Centre for Financial Leadership and Digital Transformation
How technology impacts the finance function
The centre is a place where CFOs and senior leaders like you can bring challenges, get ideas – and work in partnership with world-leading finance academics. Together, you drive the future of financial leadership.
You’ll collaborate to explore how technologies – including AI, robotics and blockchain – can deliver on strategy and help the finance function to be an even stronger business partner and decision-maker. You’ll also examine the impact the finance function can have on an organisation’s culture and people. In today’s fast-paced business environment, the centre presents you with a unique opportunity to stay ahead.
AI Maturity Scan for the CFO
This tool scans your finance function’s digital and AI strengths, blind spots and challenges. Covering your company’s culture, knowledge, talent pool and data structure, you can measure progress and receive recommendations on the steps required to build a future-proof finance team. The tool was developed by the Centre based on our research.
Join a powerful community
When you join the Centre for Financial Leadership and Digital Transformation, you become part of a select group of high-profile leaders that’s actively reinventing finance and its role as a business partner.
The centre is a vibrant, safe space where CFOs and senior finance leaders share insights and develop close working relationships with expert Vlerick faculty. Join them to co-create ground-breaking research into the challenges facing today’s financial leaders – and take part in an active programme of events, networking and roundtables, designed to keep you at the cutting edge.
Research to power your company
Research at the centre is a two-way street. Our members influence the direction of research and participate in it. Join us to begin a unique collaboration that explores areas including:
- Developing digital strategies and AI applications for the finance office of the future
- Working capital optimisation through the use of technology
- Proactively detecting and mitigating global supply chain risks
- Sustainable and integrated reporting
- Building resilient and data driven digital finance teams
- Use of machine learning for performance management
- Explainable AI for CFOs
- Generative AI for Financial Statement Analysis
We specialise in the visualisation and analysis of quantitative and text data. Our machine learning models help finance teams better predict fraud, manage risk, build forecasts, estimate costs, measure long-term performance, predict customer value, design contracts and evaluate supplier relationships.
We explore the role of technology in ESG reporting and how organisations impact society and the planet. And we delve into the DNA of a digital CFO, the democratisation of technology, data ethics and cybersecurity – and budgeting and forecasting.
Network, explore, deepen your thinking
Join us to dive deep into a full, hybrid programme of specially-curated events that are designed to provoke discussion and creative thinking about the role of technology in finance. From expert presentations and company visits, through to bootcamps, workshops, a residential seminar and a digital finance conference – there are opportunities to network, explore and discover new possibilities. Our international network means we’re also able to share best practice from across the world. For more information about our programme of learning activities for this year and our full offering to businesses, download our brochure.
Recent research
How Finance Teams Can Succeed with AI
Over the past seven years, we’ve engaged CFOs and finance leaders to understand how finance teams can thrive in this AI era. This research, published in Harvard Business Review, captures what truly differentiates future-proof finance teams.
How AI Can Help Your Company Set a Budget
In recent years, companies have increasingly turned to AI and machine learning to dramatically improve the speed and accuracy of budgeting and forecasting, with leading organisations showcasing major gains in predictive capability and efficiency. This research, published in Harvard Business Review, explores how finance teams can use AI effectively in the budgeting process and the improvements it offers compared to traditional forecasting.
AI Can Make the Relative-Valuation Process Less Subjective
This research introduces a new AI-enhanced methodology for relative valuation. The approach analyses historical financial data - such as revenues, earnings, and debt levels - to identify patterns and insights that strengthen valuation assessments.
How Digitally Mature Is Your Finance Office?
This research, published in MIT Sloan Management Review, explores the seven key capabilities that CFOs as digital leaders have prioritised to unlock the power of data and analytics. It’s supported by extensive studies of CFOs and senior finance leaders from more than 20 industries.
AI-Drive Fleet Cost Forecasting: A Case Study in Logistics
This business and teaching case demonstrates how machine learning can provide a CFO with a dynamic forward look and help finance teams ensure their cost forecasts stay relevant and responsive to real-world shifts. Using real company data, this business case is set in the logistics context.
Partners & members
Partners
Members
Expert faculty
Kristof Stouthuysen
Professor of Management Accounting and AI-driven Finance
Kristof Stouthuysen drives sustainable value creation with management accountancy – and leverages technology to make better financial decisions.
Filip Roodhooft
Professor of Management Accounting
Filip Roodhooft shows you how the finance function can be a valuable business partner for your organisation.
Tim Verdonck
Visiting Professor of Data Science
Tim Verdonck’s expertise lies in data science and statistics – and he is a highly experienced researcher and professor.
Paul Geertsema
Associate Professor of Accounting and AI
Paul Geertsema is an expert in accounting, finance and AI. He’s published work in leading journals – and worked at top organisations.
Helen Lu
Associate Professor of Accounting and AI
Helen Lu uses state-of-the-art AI technology to solve accounting and finance problems.
Join us
Joining the Centre for Financial Leadership and Digital Transformation as a member means being part of – and shaping – the most advanced thinking in your domain. You’ll develop close working relationships with world-leading academics and CFOs across multiple sectors.
The centre is an active resource, and you input into its direction and activities – so what you get out of it is completely relevant and up to date. Which means you have direct access to ideas, models and information that empowers you to have deep impact in your organisation. And if you want to have even more influence on the work of the centre, then you can do so as a partner.
Get in touch
