Concluding remarks
Many of our attendee FTSE CFOs highlighted the challenge of getting an organisation, which is performing well
commercially, to embrace data transformation.
Furthermore, for all the benefits that data delivers in terms of time-saving and improved decision-making, these tend to
fade in importance in sectors where the impact of digital disruption is not yet perceivable in commercial performance.
The future holds more automation and less human decisions. The successful companies of the future will be those that
bring together the best of human and machine intelligence to drive growth and improve business operations. It is data
transformation that will allow this to be realised. As many corporations seek to become the equivalent of a ‘driverless
car’, the scope for differentiation from competitors becomes narrower. The optimisation of data should ultimately
enable difference.
As this shift takes hold, there is a significant risk that human input diminishes to the point of imbalance. How do we
ensure that our organisations don’t dumb down? Critical to this, is the retention of human judgement, emotional
thought and interpersonal connectivity, through a shared sense of responsibility and purpose.