True Transformation Starts with Data: My First Two Quarters as CRO at Ascend Partners

When I stepped into the CRO role at Ascend two quarters ago, one theme became crystal clear: everyone’s chasing AI. But the ones who’ll actually get there are chasing data quality first. AI and analytics are the prize—but you can’t win it without the right foundation. AI doesn’t fix bad data. It just makes mistakes faster.

The Illusion of “Transformation”

Every finance transformation pitch sounds the same: faster forecasts, smarter planning, agile response to market shifts. Add a few AI buzzwords—predictive, generative, autonomous—and it sells itself.

But here’s the truth I’ve seen in the field: most projects stall not because the vision is wrong, but because the foundation is weak. You can’t forecast the future on dirty data.

Even the best software demos around AI start with this sentence:

“Can you send us a sample data set first?”

Because every vendor knows—the AI only works if the data does.

Where the Front-End Fails

Front-end analytics and AI pilots look impressive. But when the underlying data isn’t validated, unified, or trusted, those wins don’t scale—they collapse.

Most vendors outsource the hard part: ETL, mapping, validation. They bolt on tools like Informatica, MuleSoft, or Fivetran—creating layers of friction that slow down agility and drive up OPEX.

That’s the digital transformation gap: companies buy outcomes, but they never fix the foundation.

The OneStream Difference

Now, I know I’m biased—Ascend is a OneStream partner. But I’ve spent years in enterprise software, and OneStream did what every other platform promised: they solved the foundation problem first.

OneStream built data quality, ETL, mapping, and validation inside the platform. Not as an integration. Not as an add-on. As the DNA. Tom Shea, OneStream's CEO, knew that this would be a key differentiator in the market and he built OneStream deliberately with data quality in mind.

That’s why it scales. That’s why OneStream's AI—Sensible AI—actually works. It’s the only EPM platform built for true transformation because it’s built on one stream of data. That’s not just branding—it’s the architecture.

Two Quarters In

After six months leading revenue at Ascend, here’s my biggest takeaway:

• Transformation isn’t a front-end problem.
• It’s a data problem.
• And solving it is what makes AI real.

I’ve seen every EPM vendor make the same mistake: they build beautiful front ends and outsource the hardest part—the data foundation—to someone else. Informatica, MuleSoft, Dell Boomi, Workato—they’re all doing the heavy lifting that should have been built into the product.

OneStream is the only platform that was built right from day one. Tom Shea and his team didn’t design another finance tool—they built an architecture. One stream of data. One platform for truth.

That’s why I believe OneStream isn’t just another EPM vendor that is promising AI forecasting—it’s the only one positioned for true transformation, and the only one ready that can handle AI in the office of finance without needing additional data quality engines behind the scenes. I believe OneStream is tackling AI with the foundational data in mind and because of this, customers can integrate intelligence into their business without adding more and more back-end tools first.

If you want to see what that looks like in action, reach out to Ascend Partners. We’ll show you how it feels when the foundation finally matches the vision. Learn more at ascend.partners