Page 68 - CMA Journal (Sep-Oct 2025)

T O P TECHNOLOGY TREND

Executives who embrace autonomy today will define the • 12 Months: Scale & Integrate
companies that thrive. Using Agentic AI, CFOs can
 Extend autonomy across connected workflows
optimize working capital, drive EBITDA growth,
 Unlock working capital stuck in delays
strengthen controls, accelerate the financial close,
 Improve accuracy and shorten cycle times
reduce cost per transaction, and minimize regulatory
risk, turning finance functions into a strategic engine for • 3 Years: Self-Advancing Enterprise
performance and resilience.
 Continuous controls in mission-critical flows
Autonomous Compliance  Workforce focused on innovation and growth
 Operational excellence becomes the default
Pakistan’s regulated sectors, including banks, pharma-
ceuticals, telecom, and oil & gas, have improved compli- This is how AI stops being a pilot project and becomes
ance significantly, yet most critical controls still rely on the engine of sustainable, long-term growth.
human vigilance and manual evidence trails. That is not
a flaw, but a limit, and Agentic AI can overcome it. Governance First
Imagine compliance that watches workflows in real time, Boards and CFOs ask: “Who stays responsible when AI
detects non-compliance immediately, automatically makes decisions?” The answer is “Governance remains
gathers evidence, fixes issues autonomously, and main- human.” CFOs and compliance leaders decide when AI
tains clean audit trails effortlessly. A large AI implementa- can act alone, which risks need human oversight, what
tion I led last year for a multi-billion-dollar US company evidence is recorded, and which controls remain
showed the impact. We addressed manual auditing pain non-negotiable. AI does not weaken governance; it
points using Computer Vision and Natural Language enforces it.
Processing to automate processes that once took months,
required human effort, and caught issues too late. With the right guardrails, transparency increases, risk is
detected earlier, audits are cleaner, and decisions are
The results were transformative: the organization
faster. This is compliance designed for global markets.
became audit-ready at all times, achieving a 40%
reduction in audit costs and freeing teams to focus on The Window of Advantage
judgment rather than paperwork. This isn’t replacing
compliance officers; it equips them with superpowers. Pakistan has a unique opportunity. We are not held back
Autonomous operations turn compliance into an by over-automation or legacy debt. We can leap directly
accelerator, not a cost. into intelligent operations. Policy reforms and tariff shifts
will help revive industry, but the fastest lever available to
Autonomous Factories
business leaders today is autonomy. Those adopting AI
In industry, downtime, rework, and hidden defects cost now are reducing costs where it matters, cutting delays
billions each year. Agentic AI can predict breakdowns to accelerate revenue realization, and scaling
before they happen, optimize energy and throughput in performance without increasing payroll. By doing so,
real time, detect quality issues instantly, prevent unsafe they earn global trust and capture export market share.
actions continuously, and keep processes aligned to peak
Those who wait will spend the next decade catching up.
performance.
Pakistan’s next growth leap will be powered by
Industrial winners are shifting from manual detection to businesses that teach their operations to run smarter.
automated alerts to autonomous optimization. The question is no longer whether autonomy will
Countries adopting autonomous operations will secure reshape Pakistan’s regulated and industrial sectors. It is
export markets for the next decade. Pakistan can move who will lead this future, and when they will seize the
from labor-driven production to intelligence-driven advantage. The starting point is not another steering
competitiveness. The advantage of the future will not be committee; it is a strategic Autonomy Readiness
capacity, it will be intelligence. Assessment across key functions, starting this quarter.
The CFO Roadmap The clock is not just ticking—it is running out.
Transformation can start small and scale fast. Here’s a About the Author: Salman Kasbati, Founder and Managing
high-level roadmap: Partner at Kaster Consulting, is an enterprise AI strategy and
transformation advisor with deep experience across compliance
• 90 Days: Discover & Prioritize and industrial operations, including energy, technology, and life
 Pick 2–3 costly pain points in compliance sciences. He guides leadership teams in adopting AI by crafting
robust strategies and driving execution. He is committed to
or operations advancing Pakistan’s digital future through intelligence-driven
 Measure leakage and cycle times enterprise performance.
 Build a ROI-backed autonomy case

66 ICMA’s Chartered Management Accountant, Sep-Oct 2025