FIN calendar

Hi everyone,
This free drop‑in clinic is a chance for our community to ask questions, learn from one another, and explore how AI can be applied in real finance contexts.
You can bring challenges you’re facing, ideas you’re curious about, or simply come along to hear from others on the same journey.
Please let me know if you’re planning to attend. If the session time isn’t convenient, you’re welcome to email your questions to marie@financeinnovation.ai or share them in advance here.
I look forward to connecting with you.
Best regards,
Marie Speakman
AI Consultant

Step away from spreadsheets and strategy decks and join a curated group of CFOs, Finance Directors, and senior finance leaders, alongside Founders, CEOs, Non-Execs, and Strategic Advisors, for an energising walk where ideas flow as freely as the conversation.
This is a space to:

• Connect with peers across the leadership spectrum
• Share insights on innovation, transformation, and continuous improvement
• Gain fresh perspectives away from the usual office or screen
• Enjoy nature, intentional dialogue, and a moment to recharge
• (Dogs are welcome too! 🐾)

Whether you're leading finance strategy, driving change, or simply seeking space to reflect and connect — Walk with Wisdom offers a unique opportunity to do just that, with purpose and presence.

🧠 What’s happening?A live, free, informal discussion with AI trainer & automation specialist, Gerlyn Tiigemae, who will discuss how businesses can leverage AI and automation to boost efficiency, reduce costs, and stay competitive. She’ll share practical tools, real-world examples, and insights on what’s working, what’s hype, and where the future is headed.
💬 Featuring: Gerlyn Tiigemae (AI Trainer and Consultant)🎙️ Hosted by: Kirsty Mackenzie📅 Date: May 15th🕒 Time: 1pm📍 Location: Live (register below)
Why attend?

• Learn how AI and automation are transforming finance workflows
• Get insider tips from Gerlyn Tiigemae on practical tools and strategies she uses daily
• Hear honest takes on what’s hype vs. what’s delivering real results
• Ask your own questions and join a candid conversation

Hi everyone,
This free drop‑in clinic is a chance for our community to ask questions, learn from one another, and explore how AI can be applied in real finance contexts.
You can bring challenges you’re facing, ideas you’re curious about, or simply come along to hear from others on the same journey.
Please let me know if you’re planning to attend. If the session time isn’t convenient, you’re welcome to email your questions to marie@financeinnovation.ai or share them in advance here.
I look forward to connecting with you.
Best regards,
Marie Speakman
AI Consultant

AI is no longer a project, a pilot, or an innovation side‑quest — it’s a core organisational capability.

Join Victoria Ferrier and McKinley Hyden for a practical, experience‑led session exploring what it actually takes to build sustainable AI capability in finance and beyond. This conversation moves beyond tools and hype to focus on the people, operating models, and leadership choices that determine whether AI delivers real value.

Drawing on deep experience across finance, people leadership, data, and AI transformation, Victoria and McKinley will unpack:

• Why AI initiatives stall without the right human and organisational capability
• How to build AI‑enabled teams without overwhelming the business
• The operating model shifts that matter most for finance and analytics
• What it really takes to move from experimentation to impact

This session is designed for CFOs, finance leaders, transformation leaders, and data & AI sponsors who want clarity, realism, and practical insight rather than buzzwords.

About the speakers:
Victoria Ferrier is CEO of WILD Learning and a former chartered accountant whose career spans senior commercial and people leadership roles at organisations including P&G, SABMiller, Weir Group, The Very Group, and Konsileo. She brings a rare combination of financial rigour, commercial acumen, and deep expertise in human capability development, having spent much of her career at the intersection of organisational strategy and learning. Victoria is an EMCC‑accredited executive coach, a faculty member of WYSE International, and teaches on Edinburgh University Business School’s executive leadership programme.

McKinley Hyden is a senior data and AI transformation leader and Director of Commercial Analytics at Skyscanner. Previously at the Financial Times, she led enterprise‑wide data and AI initiatives, including data democratisation, AI transformation programmes, and award‑winning capability academies. McKinley specialises in embedding data‑driven decision‑making and building scalable AI capability that connects directly to business outcomes.

Curious about how AI assistants can transform your workflow?

This 1-hour Power Hour introduces AI assistants and how finance professionals can use them to support recurring tasks in a structured and controlled way.

The session begins with a short refresher on large language models (LLMs) and prompting fundamentals, including a practical 5-part prompting technique that is essential for building and maintaining effective AI assistants.

Participants will learn what AI assistants are, how they differ from regular chat usage, and where they make sense in finance work, as well as where they should not be used due to risk, regulation, or frequent change.

The session covers where AI assistants can be built today, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Microsoft Copilot, and how these options differ in practice.
Two practical assistant examples (Finance writing assistant, Internal policy or guideline assistant) are built in the session, showing how to structure instructions, test outputs, and refine the assistant over time. The session also explains the difference between Custom GPTs and Projects in ChatGPT, where to find existing assistant examples, and how to test and edit assistants after initial setup.
In this session, participants will:

• Understand what AI assistants are and how they differ from standard AI chat tools
• Learn where assistants add value in finance roles, and where they do not
• See two practical assistant examples relevant to finance professionals
• Understand the difference between Custom GPTs and Projects in ChatGPT
• Learn how to test, validate, and improve an AI assistant over time

The session includes 45 minutes of content followed by a 15-minute Q&A, allowing participants to ask questions and discuss their own potential assistant use cases.
Cost: £30 (Book HERE)

🌿 Walk with Wisdom: A Unique In-Person Meetup for Strategic Finance and Business Leaders
Step away from spreadsheets and strategy decks and join a curated group of CFOs, Finance Directors, and senior finance leaders, alongside Founders, CEOs, Non-Execs, and Strategic Advisors, for an energising walk where ideas flow as freely as the conversation.
This is a space to:

• Connect with peers across the leadership spectrum
• Share insights on innovation, transformation, and continuous improvement
• Gain fresh perspectives away from the usual office or screen
• Enjoy nature, intentional dialogue, and a moment to recharge
• (Dogs are welcome too! 🐾)

🗓 Next Walk: June 18th, 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM📍 Location: Calton Hill (meeting Pep & Fodder, 11 Waterloo Place)
Whether you're leading finance strategy, driving change, or simply seeking space to reflect and connect — Walk with Wisdom offers a unique opportunity to do just that, with purpose and presence.

Hi everyone,
This free drop‑in clinic is a chance for our community to ask questions, learn from one another, and explore how AI can be applied in real finance contexts.
You can bring challenges you’re facing, ideas you’re curious about, or simply come along to hear from others on the same journey.
Please let me know if you’re planning to attend. If the session time isn’t convenient, you’re welcome to email your questions to marie@financeinnovation.ai or share them in advance here.
I look forward to connecting with you.
Best regards,
Marie Speakman
AI Consultant

Come meet the worker who never sleeps.
In this session, you’ll discover what a digital worker actually is, how it operates, and we'll discuss the real challenges and rewards of adopting them. Perfect for anyone curious about the future of work and the practical impact of AI‑powered automation.

A Reflective Edition of the Walk with Wisdom Series.

Step away from spreadsheets, strategy decks, and screens and join a curated group of CFOs, Finance Directors, senior finance leaders, alongside Founders, CEOs, Non‑Execs, and Strategic Advisors, for a different kind of in‑person meetup.

This edition of Walk with Wisdom will take the form of a guided forest bathing experience — a slower, more intentional way of being in nature that supports clarity, creativity, and strategic reflection. Rather than focusing on distance or debate, the emphasis is on presence, insight, and restoration.

This is a space to:

• Connect with peers across the leadership spectrum
• Create room for reflection on innovation, transformation, and leadership
• Gain fresh perspectives away from the usual office or screen
• Enjoy nature, gentle guidance, and time to recharge — individually and collectively

(No prior experience required. Participation is entirely at your own pace.) (NO dogs please)
🗓 Next Session: Sept 10th, 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM📍 Location: The Hermitage of Braid (Meeting at The Lodge Coffee House, 69B Braid Rd, Edinburgh EH10 6JF)

Whether you’re leading finance strategy, driving change, or simply seeking space to think differently, Forest Bathing (with Wisdom) offers a calm, purposeful way to reconnect — with yourself, with others, and with the bigger picture.

✨ With thanks to our friend Rebecca Bonnington and https://www.forestbathingscotland.com/ for generously guiding this experience.

Come meet the worker who never sleeps.
In this session, you’ll discover what a digital worker actually is, how it operates, and we'll discuss the real challenges and rewards of adopting them. Perfect for anyone curious about the future of work and the practical impact of AI‑powered automation.

🌿 Walk with Wisdom: A Unique In-Person Meetup for Strategic Finance and Business LeadersStep away from spreadsheets and strategy decks and join a curated group of CFOs, Finance Directors, and senior finance leaders, alongside Founders, CEOs, Non-Execs, and Strategic Advisors, for an energising walk where ideas flow as freely as the conversation.This is a space to:

• Connect with peers across the leadership spectrum
• Share insights on innovation, transformation, and continuous improvement
• Gain fresh perspectives away from the usual office or screen
• Enjoy nature, intentional dialogue, and a moment to recharge
• (Dogs are welcome too! 🐾)

🗓 Next Walk: Nov 12th, 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
📍 Location: The Meadows (meeting Söderberg, The Meadows, 27 Simpson Loan, Edinburgh EH3 9GG)

Whether you're leading finance strategy, driving change, or simply seeking space to reflect and connect — Walk with Wisdom offers a unique opportunity to do just that, with purpose and presence.