I Would Never Let AI Touch a Number and what to do about that with Alok Ajmera

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, Paul Barnhurst sits down with Alok Ajmera, CEO of Prophix, to explore how AI is reshaping FP&A, financial planning, and enterprise decision-making. Alok explains how modern finance teams are evolving from spreadsheet-heavy workflows to AI-enabled systems, while still relying on structured data, deterministic processes, and human oversight to maintain accuracy and trust in financial outputs.

Alok Ajmera is the CEO of Prophix, a leading financial performance management platform helping CFO organizations modernize planning, budgeting, and forecasting. With over 22 years at Prophix, he has supported more than 3,000 finance teams globally in transforming how they close, consolidate, and plan. Alok has led the evolution of FP&A systems from spreadsheet-first to system-first, and now toward AI-enabled finance operations.

Expect to Learn:

• What makes FP&A a true force multiplier inside organizations
• How data stewardship, collaboration, and forecasting define great finance teams
• Why AI must stay deterministic when handling financial calculations
• The difference between probabilistic AI and structured finance systems
• How AI agents support FP&A without replacing financial control

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:

• "The biggest opportunity is to take inefficient manual workflows and simplify them with AI agents, delivering value quickly while building confidence in the team." – Alok Ajmera
• "AI democratizes capabilities, but there must be governance and discipline. It’s easy to build things, but maintaining them is hard." – Alok Ajmera

Alok explains that while AI is transforming FP&A through speed and automation, the core of finance still depends on structured systems, clean data, and human judgment. He emphasizes that the future of finance is a hybrid model where AI enhances productivity while finance leaders maintain control, context, and strategic oversight.

Follow Alok:

Website - www.prophix.com

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alok-ajmera-93896617/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@prophix

Earn Your CPE Credit

For CPE credit, please go to earmarkcpe.com, listen to the episode, download the app, answer a few questions, and earn your CPE certification. To earn education credits for the FPAC Certificate, take the quiz on earmark and contact Paul Barnhurst for further details.

In Today’s Episode

[00:00] – Trailer

[04:10] – What great FP&A looks like

[09:13] – Revenue and qualitative goals

[18:38] – Why AI in FP&A needs structure

[29:36] – AI in forecasting and planning

[33:45] – Risks, governance, and AI sprawl

[45:40] – Soft skills in FP&A

[49:11] – Travel and personal reflections

[51:25] – Closing thoughts