Following on from his opinion piece here at The Bottom Line Brief, Amber Hussain Siddique, Finance Director at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, sat down with us for an exclusive interview, exploring how AI is reshaping the finance function - from static dashboards to conversational analytics and predictive insights. He reflects on the lessons learned in adopting automation, the ongoing importance of human judgment in financial planning, and the soft skills that define today’s most effective FP&A leaders.
Beyond basic reporting automation, what is the single most valuable way AI or predictive analytics is currently transforming the financial planning process within your organization?
"Beyond automation, AI-powered Natural Language Processing (NLP) is enabling the creation of interactive, conversational systems that deliver on-demand insights. For instance, users can now ask questions like “Compare revenue across business segments” or “Calculate ROI for the past five years,” and receive instant, customized answers. This marks a significant evolution from traditional dashboards that provided only static, pre-defined reports - AI is making financial analysis truly dynamic and user-driven.
Further, AI is playing a crucial role in transforming day-to-day financial operations. Tools like ChatGPT and Copilot are making it easier to automate routine tasks - such as writing macros or running repetitive processes - that once required specialized coding skills. Today, instead of learning complex macro programming, professionals like us relying on AI to generate the necessary code with just the right prompts, shifting the focus toward prompt engineering rather than technical scripting. This shift from technical scripting to prompt engineering allows us to complete repetitive tasks much faster, freeing up valuable time to focus on business partnering, data interpretation, and cross-functional collaboration."
There's a lot of hype around AI. What is one area where the technology has not lived up to expectations in FP&A, and what lesson did your team learn from that experience?
"While my own experience with AI in FP&A has been largely positive, one area where the technology hasn’t fully lived up to expectations - based on what I’ve observed across the industry - is around algorithmic bias. AI models are only as objective as the data they’re trained on, and if that data carries hidden biases, the resulting forecasts or insights can also be skewed. This remains an emerging challenge, and it will be important for organizations to closely monitor model performance, ensure transparency in data sources, and continuously validate outputs. The key lesson here is that AI still requires human oversight - it can enhance decision-making, but it shouldn’t replace sound financial judgment."
Moving to predictive FP&A is heavily dependent on data quality. What major steps has your team taken to improve data governance and ensure reliable inputs for these advanced models?
"Predictive FP&A is only as strong as the data that powers it, so improving data governance has been a top priority for us. We started by establishing clear data ownership across functions - defining who is accountable for the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of each data source. Our finance and IT teams worked together to implement a centralized data repository, ensuring that data from SAP system flows through consistent validation and cleansing processes.
We also introduced data quality checks and exception reporting to flag anomalies before they reach our predictive models. Standardized data definitions - especially for key financial metrics - helped eliminate ambiguity across regions and business units."
Our previous article touched on the future workforce. What is the one non-technical skill you now look for most often when hiring or promoting an FP&A professional to ensure he can be an effective business partner?
"For me, the most important non-technical skill for an effective FP&A business partner is the ability to collaborate cross-functionally and translate numbers into a compelling story that drives decision-making. Strong FP&A professionals don’t just analyze data - they communicate insights in a way that resonates with senior leadership and other stakeholders. Along with storytelling, I also look for people management and influencing skills, because being a true business partner requires the ability to build trust, align diverse teams, and drive action across the organization.
The strategic finance partner must be able to challenge assumptions. Can you share an example of a time your finance team used their analysis to successfully challenge a major assumption from the Operations or Marketing team?
I recall a project focused on improving the profitability of a low-margin product. During our analysis, we identified that shifting shipments from air to sea freight could significantly reduce costs. However, the operations team was initially concerned that longer lead times and production constraints could lead to stockouts and lost sales. To address this, we collaborated closely with the production team to revise the manufacturing schedule and adjust output from the relevant plant. This allowed us to build higher inventory levels in the U.S., enabling a smooth transition to sea freight. As a result, we successfully lowered logistics costs and improved overall profit margins without disrupting sales."
When finance is a "growth catalyst," how do you measure the value your FP&A team adds to the business beyond traditional variance analysis (e.g., in terms of strategic opportunity, risk mitigation, or operational efficiency)?
"The role of FP&A extends well beyond traditional variance analysis. I encourage my team to truly understand the business, view situations through the stakeholders’ lens, and reevaluate scenarios to see the broader picture. For instance, while we usually aim to optimize inventory levels to manage working capital, during periods of tariff uncertainty, one could argue maintaining higher inventory may actually strengthen marketing and supply chain resilience. This is where a shift in mindset becomes essential - adapting our financial strategies to evolving market conditions to drive smarter, more strategic decisions."
What is the most significant mindset shift you had to encourage within your team to get them comfortable with automation taking over routine work?
"I lead a very mature team that understands the evolving nature of finance. The key mindset shift was helping everyone see that automation isn’t replacing us - it’s enabling us to focus on more strategic, high-value work. Instead of spending time on repetitive, manual tasks, we now concentrate on business partnering, strategic analysis, and driving insights. As a team, we’re aligned on this vision and continuously reinforce the understanding that automation is a tool for empowerment, not replacement."
If you look ahead three years, what do you believe will be the single biggest challenge for finance directors in integrating emerging technologies like AI while maintaining essential human oversight?
"In the next three years, the biggest challenge for finance directors will be finding the right balance between AI-driven automation and human judgment. As emerging technologies become deeply integrated into financial planning and decision-making, ensuring data integrity, transparency, and ethical use of AI will be critical. The risk isn’t in adopting AI - it’s in over-relying on it without proper oversight. Finance leaders will need to build frameworks that combine machine efficiency with human intuition, maintaining accountability and control while leveraging technology to drive insight and growth."
Ed McElduff is a Reporter for the Bottom Line Brief.
