Introducing the finance engineers
Practical AI and automation for growing finance functions
We help growing SMEs improve how their finance functions work through finance expertise, process improvement and practical technology.
We’re inviting a small number of businesses to explore where AI and automation could reduce unnecessary work and improve access to information.
Finance function diagnostic
Short on time, not ambition.
Manual reporting, slow forecasting, duplicated data and processes that depend on one person knowing how everything works can consume the time that should be spent understanding performance and supporting decisions. AI and automation may help, but they should not be the starting point.
We first look at what the business needs from finance and how the function currently operates: its people, processes, systems, data and reporting, and controls. Only then do we consider where technology could help.
Does this sound familiar?
01
Month end or reporting takes too long.
02
Information has to be manually pulled together from several systems.
03
Your finance team spends too much time on repetitive processing, checking or correcting data.
04
The same information is entered more than once.
05
Important knowledge sits with one or two members of the team.
06
Existing systems are not being used to their full potential or do not work together effectively.
07
You want to improve reporting, forecasting or data visibility.
08
You want to explore AI but are not sure where it could genuinely add value.
09
Your finance function needs to evolve as the business grows.
Practical possibilities
What could AI and automation help with?
There is no single answer. Depending on your processes, data and systems, it might help remove friction, improve the flow of information and create more capacity for valuable finance work.
01
Operational effort
Remove friction
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Effort
Less processing
Reduce repetitive data entry and processing.
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Connection
Connected systems
Improve the flow of information between systems.
02
Reliable information
Improve the flow
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Speed
Faster information
Make reporting and forecasting faster to update.
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Confidence
Better control
Support reconciliations, checks and exception reporting.
03
Decision support
Create capacity
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Understanding
Clearer analysis
Help finance teams analyse and explain information.
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Value
More valuable work
Give people more time for insight, decision support and business partnering.
Sometimes the best first step will not involve AI at all. It may be simplifying a process, using an existing system more effectively or improving the quality of the underlying data.
A FINANCE FIRST APPROACH
How we approach it
01
Step 1 of 4
Understand
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Listen to the business
02
Step 2 of 4
Choose the starting point
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Define the right scope
03
Step 3 of 4
Stay independent
We are not tied to a particular software provider and we will not recommend AI simply because it is available.
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Technology-Neutral advice
04
Step 4 of 4
Build in controls
Where AI is used, we also consider the controls needed around it, including how outputs will be checked and where human oversight is required.
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Responsible Implementation
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE WORK
Who is behind The Finance Engineers?
The Finance Engineers is a finance transformation consultancy and a brand of Artemis Clarke Ltd. It is led by Kate Clarke and Myles Arnott.
Kate Clarke
Founder of Artemis Clarke · Co-founder of The Finance Engineers
Kate is a qualified accountant who trained with Arthur Andersen in audit and corporate tax. She founded Artemis Clarke in 2015 and has spent the past eleven years helping growing SMEs build the finance leadership and capability they need to scale.
Her work increasingly focuses on finance function design and the practical application of process improvement, automation and AI.
Myles Arnott
Co-founder of The Finance Engineers
Myles is a qualified accountant, qualified business analyst and qualified project manager. He has extensive experience of group finance, business analysis and complex change, and has run his own consultancy since 2008.
As a fractional finance director, he helps SMEs prepare to scale and specialises in process design and financial modelling.
START A CONVERSATION
Register your interest
Tell us a little about your business and what you are hoping to improve. We read every response.
What happens next?
We will review what you tell us and contact you to arrange an initial conversation.
This will help us understand your finance function, the challenges you are experiencing and what you would most like to improve.
Registering your interest does not commit you to working with us.
A practical first step
We will use the conversation to determine whether the most useful starting point is a focused automation opportunity, a broader finance function diagnostic or another practical improvement.
