Overview

This intensive 2-day course is specifically designed to equip finance professionals with the skills to integrate Artificial Intelligence into their daily workflows. Delegates will move beyond theoretical understanding to practical mastery of Generative AI, structured prompt engineering, and automated financial workflows. The curriculum focuses on enhancing the speed and accuracy of financial reporting, forecasting, and audit processes using industry-leading tools like Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, and AI-enhanced Excel.

Why Should an Individual Attend?

• Future-Proof Your Career: Transition from traditional accounting and analysis to AI-augmented finance, staying competitive in a rapidly evolving professional landscape.
• Unlock Massive Productivity: Learn to automate time-consuming tasks such as data entry, report summarisation, and complex financial modelling.
• Improve Accuracy & Insights: Leverage AI to identify trends, perform sentiment analysis, and conduct risk assessments that manual methods might overlook.
• Safe & Compliant Innovation: Gain the knowledge to use AI tools while adhering to South African regulatory standards, including POPIA and financial audit requirements.

Outcomes

On completion of this course, the delegate will be able to:

• Navigate the AI Landscape: Identify and select the appropriate AI tools for specific finance functions, from FP&A to treasury and audit.
• Master Prompt Engineering: Construct high-performance financial prompts using the Context-Task-Data-Constraints-Format (CTDCF) framework.
• Automate Finance Workflows: Build automated flows for invoice routing, approvals, and report generation using AI-integrated tools.
• Apply AI to Complex Analysis: Use AI for forecasting, variance analysis, competitor benchmarking, and credit risk scoring.
• Ensure Ethical & Secure Use: Implement "Finance Safe" prompting techniques to protect sensitive data and maintain auditability.

Program Outline

AI Foundations, Tools & Structured Prompting

• Introduction to AI in Finance
• Overview of Generative AI, Machine Learning, and NLP in a financial context.
• Tool Landscape: Copilot for Finance, Excel AI (Python in Excel), and Document Intelligence.

The Science of Prompting in Finance

• Anatomy of a strong financial prompt: Context → Task → Data → Constraints → Format.
• Analytical vs. Instruction prompts: Moving from simple queries to complex interpretations.

AI for Financial Accounting & Reporting

• Automating month-end commentary and variance analysis.
• Summarising financial statements and internal policy documents.

AI in FP&A, Forecasting & Budgeting

• Trend analysis and scenario modelling using AI.
• Drafting budget assumptions and revenue forecasts.

Advanced Finance Applications & Automation

• AI for Audit, Risk & Compliance
• Using AI to identify anomalies and potential fraud.
• Reviewing contracts and internal controls for compliance gaps.

Tax & Regulatory AI Applications

• Navigating tax legislation and drafting technical tax opinions.

Investment, Treasury & Capital Markets

• Portfolio optimisation and sentiment analysis for market research.
• Liquidity management and credit risk scoring prompts.

Automating Finance Workflows with AI

• Building Power Automate flows for invoice routing and ticket triage.
• Document AI for automated invoice and receipt reading.

Finance Safe Prompting: Security, Ethics & Controls

• POPIA compliance and structuring prompts without exposing private data.

Build Your Own AI Toolkit & Prompt Library

• Creating a personalised library of prompts for immediate workplace application.

Who Should Attend?

• Finance Managers & CFOs: Leaders looking to drive digital transformation within the finance function.
• Accountants & Auditors: Professionals seeking to streamline reporting and ensure higher accuracy in compliance.
• FP&A Teams & Analysts: Individuals responsible for forecasting, budgeting, and strategic decision support.
• Investment & Treasury Professionals: Those requiring rapid data synthesis and market sentiment analysis.
• Finance Transformation Teams: Change agents tasked with implementing modern technology in financial ecosystems.