Not Just for Show: How a Head of HC & Finance Drives AI Adoption That Moves the Business

In this era of disruption, many organisations rush to adopt new technology just to wear the label of modernisation. To functional leaders, though, digital transformation is not a stage for looking sophisticated. It is a strategic instrument that has to deliver measurable impact and a clear return on investment (ROI).

Hendy Nugroho, Head of the Human Capital & Finance Division, holds firmly to that principle. Overseeing a cross-divisional portfolio that spans Human Capital, Finance and Corporate Digitalisation, Hendy realised that his use of artificial intelligence had to move beyond the basics.

"I was already using AI in my day-to-day work, but only for chatting and asking for feedback. I was curious about something called workflows. That was really what triggered me to join this training," Hendy says.

That curiosity — turning AI from a question-and-answer tool into a complete operational workflow — led him to the ITB x RevoU programme: Data-Driven & AI Decision Making for Leaders.

So how did those 12 weeks give Hendy a new perspective on driving digitalisation with real impact? Here is how it played out.

Exploring AI Workflows for More Complex Work

For many professionals, working with AI stops at simple prompts. But as he worked through the 12-week ITB x RevoU curriculum, Hendy saw how decision-making theory is paired, in a structured way, with the technical capabilities of AI.

"I think the training is very complete. Over the 12 weeks it runs from decision-making theory all the way to implementing it in AI itself," Hendy recalls. "One insight I took away is that what I had been doing before was only a small fraction of what AI can do in our everyday lives."

Learning how workflows operate opened up a new understanding: AI is not just a digital conversation partner, but an automation engine that can chain the stages of data analysis into a structured, low-friction workflow.

Setting KPIs and Real Business Impact

As a leader in finance and human capital, Hendy judges every digitalisation project by the value it adds to the organisation. Transformation cannot stop at the concept stage; its benefits have to be quantifiable.

"One of the most important things I hold to is that a programme cannot go ahead if its benefits are not monetised. We have to be clear on its purpose, its KPIs, and what its impact will be," Hendy stresses.

Building on that principle, Hendy began steering AI implementation into the departments under him, starting with the most critical functional areas. The focus: faster decision-making, deep-dive data analysis, and machine learning models for solving operational problems.

Meeting the VUCA Challenge: AI Gives the Signal, Leaders Make the Call

Today’s corporate world operates amid high uncertainty — volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, or VUCA. With data volumes that keep flooding in, sticking to conventional decision-making methods risks leaving organisations behind.

"Right now we cannot ignore AI; it is inevitable. We can no longer make decisions using conventional methods alone. We have to make decisions quickly and accurately," Hendy explains.

Even so, the speed of AI analysis does not displace a leader’s strategic judgement. For Hendy, the balance between computing power and human intuition is the key to modern governance.

"We use AI to prepare the data, show what is happening, and put together decision recommendations. But the final decision still rests with people. We must not depend on AI entirely," he concludes.