Rob McGillen
Chief Innovation Officer for CBIZ Financial Services, USA
AI strategy insights from Kreston’s digital transformation expert
March 18, 2026
Rob McGillen, AI Practice Leader and a member of the Kreston Global Digitisation Taskforce, shares his latest perspective on how businesses can unlock value from artificial intelligence.
A recognised voice on AI adoption within the Kreston network, Rob has spoken at multiple Kreston conferences and regularly advises firms and clients on developing practical AI strategies for digital transformation.
In his latest article, Rob highlights a key principle for organisations exploring AI: the greatest value comes when AI tools are aligned with a company’s existing systems, operational processes and data infrastructure.
While every organisation’s AI journey will differ, Rob offers several practical AI use cases that businesses across industries can adopt today to improve efficiency and decision-making:
AI forecasting and scenario planning enhanced with AI strategy insights
AI’s ability to analyse large datasets allows businesses to model different financial and operational scenarios quickly. This can help organisations evaluate multiple business outcomes and respond more effectively to shifting economic conditions.
Businesses can improve forecasting results by defining clear parameters for how AI analyses historical data, such as categorising performance trends or identifying growth patterns over time.
Rob also offers practical advice on keeping data secure and structuring prompts to extract better insights from it.
Real-time business intelligence with AI dashboards
When AI is integrated across enterprise systems, organisations can consolidate operational and financial data into real-time dashboards. These tools give leadership teams immediate visibility into performance metrics and emerging trends.
However, the article emphasises that the success of these systems depends heavily on data quality and consistency. Ensuring information flows accurately across platforms is essential for reliable insights.
Automating accounting processes with AI
AI is increasingly being adopted across finance and accounting functions to automate repetitive administrative work. Tasks such as data entry and reconciliation can be streamlined, improving efficiency and allowing finance teams to focus on higher-value advisory work.
Rob advises readers to start small and build. Organisations often see the best results by starting with smaller automation projects and expanding adoption as tools become more integrated.
Content generation and marketing driven by AI strategy insights
Generative AI can support marketing and communications teams by producing draft content, campaign ideas and messaging frameworks. This can help teams move more quickly from concept to execution.
There is also a note of caution: AI-generated content should reflect how the business looks, sounds and feels to customers. Reviewing and adapting AI-generated content to ensure it reflects a company’s voice and avoids unintentionally replicating existing intellectual property.
AI-powered cybersecurity and risk monitoring
Another growing application of AI is in cybersecurity and risk management. AI-powered monitoring tools can continuously analyse systems and detect unusual behaviour patterns, helping organisations identify potential threats earlier.
At the same time, the article highlights that organisations should carefully consider how much autonomy to give AI systems, ensuring that critical security decisions remain under human oversight.
Responsible AI adoption and data security
Rob also shares his insight on a key matter affecting the integration of AI into business processes: protecting sensitive data when using AI tools. Understanding how AI platforms store and use data—including whether information may be incorporated into broader training datasets—is an important step in responsible adoption.
His overall message is clear: AI delivers the greatest impact when it moves beyond experimentation and becomes embedded in everyday business processes, supported by clear governance and practical implementation.
Read the full article here and follow Rob on LinkedIn here for more insights.
