Chris Tredwell named COO as Aqilla boosts AI plans
Chris Tredwell has been promoted to the role of Chief Operating Officer at Aqilla and has joined the company's restructured board.
The new board includes Hugh Scantlebury, Chief Executive Officer and Company Founder, and Mark Rodel-Duffy, Chief Financial Officer. In addition to the board, Aqilla's senior leadership team comprises Andrei Zykov, Chief Technology Officer, and Charis Thomas, Chief Product Officer.
Tredwell's appointment comes as Aqilla reinforces its strategy for integrating artificial intelligence features into its cloud-based accounting and reporting software. The company is aiming to support the ongoing rollout of native AI-enabled features for its customers.
Hugh Scantlebury commented on the importance of the new appointment and direction.
"It's a natural step forward for a product that has always been at the forefront of innovation - and for a company that takes pride in disrupting a profoundly cautious and conservative market,"
As Chief Operating Officer, Tredwell has been tasked with driving Aqilla's growth by leveraging core strengths, identifying areas for operational improvement, and overseeing functions across direct sales, partner relations, and marketing. He will also lead efforts to maintain clear communications around the Aqilla brand, as well as improving reach and visibility for the company.
Tredwell remains committed to identifying and filling skills gaps within the sales team. This focus is expected to support Aqilla's target of achieving 20% year-on-year growth.
Commenting further on Tredwell's appointment, Scantlebury said,
"I'm delighted to welcome Chris to Aqilla's board. He will play an important role in delivering Aqilla's next significant product evolution. He will also provide valuable insight and direction as we continue to take a common-sense approach to AI. One that delivers advanced automation of core accounting and finance team processes. Additionally, Chris will be pivotal in ensuring we never lose sight of our mission to help accounting and finance teams add value to their organisation."
Tredwell reflected on his previous experience at Aqilla, having joined in 2019 as Enterprise Business Development Manager, and subsequently holding the roles of Enterprise Sales & Partnerships Manager and Chief Sales Officer.
He said,
"Throughout my career at Aqilla, I've been committed to helping accounting and finance teams that struggle with time-consuming, manual processes - often because they rely on outdated software that's underpinned by obsolete technology. My appointment to the board provides me with even more scope to address this issue. I have a chance to educate potential customers and the wider industry about the efficiencies and benefits of our cloud-native accounting and finance solution - one that now offers native AI-enhanced functionality."
Addressing the broader concerns that organisations have about introducing AI into finance and accounting, Tredwell added,
"Our ultimate goal is to use AI to deliver lights-out or zero-touch accounting. However, we are rolling out our AI integrations in a way that allows users to specify a level of human involvement or automation that works for them. This allows finance and accounting teams to build up confidence - and get to know the software's new AI-driven functionality before committing to full automation."
Tredwell's appointment as Chief Operating Officer and his position on the board are key elements in Aqilla's efforts to align its operational strategy and technological development with evolving industry requirements for automation and digital transformation in accounting. The board and senior leadership team will continue to oversee the implementation of features designed to support both human and machine-enabled financial workflows, ensuring clients can adopt new technologies at their preferred pace.
