8DECEMBER 2025CFO TECH OUTLOOKIN MY OPINIONBy David Robertson, Director of Enterprise Architecture - Software Engineering|Applications, Exeter FinanceLEVERAGING EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP TO DRIVE INNOVATION AND AUTOMATION IN FINANCEShaping Innovation and Creating Scalable SolutionsAfter working in Finance for many years, one starts to notice patterns that emerge when solving problems or delivering business features. How one processes a loan application or provides a great customer experience doesn't change much, but the technology does. By cataloging those patterns along with an inventory of the things needed to run the business, it becomes easier to plug in automation and right-fit technology that allows businesspeople to work at scale. By utilizing technology to build new systems or modernize existing ones, people's efforts are amplified when done well, leveraging Domain-Driven Design and similar principles. Those principles converge the business need with the right technology, which is built with their values in mind, pivotal to operational success and long-lived solutions.Overcoming Challenges with Emerging TechnologyLean Architecture principles tell us that--more often than not--the less we have to maintain, the more cost-effective the system becomes. Occam's razor suggests that a simple solution is usually the best one. In practice, we should aim to limit our technology footprint to only what is needed to operate the business effectively. That need could be to add a few features to increase revenue or perhaps create a new product line to gain market share. Neither of those will likely require cutting-edge beta technology that is overengineered to scale to 1 billion users and 30 billion in revenue. Instead, use David Robertson
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