Inside Finance with Gerlyn Tiigemae

Gerlyn Tiigemäe

Real conversations with the people shaping the future of finance. Host Gerlyn Tiigemae sits down with CFOs, fractional leaders, tool builders, and advisors to talk about how AI and technology are actually changing finance teams. No hype, no vendor pitches - just honest stories about what works, what doesn't, and what finance leaders wish they knew sooner. Gerlyn is an AI implementation consultant with 13+ years in corporate finance, MIT AI certification, and experience training 2,000+ professionals across 50+ organizations.

Episodes

  1. Jul 7

    "You Can't Automate a Process You Don't Understand" - Process Mapping Essentials with Kreet Solnask | Inside Finance #4

    You can't automate a finance process you don't understand. Yet, a lot of companies rush straight into AI implementation without ever mapping what they actually work on in detail. In this episode of Inside Finance, host Gerlyn Tiigemäe sits down with independent business process analyst Kreet Solnask to break down the essential groundwork that must happen before any AI tool or automation enters the picture: process mapping. Kreet shares how she applies her "process-freak" curiosity to everything from corporate workflows to pharmacy queues, and why detailed process modeling is the ultimate antidote to AI hallucinations. If you've been tempted to just give everyone Copilot and hope for the best, this episode is your reality check. Learn how to bridge the gap between what leaders think is happening and what is actually happening on the ground. Why companies rush to AI without understanding their foundational workflows The hierarchy of process mapping: Moving from high-level overviews to detailed steps How to cross-validate data using a combination of SOPs and stakeholder interviews Finding the "spots": Identifying duplicate activities, heavy handovers, and waiting times How AI speeds up information gathering and creates BPMN models (and where it still fails) Why the best process solutions must come from stakeholders, not external consultants The shifting role of the analyst: Why AI means less manual writing but more exhausting critical thinking A CFO's first steps: Why you should start with one small process instead of a two-year corporate overhaul About Kreet Solnask: Kreet is a freelance business process analyst, IT analyst, and process manager. With a diverse background spanning project management and data analysis across multiple domains, she helps companies understand their inner workings, identify inefficiencies, and prepare their workflows for successful IT and AI implementations. She also trains the next generation of business analysts on how to leverage AI tools without losing critical oversight. Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kreet-solnask/  Website: https://kreetsolnask.com/  About your host: Gerlyn Tiigemäe spent 13+ years inside corporate finance - controlling, reporting, IPO prep - before helping finance teams put AI to work for real. She has since trained 5,000+ professionals across 100+ companies and was named Estonia's Trainer of the Year 2025. On Inside Finance, she cuts through the AI hype to show finance leaders what actually moves the needle. Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerlyn-tiigemae/  Website: https://gerlyntiigemae.com  Newsletter: https://substack.com/@gerlyn #InsideFinance #ProcessMapping #BusinessAnalysis #AIImplementation #FinanceAutomation

    "You Can't Automate a Process You Don't Understand" - Process Mapping Essentials with Kreet Solnask | Inside Finance #4

  2. Jun 10

    "People Stay Because of Expectation, Not Delivery" — A Street Artist's Lessons for Finance Teams | Inside Finance #3

    What can a street artist teach a finance team? More than you'd think. In this episode of Inside Finance, host Gerlyn Tiigemae sits down with Sylvain Oulala, a French circus artist who has spent 12 years performing on streets around the world, including a 3,220 km unicycle ride from France to Estonia. Sylvain has also keynoted at Estonia's biggest finance conference, sharing what corporate leaders can learn from someone who literally makes a living capturing strangers' attention. This is a different kind of episode. Not about AI tools or finance workflows, but about the human skills that matter more than ever in an AI-driven world: attention, presence, social skills, and the courage to step out of your comfort zone. Topics covered: How to actually grab and hold attention in a distracted world The "first follower" phenomenon and how it applies to AI adoption in finance teams The cue, action, reward framework for getting people to change Why people stay because of expectation, not because of delivery Why social skills are becoming the rarest competitive advantage in business How AI is shrinking social skills and what to do about it Why Sylvain deleted Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook His honest take on AI and a 100% personalized AI-generated feed future Cold calling as his "secret cheat code" for getting bookings Why real change is boring, and what New Year's resolutions get wrong About Sylvain Oulala: Sylvain is a French circus artist, unicyclist, and entrepreneur who has been performing professionally for over 12 years. Originally trained as an engineer in France, he chose street performance and moved to Estonia, where he now runs his international show business. He performs across Europe, India, New Zealand, and beyond, and increasingly speaks at conferences about attention, presence, and human connection. Website: https://sylvainoulala.com About your host: Gerlyn Tiigemae is an AI implementation consultant with dual Master's degrees in Finance and IT, MIT AI certification, and 13+ years of corporate finance experience. She has trained 2,000+ professionals across 50+ organizations. Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerlyn-tiigemae/  Website: https://gerlyntiigemae.com  Newsletter: https://substack.com/@gerlyn #InsideFinance #ChangeManagement #Leadership #SocialSkills #AIimpact

    "People Stay Because of Expectation, Not Delivery" — A Street Artist's Lessons for Finance Teams | Inside Finance #3

  3. May 12

    "Manual Work Is Killing Your Creativity" — How Bolt Uses AI in Finance | Inside Finance #2

    What happens when a data analyst at one of Europe's biggest tech companies decides that manual work in finance has to die? Not the hype - the reality of building AI workflows inside a real finance team. In this episode of Inside Finance, host Gerlyn Tiigemae visits Bolt's Tallinn office to meet Amir Ghorbani, a data analyst who builds agentic AI workflows for Bolt's finance team. They talk about why finance teams are more cautious about AI than other departments, why 90% of AI workflows you see on LinkedIn won't work in a real company, and how to actually get started without being afraid. Topics covered: How AI is actually being used in Bolt's finance team today Why finance people are right to be cautious about AI Data quality and master data - the real blocker before AI can work Shadow IT and how to get AI properly approved in a company Hype vs. reality - why social media use cases don't translate to business Why Bolt uses different LLMs for different tasks (Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT) Manual work kills creativity - and why automation doesn't mean replacement First steps: how to start using AI in finance this week About Amir Ghorbani: Amir is a Data Analyst (Analytic Engineer) at Bolt with 5+ years of experience in financial data and payments. He builds agentic AI workflows that automate manual processes across Bolt's finance team - from tax reporting checks to data quality validation.  About your host: Gerlyn Tiigemae is an AI implementation consultant with dual Master's degrees in Finance and IT, MIT AI certification, and 13+ years of corporate finance experience. She has trained 2,000+ professionals across 50+ organizations. Connect:  Gerlyn: 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerlyn-tiigemae Amir: 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/amir-ghorbani-dev/ Website: https://gerlyntiigemae.com  Newsletter: https://substack.com/@gerlyn #AIinFinance #DataAnalyst #Bolt #FinanceTransformation #AIImplementation #InsideFinance #InsideFinancePodcast

    "Manual Work Is Killing Your Creativity" — How Bolt Uses AI in Finance | Inside Finance #2

  4. Apr 16

    What Does It Actually Take for a Finance Team to Start Using AI? | Inside Finance #1 with Mari-Liis Kikas

    What does it actually take for a finance team to start using AI? Not the hype - the real, practical steps.In the very first episode of Inside Finance, host Gerlyn Tiigemae sits down with Mari-Liis Kikas, a fractional CFO who works inside 10+ companies at any given time. They talk about why most companies aren't actually ready for AI (even when they think they are), why data quality is still the biggest blocker, and what finance leaders can do to take the first real steps.Topics covered:- What a fractional CFO actually does and why it's growing fast- The difference between compliance-ready and strategy-ready data- Why employees are afraid of AI and how to get them on board -Automation vs. AI - where to start and what to expect -Why your month-end close date tells you everything about your AI readinessAbout Mari-Liis Kikas: Mari-Liis is a fractional CFO with a background from PwC, Enefit, and Orkla Group. She now runs Kickass CFO, helping small and medium-sized companies build their finance function from scratch or improve what they already have.About your host: Gerlyn Tiigemae is an AI implementation consultant with dual Master's degrees in Finance and IT, MIT AI certification, and 13+ years of corporate finance experience. She has trained 2,000+ professionals across 50+ organizations.Connect: Gerlyn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerlyn-tiigemae/ Mari-Liis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariliiskikas/ Website: https://gerlyntiigemae.com Newsletter: https://insidefinance.substack.com#AIinFinance #CFO #FractionalCFO #FinanceTransformation #AIImplementation #InsideFinance #InsideFinancePodcast

    What Does It Actually Take for a Finance Team to Start Using AI? | Inside Finance #1 with Mari-Liis Kikas

  5. Apr 14

    Trailer: Welcome to Inside Finance

    What does it actually take for a finance team to start using AI? Not the hype - the real, practical steps. Inside Finance is a new video podcast where host Gerlyn Tiigemae sits down with CFOs, fractional leaders, tool builders, and advisors to talk about how AI and technology are actually changing finance. No scripts. No polished answers. Just real conversations that go deep enough to be actually useful. First episode dropping this week. Subscribe so you don't miss it. Host: Gerlyn TiigemaeWebsite: https://gerlyntiigemae.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerlyn-tiigemae/

  • 5 Episodes

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Real conversations with the people shaping the future of finance. Host Gerlyn Tiigemae sits down with CFOs, fractional leaders, tool builders, and advisors to talk about how AI and technology are actually changing finance teams. No hype, no vendor pitches - just honest stories about what works, what doesn't, and what finance leaders wish they knew sooner. Gerlyn is an AI implementation consultant with 13+ years in corporate finance, MIT AI certification, and experience training 2,000+ professionals across 50+ organizations.

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