Women, AI, and the Future of Finance: Why This Moment Matters

This Women’s History Month, we’re focusing on progress and momentum for women in finance.

The story isn't a rosy one. According to our research, women take longer to reach the chief financial officer (CFO) seat, on average three or more years longer than their peers. More than a third follow non‑linear career paths to get there. Yet once women reach that level, they deliver stronger business outcomes, including an average 4.5% annualized shareholder return during their tenure. Appointing a woman CFO at underperforming organizations has even been linked to a 10% performance boost.

At the same time, the skills required to lead finance are changing fast. Eighty‑three percent of women finance leaders say automation, especially artificial intelligence (AI), is opening new pathways into finance leadership. And 75% identify digital literacy and strategic leadership as essential skills for the CFO role of the future.

Yet today, less than a quarter (24%) rely significantly on AI tools.

That gap between ambition and confidence, between opportunity and execution, inspired our recent webinar hosted by OneStream Women in Finance. Here's a breakdown of everything you can expect in Empowered by Intelligence: Women, AI, and the Future of Finance.

Who Spoke at the Webinar

The conversation brought together leaders across finance, technology, and AI governance, each offering a distinct perspective on what's needed to lead in this next era:

1. Aisling Harney — OneStream, webinar host and moderator — guided the discussion around leadership, research insights, and the future of finance.
2. Shikha Gandhi — CFO, Carina Software Group — shared the CFO perspective on AI adoption, change management, and why this moment is different for women in finance.
3. Tiffany Ma — Director of Product Marketing for AI and Operational Analytics, OneStream — offered a front‑row view into how finance teams are adopting and scaling AI today.
4. Emma Redmond — Associate General Counsel and Head of Privacy and Data Protection, OpenAI — brought critical insight on digital fluency, governance, trust, and responsible AI leadership.

Together, these women leaders explored why AI is no longer just a technology shift, but a leadership one. They also covered why women are uniquely positioned to shape what comes next.

The AI Leadership Opportunity

From the conversation, one of the strongest themes from was how automation is table stakes. Forward-looking organizations are turning to AI to reshape decisions.

As Ma explained, we’re moving into an era of agentic AI, where systems don’t just respond to prompts. They reason. They plan. They execute multi‑step workflows, from ingesting data to modeling scenarios and recommending actions.

The implication? Digital fluency is no longer a “nice to have” or a technical specialization. Instead, digital fluency is leadership capability. And that capability doesn’t mean learning to code in 2026, but does mean taking the time to learn AI.

Why Women Are Uniquely Positioned to Lead This Moment

Gandhi offered a powerful reframe: Women already have the skills this moment demands.

Curiosity. Critical thinking. The ability to ask better questions. Comfort working with imperfect information. Collaboration across functions. Influence without formal authority.

Rather than replacing judgment, AI amplifies it. And that creates space for women to step forward — not as technical specialists, but as translators, storytellers, and strategic leaders.

Digital Fluency Is About Context, Not Complexity

Redmond of OpenAI brought this idea home with a simple but resonant phrase: Context is king.

Knowing how a tool works isn’t enough. Leaders must also understand how technology reshapes the way people think, decide, and lead. In finance, that means connecting AI insights to real‑world outcomes. It means knowing when to trust automation and when to challenge it.

As AI adoption continues to outpace governance frameworks, that insight is especially critical. The panel emphasized returning to first principles:

• What problem are we solving?
• Who owns the decision?
• Can we explain and stand behind the outcome?

The Real Barrier to AI Adoption Isn’t Technical

Across the discussion, one thing became clear: Culture, not technology, is the biggest hurdle to AI adoption.

Finance teams have long been optimized for precision, control, and certainty. With AI, probabilities, iteration, and gray areas are introduced. That shift requires a mindset change, not just new tools.

AI also shouldn’t be treated as a one‑off IT project. As Gandhi noted, today's AI is closer to an industrial revolution than a system upgrade. Meeting the moment thus requires upskilling, leadership sponsorship, and a willingness to rethink workflows from the ground up.

How to Start Right Now

One of the most practical takeaways from the webinar was that you don’t have to start big.

Still heavily reliant on Excel (and most organizations are)? No problem. Stabilize data, create a single source of truth, and identify high‑value, low‑risk use cases where AI can deliver quick wins.

And on an individual level? Redmond offered the simplest advice of all: Start with the thing that annoys you most in your day. The repetitive task. The summary that takes too long. The manual process you wish would disappear.

Use AI in those use cases first. Confidence follows experience.

What’s Next for Women in Finance?

The data shows that women already deliver results in finance leadership. Now, AI creates a rare inflection point: a chance to accelerate influence, reshape how finance operates, and redefine leadership over the next decade.

You don’t need to be technical to lead this shift.

You need curiosity.

Judgment.

And the confidence to step in.

Want to hear these insights directly from the panel? Watch the full Empowered by Intelligence: Women, AI, and the Future of Finance webinar on demand, and check out OneStream's Women in Finance Playbook.