CFO session for water utilities

AI agents that give finance real control

Turn scattered AI experiments into a portfolio you can govern and measure

When AI fails, finance pays

In water, that risk hits public trust as well as profit.

Most utilities now run pilots across assets, customers and back office. Few can show a clean line from those pilots to cash and risk.

Session overview

  • Real finance pilots in water.

  • CFO playbook for agents and future ways of working.

  • What a governed AI asset portfolio looks like on your P&L.

Download SLIDES

We work with CFOs and digital leaders to build a coherent AI architecture. A governed spine that connects data, models and people to value.

Below are examples of tools and GPT workflows that sit on this foundation.

Concepts to explore with your team

We touched on ideas like these in the session. Use them to spark discussion with your team.

Imagine these were already in your month-end cycle

These ideas are deliberately small and safe. They use your existing data and judgement, but take the grind out of the work.

Ready to turn one idea into a live trial. Talk with us.

IDEA 1

Accounting policy advisor

Staff describe the case in plain language. The agent suggests likely treatment and points to the relevant policy sections. Reviewers spend time on judgement, not search.

What it helps with
  • Faster answers on routine queries
  • Consistent use of policy wording
  • Less time hunting through manuals
IDEA 2

Business case builder

Teams answer guided questions rather than wrestling with complex spreadsheets. The tool builds models, scenarios and clear charts in a standard shape for review.

What it helps with
  • Standard structure for every case
  • Transparent assumptions and scenarios
  • Board ready charts in minutes
IDEA 3

Forecasting view

Build a light dashboard around the drivers that matter. Leaders move key levers and see impacts in seconds.

What it helps with
  • Driver based view for leaders
  • Quick what if checks in meetings
  • Shared picture of likely outcomes
EXAMPLE 1

Business case checker

Today leaders receive dense papers where the numbers reconcile, but the logic has gaps and risks are undercooked. Debate in the room is slow and unfocused.

Imagine every draft case is run through a checker first, with numbers removed, to probe assumptions, flag missing risks and test whether the argument actually hangs together.

Result: sharper papers, better questions in the meeting and less time spent rewriting after the fact.

How to use it
  • Strip out sensitive figures and names first
  • Ask the checker for gaps, risks and weak logic
  • Use the comments to tighten the case before review
EXAMPLE 2

Month end commentary helper

Today analysts spend nights wordsmithing commentary instead of explaining what really moved. Leaders wade through long paragraphs to find the three things they care about.

Imagine analysts drop short bullet points on movements and drivers into a helper and receive a clean first draft of board-ready commentary to refine for tone and materiality.

Result: finance time shifts from sentence structure to story, and leaders get clearer insight with less noise.

How to use it
  • Feed in key movements, drivers and one line insights
  • Request concise commentary for the board pack
  • Edit for tone, materiality and final numbers

Jack Steele

Data & AI Director, FromHereOn