In this conversation, Siri Nilssen, Group CEO of Amesto AccountHouse and Amesto Solutions/TechHouse, explains how regulations, ERP modernisation and AI are reshaping the finance function.

She highlights the immediate, practical wins - moving off manual Excel sheets to system functionality, building AI literacy and standardising processes across customers. At the same time, she keeps a human-centred approach: start with curious ambassadors, clean and structure data, communicate constantly and build trust before scaling.

Siri also shares why outsourcing remains on the rise when it’s a true partnership, and why a culture of simplicity creates speed, clarity and trust.

Finance sits at the heart of the company, so de-risking implementation, showing clear examples and proving value are essential to adoption.

This conversation is part of our whitepaper, The Evolving Role of the CFO, exploring how Norway’s top finance leaders are preparing for the future.

Siri Nilssen, Group CEO of Amesto AccountHouse og Amesto Solutions/TechHouse

Siri, how has the finance function changed in the past five years, and where do you see it heading?

Siri: We can see that the finance function has changed dramatically over at least the last ten years. It has shifted from being more of a back office to becoming a strategic driver for value. Early automation and cloud solutions have been changing the way we work for a long time, and AI is now taking over much of the repetitive work.

Finance leaders are now expected to balance profit with people and planet. At Amesto, we really recognise that financial health, culture and sustainability are connected. Going forward, the most successful CFOs will be those who can navigate this intersection, balancing numbers with impact.

From our experience with customers, most CFOs are looking for insights rather than doing transactional work themselves. Automation and AI are opening doors and reshaping how finance teams operate.

You mentioned that CFOs now have to consider impact and sustainability. Traditionally, that wasn’t part of their role. How are CFOs today incorporating these aspects into their decision-making?

Siri: I think sustainability and Åpenhetsloven (The Norwegian Transparency Act) has brought sustainability into the boardroom. CFOs’ responsibilities are still very much number-focused, but we’ve seen that once the government started focusing on sustainability, it became a bigger priority for CFOs.

When sustainability was voluntary, only those truly committed would engage and there were only a few. But with regulations, it has become a CFO responsibility in many companies. Based on that, they start to focus on how to get the right information and ensure compliance. I think that’s the first step. After that, they begin looking at impact and seeing the connection between business activities and environmental outcomes and I think this is just the start.

Regulations drive change. We’ve started mapping our own footprint with sustainability reporting because we believe this will become almost as important as financial reporting. Sustainability reporting will grow to be just as significant.

The low hanging fruit is to stop using Excel sheets and start leveraging system functionalities and AI tools. Financial leaders who haven’t yet learned to use AI efficiently are missing a game changer. We’re seeing rapid development in this area and I believe this is the future.

I want to move into the topic of human-centered finance. Finance teams are run by people of different generations - some very traditional, some new. What does human-centered finance mean to you, and what have you seen in companies that do it well?

Siri: It’s important to recognise the people behind the numbers - employees, customers and the communities we operate in. Financial decisions have human consequences. Efficient and transparent systems also align with values and sustainable growth. For us at Amesto, it’s about combining technology with empathy.

We need to educate finance teams, because change takes time. People work at different paces and automation requires structured, high-quality data. Often, that structure isn’t in place yet, so the first step is cleaning and organising the information.

We should also appreciate that finance teams may be hesitant - they want to do work correctly and check the numbers. Building trust in automation and AI is a journey.

Broadly, human-centered finance is about seeing the impact of numbers on the company, employees and community, and guiding teams safely and effectively toward automation and AI.

How do you motivate people to be curious about new solutions? In finance, work is often repetitive, and people tend to do things the way they’ve always done them. How do you tackle that?

Siri: Of course it’s challenging. You need to communicate continuously to help everyone understand the benefits of automation. Repetitive work feels safe and familiar, so change can be hard.

We start by involving the most curious people first. For example, when introducing AI at Amesto, we began with ambassadors, those eager to explore and experiment. We encourage them to share what they’re doing in group meetings and show examples of success. Gradually, we introduce processes that everyone needs to follow, with ongoing support from a dedicated team. People can give suggestions, ask questions and see the results of using AI.

It’s not a quick fix. You can’t just switch the process and expect everyone to adapt. Most companies have early adopters, but engaging the rest takes time. We started with personalised AI for Amesto employees, and now it’s being introduced to everyone. With ERP systems, new AI functions are coming constantly, and adoption is driven by a mix of leadership, external factors and system capabilities.

It’s a transition, but the eager employees help lead the way.

Internal champions are key. Successful CFOs plan and adapt over time. Shifting topics, some companies are bringing finance processes back in-house after outsourcing, using AI to improve efficiency. What’s your take?

Siri: The outsourcing market is still growing. Companies benefit from expertise, access to technology and scalability. Many customers prefer a partnership model, sharing goals and working together. Done right, outsourcing frees internal teams to focus on core business, growth and innovation.

I understand why some companies are moving specific processes like accounts payable back in-house - AI enables more efficient internal management. But overall, outsourcing remains valuable. Technology allows a mix of in-house and outsourced tasks.

Finally, what about simplicity in business and process design? How have you seen simplicity help companies drive better outcomes?

Siri: Simplicity creates speed, clarity and trust. When processes are intuitive and reporting is straightforward, teams can focus on value creation instead of administration. A culture of simplicity also makes it easier to align business goals and objectives. Of course, that’s something we really focus on in Amesto - but it’s easier said than done. With all the processes and the technology we’re looking into now, there’s a lot of changing technologies.

New technology opens up for making processes easier and simpler. But I think you need a culture where you always think about, “How do I make this easy and customer‑friendly?”

That’s what we strive for at Amesto, because we know that too complex processes drive a lot of administration, create mistakes and often make you lose sight of the bigger picture. So simplicity is really, really important, and it needs to be in the culture and a constant focus.

That’s also the feedback we get from our customers, and we don’t do it perfectly - but that’s what we strive for. When we succeed, it’s clear and easy; the process works, and we have open, good communication. Where we fail is when it’s too complex.

When you’ve been in business for a long time, you tend to do things the same way. It’s important to keep questioning: “Why do I do that?” The big risk is you stop asking, “Is this the best way to do things?”

With all the new technology, I think most companies have a lot to gain by re‑examining and simplifying their processes, us included.

How does that look like for Amesto today?

Siri: It has to do with being clear and precise and not overcomplicating things. For us as an accounting company, we aim to have the same processes for all our customers, or at least groups of customers, rather than tailor-making everything.

If you over-customise, you can’t scale. And if you don’t scale, customers often end up unhappy because they spend too much time doing their part of the work.

If we can keep processes simple, supported by technology that isn’t overly complicated and have internal processes that are easy and straightforward, it’s efficient and profitable for both sides.

So you’ve gone from just doing accounting to advising customers on the right tools and ways of working?

Siri: Exactly. We also have our ERP unit, Amesto Solutions, and they’re right in the middle of the cloud transition. What we see is that many companies moving from on-premise to the cloud try to keep doing processes the same way they did before. The ones who succeed are those we can advise to actually change their processes. This is true for a lot of companies, they have the technology, but not the processes to support it in the right way.

Finally, how do you balance risk and reward when implementing changes to processes?

Siri: Showing examples is so important. Finance is the heart of the company.

If you make mistakes during change, the consequences can be huge. Reducing risk means being a better advisor during implementation. It’s not just “Here’s the tool, use it,” but “Here’s how to implement it safely.” Show the rewards and how others have succeeded. Most companies don’t want to be the pilot; they want to see proof first.

Editor’s Note:

This interview has been adapted from a recorded conversation. It has been lightly edited for clarity, flow, and readability, with filler words and repetitions removed. Every effort has been made to preserve the intent, tone and insights shared by the speaker.