The Artificial Intelligence Management and Finance Institute (AIMFIN) has named Sodiq Olaleye Ogunmola a Distinguished Fellow and selected him to headline its Professional Leadership, Innovation and Recognition Programme in Abuja.

The programme is scheduled to hold on March 26 at Blue Spring Hotel in Abuja’s Central Business District, bringing together finance professionals, executives, auditors and policy stakeholders to discuss the growing role of artificial intelligence in financial management and corporate governance.

Ogunmola is expected to open the programme with a paper titled, AI Driven Financial Reporting Quality and Cost Optimization in Large Enterprises.

According to AIMFIN, the subject reflects the institute’s interest in examining how artificial intelligence can move beyond experimentation to improve financial reporting, operational efficiency and decision-making within large organisations.

Ogunmola has built his career across financial reporting, analysis, audit and corporate finance, with experience spanning telecommunications infrastructure and consulting.

At Pan African Towers Limited in Lagos, he progressed from Finance Officer to Senior Financial Reporting Officer and later Manager, Financial Reporting and Analysis.

According to information provided by AIMFIN, Ogunmola was involved in several significant financing transactions during his time at the company, including a ₦21.3 billion equity and debt transaction, ₦5.8 billion in debt financing and a ₦7.2 billion bank guarantee supporting a brownfield acquisition.

The institute also credited him with contributing to cost optimisation initiatives within the organisation.

AIMFIN said that while overseeing a site development budget, Ogunmola helped achieve a 20 per cent reduction in costs within six months, representing savings of about ₦300 million without compromising project quality.

It added that he helped restructure a single-vendor supply arrangement into a competitive network of suppliers across different regions, generating an estimated additional ₦10 million in monthly savings.

He was also involved in efforts to secure a Pioneer Status Incentive for the company, which AIMFIN said resulted in more than ₦500 million in tax savings over a three-year period.

Ogunmola subsequently worked at LAAZ Consulting Services, where his responsibilities included reviewing revenue recognition, lease accounting and structured energy contracts against accounting standards including ASC 606, ASC 842 and ASC 815.

Beyond corporate finance, Ogunmola has developed a research interest in artificial intelligence, data analytics, auditing, fraud detection and the broader impact of technology on financial systems.

AIMFIN said his combination of professional experience and research was among the factors behind his selection for the programme.

His research has examined digital transformation in public-sector auditing, including comparisons of fiscal transparency practices in the United States, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana.

He has also written about the adoption of data analytics by audit firms and the implications for professional training and public policy.

Other areas of his research include the application of machine learning to fraud detection and risk management in the United States financial industry, cloud security threats and the impact of technological change on small businesses in Lagos.

“Each piece reads less like an academic exercise and more like field notes from someone who was already living the problem before he sat down to write about it,” AIMFIN said in its citation.

Ogunmola is a Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Information Systems Auditor. He is also a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered).

According to AIMFIN, his academic and professional training also includes coursework in data analytics and business intelligence, areas closely connected to the subject of his presentation in Abuja.

AIMFIN Executive Director and Registrar General, Dr Praise Akogwu, said the institute expects Ogunmola’s professional and research experience to contribute to discussions at the programme.

In the invitation, Akogwu said the institute wanted “Ogunmola’s wealth of experience and insight in the room,” expressing confidence that his contribution would “enrich the programme and inspire the professionals gathered there.”

The March 26 programme is expected to provide a platform for discussions on how artificial intelligence is influencing financial reporting, cost management, auditing, risk management and governance within large enterprises.

For AIMFIN, the conversation comes as finance professionals increasingly confront questions about how AI can be incorporated into established financial systems while maintaining accuracy, accountability and effective corporate oversight.