AI off the record: a CFO’s playbook

Every AI initiative becomes a finance problem at some point. The strongest leaders step in early and guide how their companies invest, govern and scale AI with clarity and discipline.

That’s the focus of the first episode of “AI off the record”, a candid series from Sikich built for manufacturing leaders in finance and operations who are being asked to lead on AI initiatives, whether they feel ready or not.

This session's guest, Ryan Spohn, CFO and COO of Sikich, will join John Eisenhauer and Debbie Altham from the Sikich data and AI team to discuss:

Where CFOs should start when shaping an AI strategy
How AI is changing service delivery, workflows and the nature of work
New opportunities that were not practical until now
The pace of disruption and how far ahead leaders should be planning
Practical guidance on what finance and operations leaders should do next

Register here:

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Our panelists

Ryan Spohn,

CFO & COO

Ryan has over 25 years of financial and operational experience across industries, including technology, B2B services, healthcare and manufacturing. He has substantial expertise in mergers & acquisitions due diligence and integration, ERP systems implementations, restructuring, and change management.

John Eisenhauer,

Data & AI Leader

John is Director of the Sikich Data and AI practice, helping organizations create competitive advantage in an AI Driven Economy using Data, Analytics, and AI. With 28+ years of experience spanning data governance and AI strategy—including his tenure as Chief of Data Governance at Humana—John brings expertise from Fortune 1000 companies across healthcare, insurance, finance, and manufacturing. He's an author of three books on data governance and co-hosts the Staying Competitive podcast.

Debbie Altham,

Senior Director

Debbie brings more than 30 years of technology experience to clients exploring the next stage of their data and AI journey. She helps business leaders understand how to use data, analytics, and AI to advance their operations and support long‑term digital strategy. As part of the Data and AI team, Debbie works with manufacturers to turn complex technology decisions into practical steps that deliver measurable value.