In 2026, one of my priorities as a finance leader is remaining curious and open minded. Technology and AI are evolving quickly, so the focus is not on chasing tools but on understanding where they genuinely improve efficiency and decision-making, while being clear on where human judgement still matters most.
At Moneypenny, that balance between AI and people-led thinking is central to delivering exceptional customer conversations at scale without losing the personal touch.
I’m also focused on protecting space to think clearly and strategically for myself and my team. We have built a culture that can pivot quickly without slipping into constant firefighting. That headroom enables calmer, better decisions, which is increasingly important as economic pressure continues. It comes from being disciplined with time, setting clear priorities and creating the conditions for considered decision-making.
Finally, strengthening how the finance team partners with the wider business remains critical. When the finance team is involved early, decisions are better and faster.
The defining resolution for finance leaders in 2026 should be a permanent seat as a strategic partner at the technology table. CFOs will increasingly act as portfolio managers of innovation – balancing risk and return while helping fund technology initiatives through measurable stage gates, cross-functional ROI models and agile capital reallocation as assumptions are proven or disproven.
I also aim to use AI more deliberately as a decision-support tool. The ability to simulate multiple financial futures and test what-if scenarios before committing capital will be critical, particularly as investments in data infrastructure, AI tooling and talent shift from being viewed as cost centres to core strategic enablers.
Finally, I expect greater scrutiny on ROI from data and AI investments. My focus will be ensuring capital is allocated to the right opportunities, at the right time, with discipline. Ultimately, innovation and financial rigor must move together so creativity remains capital efficient and every pound invested compounds long-term enterprise value.
As we enter 2026, there are a couple of simple but important leadership goals I plan to focus on. The first is around automation. We all need to be much more disciplined in stepping back and looking at every finance process with fresh eyes. If we know a process is repetitive, manual or frankly a bit soul-destroying, we should be asking why our teams still need to do these. Wherever possible, we should streamline or automate. This isn’t about cutting corners, it’s about freeing up time and energy so the finance team can be less bored and focus on work that genuinely adds value, develops their skills and makes a difference to the organisation.
My second resolution, and one I think we all as finance leaders have, is to strengthen how finance partners with the wider business. True business partnering goes well beyond just producing regular reports. It’s about being fully aligned with leaders on monthly actuals, forecasts and performance against budget, and being clear on what actions should follow from that insight.
Finance should continue to be involved early in key decisions, offering constructive challenges and practical support. When we get this right, finance helps business leaders succeed in front of stakeholders, and the business, in turn, helps finance have strategic impact. That’s the kind of relationship I’m aiming to build and sustain this year.
As we scale Platform4’s ambitions, including major projects like Manchester Mayfield, my 2026 resolutions centre on two priorities: building team capability and culture and making better decisions faster.
To achieve these goals, I’m focusing on investing in continuous learning. I’m committing to reading outside finance, such as history, psychology and economics, because breakthroughs rarely come from staying solely in your lane. I’m encouraging my team to do the same. When you develop models that incorporate different disciplines you catch opportunities others miss.
My second goal is to embrace simplicity and silence. If I can’t explain a strategy in two sentences, we can’t execute it. I’m also using silence more deliberately, listening harder in meetings and never entering one without questions that move us forward. Overly complicated strategies create confusion, not clarity.
In 2026, one of my priorities as a finance leader is remaining curious and open minded. Technology and AI are evolving quickly, so the focus is not on chasing tools but on understanding where they genuinely improve efficiency and decision-making, while being clear on where human judgement still matters most.
At Moneypenny, that balance between AI and people-led thinking is central to delivering exceptional customer conversations at scale without losing the personal touch.
I’m also focused on protecting space to think clearly and strategically for myself and my team. We have built a culture that can pivot quickly without slipping into constant firefighting. That headroom enables calmer, better decisions, which is increasingly important as economic pressure continues. It comes from being disciplined with time, setting clear priorities and creating the conditions for considered decision-making.
