
From AI Potential to ROI: Trust, Data, and the Self-Managing Expense Report, with Fiona Ashley of SAP Concur
AI in finance is moving past potential and changing how work gets done. The question is what it can actually deliver. In this episode of One Vision Podcast, Theodora Lau talks with Fiona Ashley , VP of Product Marketing at SAP Concur, about how finance teams are shifting from using AI to get work done to using AI to change how the work gets done. Drawing on SAP Concur’s latest CFO Insights Report, Fiona explains why half of finance leaders say proving ROI is their biggest AI deployment challenge, and why measurement has to go beyond time saved and error reduction. They discuss: How real-time spend visibility moves finance from reacting after the fact to spotting risks and identifying trends and opportunities early How close we are to the self-managing expense report, and why a human stays in the loop AI-generated fake receipts: 92% of CFOs now believe employees may be using AI to falsify receipts, up from 84% in 2025 How CFOs should decide which AI investments to protect, pause, or reduce heading into 2027 Why connected, trusted data is the foundation for scaling AI 🔥 Hot take : “We’re no longer asking how AI can help me get work done, but how AI can change how the work gets done.” — Fiona Ashley 🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts. Keywords : AI in finance, CFO Insights, SAP Concur, agentic AI, expense management, AI ROI, spend visibility, fraud, governance, data, digital transformation #AI #Finance #CFO #Fintech #SAPConcur Timestamp: 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 01:43 AI From Hype to Outcomes 04:44 Real-Time Spend Visibility 08:46 Self-Managing Expenses 11:26 Fraud Risks and Governance 14:03 CFOs Investing in AI 16:47 Discipline and Data Foundations 17:46 Closing More about our guest 🌐Fiona Ashley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fionaashley/ 🌐CFO Insights Report: https://www.concur.com/resource-center/reports/how-finance-leaders-manage-spend-during-volatility?pid=social_selling&cid=akent_uk_linkedin_theo_november26%5C More about our host and One Vision Podcast 🌐Theodora Lau on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/ 🌐Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence (book): https://www.bankingonaibook.com/ 🌐Unconventional Ventures (company): https://www.unconventionalventures.com/ 🌐Listen to all One Vision Podcast episodes by visiting: https://shows.acast.com/one-vision One Vision Podcast is a fintech, banking, and AI podcast hosted by Theodora Lau (Founder, Unconventional Ventures; author of Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence). One Vision goes beyond the headlines on AI, agentic commerce, digital banking, financial inclusion, and the future of money — with founders, analysts, venture capitalists, technologists, and operators building the next chapter of financial services. New episodes weekly. Featured guests include leaders from Ant, bunq, J.D. Power, Forrester, IBM, Microsoft, Salesforce, SAS, SAP, and Wall Street Journal. Recognized in American Banker's Top 20 Most Influential Women in Fintech. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.













