisations
Early registration recommended. Limited seats to maintain the working breakfast format.
Event venue & nearby stays
WeWork - Office Space & Coworking, 2 Eastbourne Terrace, London, United Kingdom
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