Discover How Financial Modelers Are Using Copilot and ChatGPT with Global Expert Kenny Whitelaw-Jones

Feb 4, 2025

Kenny Whitelaw-Jones, founding partner at Gridlines, is a financial modeling guru with a decade of experience training top-tier clients. He discusses how AI, particularly tools like ChatGPT and Copilot, is revolutionizing financial modeling while also addressing its current limitations. Kenny highlights the distinct nature of project finance, the necessity of soft skills alongside technical prowess, and the future skills modelers must cultivate in an AI-driven landscape, making the profession more strategic and communicative.

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ANECDOTE

The Disappearing Modeler

Kenny Whitelaw-Jones recalls a disastrous financial model early in his career at a Big Four firm during a restructuring.
The original modeler disappeared, leaving a complex, unsuitable template that no one understood, causing embarrassment and hindering the project.

ADVICE

Standardize for Success

Learn from bad models by understanding how to build them better.
Use consistent standards to ensure everyone understands the model, even if the original builder is unavailable.

INSIGHT

Tangible Impact

Kenny Whitelaw-Jones finds project finance appealing due to its tangibility and positive real-world impact.
He enjoys seeing projects come to fruition and contribute to lasting change, particularly in renewable energy.

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In this episode of Financial Modelers Corner, host Paul Barnhurst, aka The FP&A Guy, looks into the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence on financial modeling. The discussion explores how AI is reshaping the industry, the challenges and opportunities it brings, and what financial modelers can expect in the coming years.

Kenny Whitelaw-Jones who is the founding partner at Gridlines joins the show. As a leading expert in project finance modeling, Kenny has played a pivotal role in shaping financial modeling standards globally. With over a decade of experience training blue-chip clients and developing complex models, he brings invaluable insights into how AI is poised to revolutionize financial modeling.

Expect to Learn:

How AI is expected to significantly impact financial modeling, with Kenny's recent industry survey.
The current limitations of AI tools like ChatGPT in financial modeling and where they excel.
How project finance modeling differs from other types of financial modeling, and why Kenny finds it exciting.
The importance of soft skills and communication in the evolving role of financial modelers.
The future skills financial modelers will need to stay ahead in an AI-driven world.

Here are a few quotes from the episode:

"In the future, the routine tasks will be automated, and modelers will focus more on strategic, value-adding activities."
"Being a good modeler isn’t just about Excel skills. It’s about interpreting data and communicating results effectively."
"The change AI brings is inevitable because as soon as we can imagine it, someone will figure out how to make it happen."

As AI continues to evolve, it's clear that financial modeling is on the brink of a major transformation. Kenny Whitelaw-Jones shared not just the technical impacts we can expect from AI, but also how the role of financial modelers will shift toward strategic thinking, business interpretation, and effective communication. While tools like ChatGPT and Copilot are making waves, it’s the human element that will remain irreplaceable.

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