The Human-Led Leadership Series by Ademola Isimeme Odewade

Access to AI is cheap. Value from AI is a leadership choice.

Practical books for CEOs, CFOs and founders who want AI to do more of the work while people keep the judgement.

Both books out now on Amazon in Kindle, paperback and hardcover.

One argument, four books

Each book applies the same idea to a different leadership decision: let AI do more of the work and keep people accountable for the judgement.

Cover of Human-Led, AI-Powered Finance

Out now

Human-Led, AI-Powered Finance

The CFO and Founder's Playbook for Smarter Decisions, Stronger Controls and Scalable Growth

AI is giving finance leaders unprecedented speed. But speed without judgement, controls and accountability can create more risk than value.

A practical operating system for leaders navigating the rise of artificial intelligence. Built around the ACCOUNT Framework and the guiding philosophy of Mindset > Skillset > Toolset, it gives CFOs, founders, boards and finance professionals a clear framework for adopting AI without surrendering the human judgement that makes financial decisions defensible. A practical playbook, not a theory book.

  • A 90-day, thirteen-week implementation roadmap for AI adoption in finance
  • A Human Oversight and Approval Checklist for every live AI-assisted workflow
  • Real case studies on AI failure, from a misfired government report to an AI agent that deleted a live production database
  • A business case template, data provenance log and AI use policy you can adapt immediately
  • An honest look at where AI genuinely creates value, and where the return on investment evidence still falls short
Foreword
Professor Dave Ulrich, Rensis Likert Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan; Partner, The RBL Group; inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame in 2017
Epilogue
Otunba Adeadebayo Shuaib, PhD, FCA, FCCA, FCTI, CFE, PMP, 14th Chairman, ICAN Abuja and District Society

Kindle, paperback and hardcover. Paperback ISBN 9798192466421.

Cover of The AI-Powered Future of Work

Out now

The AI-Powered Future of Work

Human Judgement, Global Talent and the Four Rungs of Work in the Age of Intelligent Machines

AI is making intelligence abundant. What it cannot make abundant is experienced human judgement, and that is now what organisations are paying for.

A field report from inside the AI supply chain. Working as an independent contractor on expert AI platforms, Ademola explains why the bottom rungs of the career ladder are disappearing, how expert judgement is being graded, priced and bought across borders, and what that means for professionals and the organisations that employ them.

  • The Four Rungs of Work, and why losing the first rung threatens the top of the ladder
  • The EXPERT Framework for making your judgement portable and provable
  • The ACCOUNT Framework applied to redesigning work in your organisation
  • Two 90-day plans, one for professionals and one for leaders
  • Two readiness assessments to find your starting position
Foreword
Bronwyn Williams, Futurist, Economist and Strategist; Partner, Flux Trends
Epilogue
Zhanna Zhuravleva, Chartered FCIPD, HR and Conscious Leadership Architect; Founder, Awake Conscious Play

Kindle, paperback and hardcover. Paperback ISBN 9798177771694.

In progress

The Human-Led, AI-Powered Decade

Working title

Foresight for leaders who make ten-year decisions inside one-year budgets. Book Three looks ahead to 2036 and holds every forecast to an auditor's evidence standard: each one is dated, sourced and paired with the observation that would prove it wrong.

In progress

The AI-Powered Growth Engine

Working title

How firms build qualified pipeline when the next buyer asks a machine first. Book Four grows out of The AI-Powered Growth Engine newsletter and applies the human-led approach to growth, research and business development.

Frameworks you can use on Monday

Each book turns its argument into a tool a leadership team can run, score and repeat.

The ACCOUNT Framework

From Book One, and applied to redesigning work in Book Two. Seven conditions every AI use case should meet.

  • AAim
  • CCapability
  • CControls
  • OOperating workflows
  • UUnderlying data
  • NNumbers
  • TTrust

The EXPERT Framework

From Book Two. Six tests for turning professional judgement into work the market will buy.

  • EExpertise
  • XeXposure
  • PProof
  • EEligibility
  • RRate
  • TTrust

The Four Rungs of expert AI work

Each rung asks for more judgement than the last.

  1. Grading. Comparing and rating model outputs.
  2. Authoring. Writing the reference answers models learn from.
  3. Rubric design. Defining what excellent looks like before anyone prompts.
  4. Adversarial test design. Building the cases that make models fail.

What readers and contributors say

From the forewords, the published endorsements and Amazon readers.

“Ademola gives us the why, the what, and the how.”

Professor Dave UlrichForeword to Human-Led, AI-Powered Finance

“Ademola has done a masterful job of explaining not just what is changing, where we are heading and why it matters, but also how to assess your own relative starting position and identify your next best move.”

Bronwyn WilliamsForeword to The AI-Powered Future of Work

“A great little AI survival guide.”

Kindle CustomerAmazon review of The AI-Powered Future of Work, 30 September 2026

“Ademola Odewade cuts through the noise of AI hype with surgical precision. This isn’t a book about technology, it’s a masterclass in leadership, accountability and strategic judgement.”

Michele NovackFounder, CardinalsBytes.com

“A thoughtful and relevant guide for anyone seeking to build organisations where AI amplifies human intelligence rather than replaces it.”

Zhanna Zhuravleva, Chartered FCIPDOn Human-Led, AI-Powered Finance

“What distinguishes this book is its ability to move beyond the hype of AI into actionable leadership practice.”

Dr Oluyemi AdeosunPhD, MCIPM, SPHRi, GPHR, DTM

“A thoughtful and practical guide for finance leaders and founders who want to harness the power of AI while keeping people, accountability and sustainable value at the heart of how they lead.”

Ayobami Ishola, FCCA, MBAFounder and Strategic Finance Advisor, Digups Consulting

“A valuable resource for entrepreneurs and executives who want to ensure AI becomes a strategic business asset rather than simply another technology expense, regardless of business size.”

Dr Yvette RiceFounder and CEO, LLVE, LLC

“His practical ACCOUNT Framework provides finance professionals and business leaders with a useful approach to translating AI capabilities into measurable organisational value.”

Babagbemi J. AdejolaFCA, FCCA, FCTI, Finance and Management Professional

“A compelling vision of modern finance, showing how human insight and artificial intelligence can converge to drive smarter decisions, innovation, efficiency and sustainable value.”

Majiebo Aku, ACIPMSecretary General, CIPM Abuja Branch

About the author

Ademola Isimeme Odewade is the Founder and CEO of K-DEMS Consulting Limited. He is a Chartered Accountant (ACA) who trained in audit at PwC and KPMG, and he holds an MBA and a BSc in Economics.

His audit training shapes the question he brings to every AI decision: when a machine does the work, who owns the control and who checks the output? He advises CEOs, CFOs and boards on human-led AI adoption, trains finance and public sector teams, and writes as a human-led AI futurist on the future of work and finance.

He hosts The King Dems Podcast and Diary of a CFO and writes three LinkedIn newsletters: The AI-Powered Executive, The AI-Powered Future of Work and The AI-Powered Growth Engine. LinkedIn News editors featured his posts in several October 2026 stories.

Connect on LinkedIn

Keep the argument going

The books are snapshots. The newsletters, articles and podcast carry the evidence forward as it changes.

LinkedIn newsletter

The AI-Powered Executive

AI, leadership and strategy for CEOs, CFOs and founders.

Subscribe on LinkedIn

LinkedIn newsletter

The AI-Powered Future of Work

The weekly companion to Book Two: how judgement is being repriced, with a live opportunity in each edition.

Subscribe on LinkedIn

LinkedIn newsletter

The AI-Powered Growth Engine

Pipeline, research and growth when buyers ask a machine first. The home of Book Four.

Subscribe on LinkedIn

Essays

Medium

Practical essays on rubrics, review and human judgement in AI work.

Read on Medium

Email newsletter

Substack

Longer field notes and behind-the-scenes writing, delivered by email.

Subscribe on Substack

Advisory

K-DEMS Consulting

CFO advisory, corporate training and board briefings on human-led AI adoption.

Visit K-DEMS Consulting

Podcasts

The King Dems Podcast and Diary of a CFO

Conversations with leaders, founders, futurists and finance professionals. Many of them shaped these books.

Want AI to sharpen judgement rather than replace it?

If you lead a business or a finance function, book a free 30-minute discovery call with K-DEMS Consulting.

Book a free call Explore advisory