Systems · Data · Controls · Automation

Luen Tho

ICAEW FCA
CFO & Modern Finance Builder

Most finance teams adopt AI top-down. That’s usually where it breaks.

Effective AI starts with a well-run finance function. I help CFOs and CEOs get finance and operations ready for AI, then design and deploy practical automation, AI tools and agents, and better reporting. I also take on selected interim and fractional CFO mandates for VC- and PE-backed SaaS, FinTech and EdTech businesses.

Book a 20-minute AI-readiness call Download the AI-readiness guide

How I work, in brief

A short introduction to the readiness work and the CFO mandates.

Track record

Two decades across banking, finance transformation and scale-up leadership.

2025–present
MentorMind Education
Strategic Adviser & Operating Partner (Fractional)
Designing and deploying practical AI tools and agents across finance, SDR and reporting. Advising the founder on SEIS/EIS fundraising, financial modelling, operating model design and investor positioning.
2024–2025
Smartr365
Interim CFO
Led a £5m Series A fundraise and restructured c.£10m of convertible debt into equity. Rebuilt forecasting, runway management and SaaS KPI reporting, and acted as the primary finance interface with the board and investors.
2019–2024
Capricorn Financial
Finance Director / CFO
Built the finance function in-house and helped scale the business from c.£7m to c.£18m revenue over five years. Led a £3m institutional equity raise and the digital transformation of reporting and payments, while supporting expansion into Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai.
2013–2018
HSBC
Group Regulatory Reporting · Wholesale Credit Risk · Finance Transformation
Led group-level regulatory, risk and finance reporting initiatives across COREP, Basel III, FINREP, RWA and IFRS 9. Delivered reporting transformation across Finance, Risk, Regulatory and Strategy teams, working with senior stakeholders across EMEA, APAC, North America and Latin America.
2010–2012
PwC
Senior Associate, Banking & Capital Markets Advisory
Delivered regulatory advisory and change engagements for banking and financial-services clients across ICAAP, ILAA, COREP readiness and FSA authorisations. Spent ten months embedded on the Lehman Brothers administration, reconstructing client money positions across fragmented systems under significant legal and regulatory scrutiny.
2006–2010
Expedia Group
Group Financial Reporting Accountant
At ebookers, now part of Expedia Group, managed pan-European reporting across nine subsidiaries through multiple ownership transitions, including Blackstone's acquisition and the Orbitz Worldwide IPO. Supported due diligence and systems integration, and redesigned group cash-flow reporting, reducing preparation time by c.60%.
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Where I help

Three ways I help finance leaders and growth businesses.

Fundraising & investor readiness

Financial models, data rooms, and SEIS/EIS readiness built to survive real due diligence, not just look tidy in a deck.

Scaling finance operations

Strengthening systems, reporting and controls as the business scales, without adding unnecessary bureaucracy.

Build for optionality, not a single tool

AI tools and agents will keep evolving. I help finance and operations teams put the right systems, data, controls and architecture in place so they can adopt the tools that offer the strongest fit and business case, without rebuilding the function each time.

The durable investment is the architecture, not any single tool.

Free guide

Building a finance function ready for AI

Systems, data and controls before automation. A short, practical assessment for finance leaders weighing where AI genuinely helps and where it is premature. Built from work inside real finance functions, not vendor slides.

A practical guide from Luen Tho FCA, CFO & Modern Finance Builder

Download the guide