In this season finale of Finance in Flow, host Catalina Ibáñez Gutiérrez welcomes Antonia Reither, VP of Customer Excellence, and Bryan Wong, Senior Solution Engineer at Lucanet, to discuss how finance teams can modernize from legacy systems to cloud-native platforms. Together, they explore the key differences between outdated on-premise systems and agile cloud solutions, how built-in “shift-left” security enhances resilience, and why modernization lays the foundation for becoming truly AI-native. Antonia and Bryan share real-world insights on overcoming common challenges—from data silos and mindset shifts to implementing automation and predictive AI tools—while highlighting the human element behind every successful transformation.

About the guests:

Antonia Reither serves as Vice President of Customer Excellence at Lucanet, where she leads efforts to optimize client engagement, drive high-impact outcomes, and ensure exceptional service delivery across global finance teams. With a deep background in consulting, supported by her earlier role leading consolidation and planning projects, Antonia brings a strategic vision for elevating the customer experience in the evolving world of finance software. At Lucanet, she is instrumental in bridging product innovation with customer success, enabling organizations to transform their finance functions into strategic partners.

Bryan Wong is a Senior Solution Engineer at Lucanet, bringing a strong background in financial systems engineering and enterprise software integration. With deep experience helping organizations transition from manual processes to cloud-based, scalable finance platforms, Bryan specializes in delivering solutions that drive automation, auditability, and strategic insight for finance teams. At Lucanet, he collaborates closely with customers to map complex consolidation, planning, and reporting workflows to best-practice configurations, helping them unlock the full value of the Lucanet CFO Solution Platform.

Key Quotes

“Our goal is to make customers confident — to handle their data independently and make the right decisions from it.”– Antonia Reither

“Cloud-native isn’t just storage in the cloud; it’s architecture designed for scale, automation, and agility.” – Bryan Wong

“Finance teams are under pressure to deliver faster insights, ensure compliance, and stay agile — legacy systems are no longer enough.” – Catalina Ibáñez Gutiérrez

Time Stamps

00:46 – Meet Antonia Reither and Bryan Wong

02:28 – Why Modernizing Finance Systems Matters Now

02:59 – Legacy Systems vs. Cloud-Native Platforms

07:36 – The Cost of Outdated Data

11:00 – Built-In Security: Shift-Left and Resilience

13:55 – Cloud-Native as the Foundation for AI-Native Systems

17:35 – How AI Is Transforming Professional Services

19:22 – The Human Element in AI Adoption

26:27 – Common Challenges During Transformation

28:09 – Rapid-Fire Round: The Future of Finance

30:20 – Biggest Misconceptions About Cloud Platforms

34:16 – Go-To Sources for Finance News

36:55 – Preparing the Next Generation of Finance Leaders

37:40 – Key Takeaways & Season Wrap-Up

Links

Connect with Antonia on LinkedIn

Connect with Bryan on LinkedIn

Learn more about Lucanet

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In this episode of Finance in Flow, host Janis Steinmann explores how artificial intelligence is transforming the office of the CFO. Joined by John Turner, CEO of XBRL International, and Phil Wilding, AI entrepreneur at HG Capital, the discussion dives into how structured financial data and AI are converging to create conversational analysis tools. Together, they unpack the challenges of making financial workflows AI-ready, the importance of semantic layers and data governance, and why “trust but verify” is the new mantra for AI in finance. From the digital plumbing of XBRL to the future of continuous reporting, this episode reveals how CFOs can turn data into a true competitive advantage.

About the guests:

John Turner is the CEO of XBRL International. John is responsible for enhancing the standards and supporting the adoption of XII globally. Throughout his career, he has been focused on improving business reporting and analytics. He has been a leading member of the XBRL community since 2001, when it was founded. John holds a degree in IT and government and an LLB in Law from the University of Queensland, Australia.

Phil Wilding is an AI Entrepreneur at Hg. Phil is an AI entrepreneur and technology leader currently advising companies on how to adopt an AI-native posture and successfully bring AI projects into production. He serves as CPTO at Localised.com and the Co-Founder of Future Moto, building a network of electric motorbike parks and leading a race team that took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in its first National Electric Flat Track Championship season. Phil has spent his career building and scaling online businesses that merge technology, data, and user experience to drive growth and innovation.

Key Quotes

“Stop treating your digital disclosures like homework. Start treating them like your company’s voice in a conversation with every AI on the planet — because that conversation has already started.”– John Turner

“Clean numbers alone don’t tell the story — they lack the context that human analysts hold. For data to be truly AI-ready, you need a well-defined semantic layer.” – Phil Wilding

“AI doesn’t magically fix bad data — it just amplifies it at scale. So who’s ultimately responsible for data quality? The CFO, the auditor, or the regulator?” – Janis Steinmann

Time Stamps

00:00:36 – Guest Introduction: John Turner, CEO of XBRL International

00:02:36 – Guest Introduction: Phil Wilding, AI Entrepreneur at Hg

00:04:11 – What Is XBRL?

00:05:57 – Why Financial Data Is Challenging for AI

00:08:31 – Making Structured Data AI-Ready

00:11:57 – The Limits of Large Language Models

00:14:55 – Building the Semantic Layer

00:18:07 – Conversational Financial Analysis in Practice

00:21:40 – Trust but Verify: Ensuring Accuracy

00:25:58 – Cross-Company Insights and AI Potential

00:27:57 – Governance and Data Quality

00:31:03 – Risks of Poor Data and Black Box AI

00:35:06 – Who Owns Data Quality?

00:39:10 – Quick Fire Questions with Phil Wilding

00:42:24 – Quick Fire Questions with John Turner

00:45:49 – The Future of Financial Reporting

00:48:12 – Key Takeaways & Closing Thoughts

Links

Connect with John on LinkedIn

Connect with Phil on LinkedIn

Learn more about Lucanet

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In this episode of Finance in Flow, host Catalina Gutiérrez sits down with Alistair Gurney, CFO at Lucanet, and Sanja Mitrovic, auditor and business planning expert from Kleeberg, to explore the balance between growth and profitability in modern finance. Together, they discuss how integrated business planning (XP&A) fosters smarter, cross-functional decision-making and how AI is reshaping financial forecasting, auditing, and strategic planning. The conversation dives into the importance of data credibility, single sources of truth, and building trust in AI-driven insights, offering practical advice for finance leaders navigating today’s rapidly changing business landscape.

About the guests:

Alistair Gurney brings over 15 years of experience in finance and strategic management with a deep understanding of the CFO tech stack, particularly in financial planning and analysis. He has held several senior finance positions at public and private equity-backed software firms, including Unit4, IRIS Software Group and Dotdigital, where he served most recently as Group CFO.

Alistair’s expertise in optimising financial processes, navigating complex financial landscapes and enhancing product solutions that drive increased financial performance and foster sustainable growth, will also support Lucanet’s product vision of empowering CFOs to create value beyond the finance function.

Sanja Mitrovic conducts statutory and voluntary audits of annual and consolidated financial statements of partnerships and corporations in accordance with German GAAP (HGB) and IFRS. She supports clients in preparing financial statements as well as in addressing fundamental questions of national and international accounting standards.

She leads various special projects in transaction advisory, in particular IFRS conversion and post-merger integration. In addition, her focus lies on the optimization of financial processes, the implementation of automation solutions, and driving efficiency improvements.

Key Quotes

“Planning isn’t just numbers — it’s about aligning people, processes, and data to make decisions you can trust.”– Sanja Mitrovic

“The balance between growth and profitability depends on where your business is in its lifecycle — but productivity and good choices matter at every stage.” – Alistair Gurney

“AI is changing finance, but the human element — judgment, trust, learning — will always be essential.” – Catalina Gutiérrez

Time Stamps

[00:01:15] – Balancing Growth and Profitability

[00:02:28] – The Auditor’s Perspective: Planning Plausibility

[00:04:48] – What Is Extended Planning and Analysis (XP&A)?

[00:06:35] – How Data Visibility Shapes CFO Decision-Making

[00:08:08] – The Importance of a Single Source of Truth

[00:11:13] – Introducing AI in Financial Planning

[00:12:01] – How AI Supports Predictive Modeling and Insights

[00:13:27] – Practical Use Cases: AI in Management and Analysis

[00:15:22] – Can Finance Leaders Trust AI?

[00:17:16] – Building Trust and Capacity in AI-Driven Auditing

[00:20:12] – Learning to Leverage AI Effectively

[00:21:17] – Rolling Forecasting and Cross-Functional Planning

[00:22:53] – Integrating KPIs into the Planning Process

[00:23:47] – Advice for CFOs Beginning Their Planning Journey

[00:25:50] – The Auditor’s View: Risks of Excel-Based Planning

[00:29:41] – Improving Transparency, Consistency, and Control

[00:32:03] – Rapid-Fire Questions

[00:33:25] – Key Takeaways & Closing Remarks

Links

Connect with Alistair on LinkedIn

Connect with Sanja on LinkedIn

Learn more about Lucanet

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