Odewade Unveils New Book on Human Leadership in AI-Powered Finance

Finance leader, entrepreneur and author Ademola Odewade, MBA, ACA, has unveiled a new book examining how executives, entrepreneurs and finance professionals can navigate the growing influence of artificial intelligence in business.

Titled Human-Led, AI-Powered Finance: The CFO and Founder’s Playbook for Smarter Decisions, Stronger Controls and Scalable Growth, the book examines the changing role of leadership as AI becomes increasingly integrated into financial analysis, forecasting, risk management, decision-making and business operations.

Odewade argues that organisations most likely to succeed in an AI-driven economy will not necessarily be those with access to the most advanced technology, but those capable of combining technology with human judgement, ethics, leadership and strategic thinking.

“The future is not humans competing against AI. It is humans learning how to lead powerfully with AI while strengthening the qualities technology cannot replicate,” Odewade said.

The book presents a practical framework for CFOs, founders and business leaders seeking to use AI to improve financial decision-making, strengthen internal controls, increase productivity, support scalability and enhance strategic execution while maintaining appropriate human oversight.

A central principle of the publication is: “Mindset before skillset. Skillset before toolset.”

According to Odewade, while technology can provide increasingly sophisticated tools and process large volumes of information rapidly, leaders remain responsible for determining the questions to ask, risks to accept, decisions to make and consequences to manage.

The book also explores how AI could reshape professional careers and workplace relevance. As machines assume more technical and analytical responsibilities, human capabilities such as creativity, communication, curiosity, emotional intelligence, ethical reasoning and sound judgement could become increasingly valuable.

Odewade draws on experience spanning finance, entrepreneurship, technology and media. A chartered accountant with Big Four experience at PwC and KPMG, he is the Founder and CEO of K-Dems Consulting.

He also hosts The King Dems Podcast and Diary of a CFO, platforms through which he has engaged executives, academics, entrepreneurs and other thought leaders on leadership, finance, business transformation and the future of work.

The book features a foreword by Professor Dave Ulrich, a globally recognised management thinker and authority on leadership, organisations and human capability.

Beyond the technical application of artificial intelligence, the publication examines a broader question confronting organisations: what should humans become exceptionally good at when intelligence and automation become increasingly accessible?

Odewade advocates neither resistance to AI nor its blind adoption. Instead, he proposes a leadership model in which human judgement provides direction while artificial intelligence provides leverage.

For executives, entrepreneurs, finance professionals and other leaders preparing for the next phase of business, the book presents AI as a tool for amplification rather than a replacement for responsible leadership.

The book and additional information about Odewade’s work are available at https://ademolaodewade.com/.

Its central message is that the winners of the AI era will not be those who attempt to compete with machines at being machines, but those who learn to combine the strengths of human capability with intelligent technology.