Dave Pickering
Director, Finance Innovation & Automation @Sage
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WORK HISTORY
Director, Finance Innovation & Automation @Sage
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, GB
As Director of Finance Innovation and Automation, I lead the transformation of the finance function through scalable low-code automation, robust governance, and a structured process improvement framework. My role focuses on enabling sustainable change, empowering teams, and delivering measurable outcomes aligned with organisational goals.Key achievements include:• Defined and embedded governance guardrails to ensure safe, scalable low-code automation across finance, balancing innovation with risk management.• Delivered upper quartile efficiency gains through targeted automation, process optimisation, and performance tracking.• Designed and implemented a custom-built platform to manage the full automation lifecycle—covering idea intake, impact assessment, deployment, asset governance, and ALM reviews.• Established a structured process improvement model, enabling consistent delivery from idea discovery through to benefits realisation.• Enabled citizen development by equipping finance teams with the tools, training, and governance to build and deploy their own solutions—fostering a culture of innovation and agility.• Led cross-functional collaboration to align automation strategy with broader finance and business objectives.• Championed continuous improvement, embedding a mindset of innovation and accountability across the function.• Process System Owner for key finance platforms (e.g. Blackline, Quadient), ensuring system integrity and alignment with strategic goals.• Master Data Team Owner, responsible for the stewardship and governance of finance master data to support automation, reporting, and operational accuracy.
ABOUT DAVE PICKERING
Strategic finance leader focused on innovation, automation, and operational excellence. As Director of Finance Innovation and Automation, I drive finance transformation through scalable low-code solutions, strong governance, and systematic process improvement.A proven track record of delivering upper quartile efficiency gains, embedding safe automation guardrails, enabled cross-functional collaboration, and accelerated value realisation. Designed and deployed a custom-built platform to manage the full lifecycle of automation—from idea intake and impact assessment to deployment, asset governance, and ALM reviews.A key part of my strategy includes enabling citizen development across the finance function—empowering teams with the tools, training, and governance needed to safely build and deploy their own low-code solutions. This approach has fostered a culture of innovation, increased agility, and unlocked capacity at scale.My focus: enabling sustainable change, empowering finance teams, and delivering measurable outcomes that align with the organisation’s strategic goals.
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