Agentic AI
2025 Gartner CFO & Finance Executive Conference: Our Recap
Leading through change means leading with AI. Discover the top insights driving finance transformation.
Nearly 3,000 CFOs in one place, all trying to figure out the same thing. How do you run an organization when everything keeps changing?
At the recent Gartner CFO & Finance Executive Conference in Washington, leaders weren’t just at another event. They came looking for real answers on how to deal with today’s uncertain business world.
What became clear after two days of intensive sessions wasn't only about mastering new technologies or implementing the latest financial frameworks. Instead, it was about something more fundamental: learning to lead through uncertainty while navigating the reality that finance transformation in 2025 is heading decisively toward AI integration.
While technical and finance skills remain the foundation of effective CFO leadership, the ability to navigate AI transformation has become equally critical. Especially since every single conference session mentioned AI in some form.
This shift reflects a broader transformation in the finance function, where CFOs must now balance traditional fiscal stewardship with leading their organizations through AI adoption, from understanding the contextual capabilities of Agentic AI to scaling pilots into enterprise-wide solutions.
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The Gartner CFO & Finance Executive Conference 2025 made one thing crystal clear: political and economic uncertainty, rapid technological shifts, and the AI revolution are forcing CFOs to rethink everything. The big themes? Agentic AI adoption, change fatigue, vendor trust challenges, pilot-to-scale transitions, and the critical need for simplified technology strategies that actually deliver results.
While every session mentioned AI and 27% of CFOs have some level of deployment, there's a significant knowledge gap. Many executives are just discovering agentic AI and don't realize its potential beyond basic tools like ChatGPT.
The reality is they're missing the bigger picture of what it could actually mean for their organizations. When you start talking about Agentic AI specifically, you can literally see people get cautious and nervous because they don't really understand what "agentic" even means.
Organizations are experiencing burnout from constant technological shifts. Finance leaders need better change management skills to keep their teams engaged and prevent project effectiveness from declining.
When your projects become less effective because people are burned out on change, that becomes a real operational problem that CFOs need to address.
CFOs face a classic "don't know what they don't know" scenario with AI solutions. They need vendors who understand their processes deeply and can demonstrate real value through customer success stories, not just impressive demos.
The challenge is twofold: CFOs need to trust their own processes and understand their actual challenges, but they also need to build trust in vendor relationships rather than just picking something shiny.
There's a consistent struggle moving from a proof of concept to full implementation. Organizations often lose focus on their original goals as use cases multiply and project scope changes during scaling.
You really need to pay attention to what's happening in those pilots and make sure what you're buying is what you're getting. This is why Gartner analysts are telling CFOs they need to protect their initial AI investments and stay focused on their original goals.
Finance teams feel overwhelmed by AI messaging everywhere they turn. They're actively seeking straightforward approaches that help them cut through the noise and make practical technology decisions.
There's just so much information coming at these executives from every direction with the same messaging that what they really need is simplification and help making this easy to understand.
To bring a personal touch to these insights, I had a chance to chat with Brian, who was on the ground representing Hypatos at the Gartner CFO & Finance Executive Conference 2025. Here's what he saw and the takeaways he shared:
Q: Brian, what's your biggest takeaway from the conference?
Brian:
The conference theme centered around uncertainty. When US and global politics are unclear, and in particular when on again/off again tariffs impact supply chains, global organizations face uncertain times for their business plans.
What resonated with me was how this connected with what we do at Hypatos. We're leading significant technological change in organizations, and there was a harmony between dealing with uncertainty and managing change.
The biggest takeaway? CFOs need more than just technical and finance skills to be successful. They need to master the soft skills; the human side of leadership to navigate this constant change effectively.
Q: How do you see events like this helping finance leaders tap into the full potential of AI?
Brian:
Three key ways: First, they had excellent focused educational sessions and briefings. Second, there's a robust vendor community on the show floor, so attendees can hear about major themes in sessions, then find the vendors who can address those specific areas. Third, the networking is incredible, almost 3,000 attendees, with at least 2,500 CFOs. That peer-to-peer learning opportunity is really powerful.
Q: Which conversations or sessions resonated most with you?
Brian:
The session on continuous change leadership really hit home for me. We deal with change management constantly in our sales cycles and deployments. Truth is, our clients are tired of all the changes. Too much constant improvement makes people weary, and then projects fail to live up to their potential.
Rather than change-fatigue, we can aim for change-readiness; creating environments where teams feel supported, aligned with purpose, and energized by the possibilities ahead. That’s the kind of leadership today’s CFOs are striving for.
Q: What did you hear from finance executives about their current AI strategies?
Brian:
“Every single person I spoke to had AI on their agenda. According to the data shared, at least 27% of surveyed CFOs already have some level of AI deployed, though it may not be optimized.”
Here's the gap: people think they understand AI because they can use ChatGPT, but they don't grasp what it really means for their organization. They have no idea about the full potential. That's where they're leaning heavily on organizations like Gartner for guidance, and where we see our opportunity to educate and support them.
Q: What capabilities truly resonate with finance leaders, especially regarding how agentic AI could make a tangible difference?
Brian:
It all comes down to trust. These are finance organizations where sometimes the technical team handles vendor selection, creating potential disconnect between decision-makers and implementers.
Finance leaders need to trust their internal processes to understand their challenges and needs, then trust in building relationships with vendors who can meet those needs. For agentic AI specifically, we need customers who can speak to the value we've delivered for other CFOs. This network of CFOs tends to trust each other because they share similar goals, but building vendor trust takes time and demonstrated expertise.
Q: Looking ahead to the Gartner event in London this September, what should attendees expect from conversations with Hypatos?
Brian:
We're proven thought leaders who can share our track record of success in organizations across many key verticals. We can provide an independent perspective because we truly understand the use cases for AI in finance processes. We're also passionate and innovative about our solutions.
When CFOs talk to us, they can expect a conversation grounded in real results:
Our approach with any CFO is simple: we'll listen to your challenges and work together to take the next steps in building that trust relationship.
I'd point them to our vendor selection white paper as a good starting point. It shows how we help organizations think through these decisions strategically, not just tactically.
The key is not getting overwhelmed by all the noise around AI. Focus on understanding your specific challenges first, then find partners who can help you identify where your weaknesses are and address them systematically. The technology is powerful, but successful implementation is about the people, processes, and partnerships you build along the way.
As Brian observed with nearly 3,000 CFOs all trying to figure out the same thing, the real value comes from vendors who take the time to understand your processes and feel that pain alongside you. Leading through uncertainty requires both the technical skills and the soft skills.
Book a demo with us and explore how Agentic AI can drive real transformation.
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