A key focus of newly-appointed OneTrust CFO Douglas Owens is ensuring the platform’s team is properly utilizing artificial intelligence, which he sees as “the foundation for great work.”

The technology is “not just a productivity perk anymore,” Owens told CFO Dive in a response to emailed questions regarding his new role. Owens was appointed to the CFO seat at the Atlanta, Georgia-based AI governance platform in late April, according to a press release.

“My goal is to continue embedding AI into how we operate, innovate, and scale,” Owens said, enabling the team “with the tools to amplify their impact turns efficiencies into a competitive advantage.”

Championing AI literacy

AI is “fundamentally changing how organizations operate, accelerating the speed and scale of data use across the enterprise, and governance has become a business-critical priority,” Owens said in response to a question regarding what attracted him to the top role at OneTrust, which provides risk, governance and compliance software.

Before joining OneTrust last month, Owens most recently served for six years as SVP of Operations for Vista Equity Partners, according to his LinkedIn profile. His past roles have included serving as CFO for PDI Software and CFO, Hospitality for the NCR Corporation.

AI’s evolution has continued to spark discussion among finance leaders, who are under rising pressure to do more with less — both driving growth, while navigating ongoing economic pressures which could increase costs. AI has continued to filter into the finance function, with 67% of professionals in the space stating they are already using or piloting AI, according to a March survey by purchase-to-pay software provider Yooz.

While 32% of respondents cited saving time on manual tasks as the top benefit they have seen from AI, 33% said they have not yet seen clear benefits, the survey found — echoing a familiar concern from finance leaders which are putting more scrutiny on AI’s return on investment.

The tools’ continued evolution has put a premium on AI skills among the finance function as companies lean harder on finance chiefs to help drive business strategy. Finance teams which are enabled with AI can “move faster and think more strategically,” Owen said. OneTrust’s financial team already has “strong AI literacy, and know what it takes to become the AI-augmented team that drives the business forward,” Owens said.

“My goal is to position our finance team as both a strategic partner and an operating engine for the business,” he said. “Beyond reporting on performance, our team can help the company move faster and ultimately deliver better outcomes for our customers.”

Disciplined growth

The focus on strategic AI use comes as the OneTrust platform seeks to continue to scale with an eye towards “disciplined growth,” according to the April 27 release announcing his appointment. For Owens, disciplined growth means “being ruthless about how we prioritize our investments, focusing on the capabilities most essential to our customers, saying no to distractions, and doubling down where we have clear proof of customer value and durable returns,” he said.              

During his first few months at the company, Owens is looking to ensure the finance function is “tightly aligned” with OneTrust’s growth plans and operations, he said, and is watching and listening carefully to team members to understand where certain processes may be creating friction.

The focus on growth also comes as the “AI revolution” within the software industry is well under way, shifting the way coders and engineers approach previously routine tasks, according to a blog post last month by McKinsey & Company.  

Expectations among customers inside the software space are rising accordingly as AI continues to evolve, Owens said.

“Customers are approaching software investments with more scrutiny, favoring platforms over point solutions, and expecting AI capabilities to drive real value.” Owens said. However, the “risk tolerance” of software buyers still remains low, making it imperative for vendors to responsibly integrate AI into their solutions, he said.