Aqilla, the intelligent cloud-based accounting and reporting application company, announces the appointment of Charis Thomas as Chief Product Officer. Charis will be responsible for developing Aqilla’s product roadmap strategy and overseeing its implementation—translating the company’s vision for zero-touch accounting into a practical reality.
“I was attracted to Aqilla because of the company’s culture and the potential for innovation—especially the intelligent and considered use of AI and machine learning to automate key tasks and processes. Hugh, our CEO, is a true visionary. His thoughts and plans for Aqilla immediately drew me in, and, straight away, I wanted to be on that journey with him,” comments Charis.
The next stage of Aqilla’s evolution will use AI and machine learning to automate the purchase invoicing process, including automated invoice capture and supplier allocation. It will also automatically forward invoices to the person responsible for settlement. The idea is to deliver zero-touch invoice management by default but give customers who are cautious about AI and automation the opportunity for manual, human involvement at each stage—and at a level that suits them and their business. This approach will also allow the solution to ‘learn’ the company’s processes and, over time, gain further user confidence.
Charis’ previous experience makes her well-equipped for the challenge, having worked on product development for over a decade. Before joining Aqilla, she was Payments Product Manager for Domestic Payments at Lloyds Bank, overseeing the development of digital onboarding processes for Lloyds Bank, Bank of Scotland and Halifax business debit card customers.
Charis was also a Product Manager at Zoopla, where she played a crucial role in transforming the solution into one of the UK’s leading cloud-based financial CRM offerings. In addition, Charis has over ten years of experience in accounting and six years as a business analyst, with roles at PayPoint and within the charity sector.
“It’s an exciting time for us,” explains Hugh Scantlebury, Aqilla’s CEO. “The technology to take this next step in our product’s evolution exists. It’s just a matter of planning our strategy and ensuring it’s configured and implemented in the most user-friendly way. That’s where Charis’ invaluable experience and knowledge come into play.”
He concludes: “It’s true that many accounting solutions providers are trying to achieve this level of automation with third-party plug-ins. By contrast, we want to keep AI and automation—alongside business intelligence and analytics—within the main product. This will be our key differentiator as we continue to develop. Taking a plug-in approach can quickly become expensive for end-users, so keeping AI, business intelligence, and analytics within the core product will ensure we continue to deliver high-value services and value for money for our customers.”