The days of static, compliance-only reporting are coming to an end. Finance leaders are under pressure to communicate with investors, boards, employees, suppliers, and communities in real time. According to Bastion, AI is about to accelerate that shift.
The organisation has been confirmed as a Platinum Sponsor at the Finance Indaba 2025, taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre on 16 October 2025. It will join forces with Workiva for a panel discussion on Thursday, 16 October (13:00–13:40) titled From burden to breakthrough: The new era of reporting.
The session will explore how finance, risk and ESG teams can move beyond traditional annual reports to always-on, AI-enabled stakeholder communication.
“Stakeholders expect clarity at the pace of the market. The question is not whether reporting becomes digital-first, but how fast organisations can adapt,” says Belinda Overend, Chief Operating Officer of Bastion.
Benjamen Joannou, Chief Executive Officer of Bastion.
“Our focus is on connecting data, keeping quality high, and publishing with confidence across every channel,” adds Benjamen Joannou, Chief Executive Officer of Bastion. “Two essentials for achieving this are maintaining a highly agile single source of truth and ensuring the ability to publish structured data from that source. That is what makes reporting faster, more accurate, and ultimately more valuable for stakeholders.”
The panel will unpack:
- AI-powered reporting transformation: How intelligent data extraction, analysis, and assisted narrative generation are reshaping the reporting process on the Workiva platform.
- Data integration for ESG and compliance: Practical strategies for centralising information and building a reliable foundation for integrated sustainability reporting.
- Design as an enabler: How agencies create content that tools, including AI, can use effectively.
- Future-ready corporate reports: Design principles that meet stakeholder expectations and deliver competitive advantage.
Bastion’s credibility in this space is well established. As a Workiva Enhanced Design Partner, the company is the only reporting agency to have won Partner of the Year (EMEA) in 2019 and the inaugural Designed Reporting Agency of the Year (EMEA) in 2022. Its philosophy is to simplify the complex reporting process, from consultancy to training, design, and content management, ensuring compliance while enabling organisations to tell their reporting story across digital, print, social, and video platforms.
Finance Indaba, Africa’s largest gathering of finance professionals, is expected to attract thousands of attendees seeking solutions to meet the evolving demands of regulators and stakeholders.