The CFO series: AI, cash and control. What I'm prioritising heading into 2027
AP & P2P Analyst
October 28, 2026 · 12:00 p.m.
Every CFO survey says AI, cash and risk are on the 2027 agenda. Far fewer explain what a CFO actually does about them: with a lean team, a month-end to close, and a board asking what the AI spend has delivered.
In this instalment of The CFO Series, SoftCo CFO Martin Doran sits down with John Neary for a candid conversation about his priorities heading into 2027. Martin is a chartered accountant and qualified auditor who has worked in finance at Pfizer, Oracle and Viatris, helped take a biotech to a Nasdaq listing, and scaled an e-mobility business, so he has a long view of what changes in a CFO’s job and what doesn’t.
Expect a practitioner’s view, not a trends list: what Martin’s finance team changed in 2026, what he is prioritising next, and where he is still working things out.
What we’ll cover:
- Where AI earns its place in finance, and the test a CFO applies before funding the next use case
- How to govern AI without slowing it down, and where the human check stays
- Cash as a lever for growth: what changed in how a finance team collects, forecasts and plans
- The 2027 compliance changes a CFO is planning for, from audits to e-invoicing
- What replacing a legacy finance system teaches you about data, people and process before AI
- How a CFO weighs protecting cash against investing for growth
Speakers
Martin Doran
CFO · SoftCo
Martin Doran is the Chief Financial Officer at SoftCo, a chartered accountant and qualified auditor with deep experience in finance transformation and systems implementation. He has worked at firms such as Pfizer and Oracle, and has led finance from start-up through to Nasdaq listings.
John Neary
Marketing Manager · SoftCo
John is Marketing Manager at SoftCo, where he leads strategic marketing for finance transformation initiatives. With a focus on educating CFOs, Controllers, and AP leaders, John drives content and campaigns that address key challenges in automation, compliance, and operational efficiency.