Resources

Article

The AI Talk: Lise Mentzoni, Managing Director of PowerOffice

Article

The AI Talk: Lise Mentzoni, Managing Director of PowerOffice

For Lise Mentzoni, human creativity remains the real value in the AI era. She argues that the first step into AI is about hiring the right people to challenge the status quo and ensure technology solves real customer problems.

Article

The AI Talk: Lise Mentzoni, Managing Director of PowerOffice

For Lise Mentzoni, human creativity remains the real value in the AI era. She argues that the first step into AI is about hiring the right people to challenge the status quo and ensure technology solves real customer problems.

AI

Article

The AI Talk: Lise Mentzoni, Managing Director of PowerOffice

For Lise Mentzoni, human creativity remains the real value in the AI era. She argues that the first step into AI is about hiring the right people to challenge the status quo and ensure technology solves real customer problems.

AI

For Lise Mentzoni, human creativity remains the real value in the AI era. She argues that the first step into AI is about hiring the right people to challenge the status quo and ensure technology solves real customer problems.

Hi Lise! Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I bring over 15 years of leadership experience across Sales and HR to my role. I joined PowerOffice in 2018, initially focusing on sales before establishing our HR department. In 2023, I was honored to step into the role as CEO, after our founder. My journey in the company has given me a deep understanding of both our people and our customers, which drives my leadership today.


Tell us a little bit about PowerOffice.

PowerOffice is a leading cloud-based accounting platform in Norway, serving nearly 100,000 customers. We provide a comprehensive ecosystem for SMEs, including invoicing, accounting, payroll, and time tracking. We also offer Go Quality, a specialized quality assurance system for accountants. 

For six consecutive years, we have topped the Regnskap Norge technology survey, maintaining the highest user satisfaction in the industry. Our position is defined by user-friendliness, technical excellence, and exceptional customer support.


What is the one specific task, business or personal, where AI saves you the most time right now?

For me personally, AI has become the assistant I didn't know I needed. It saves me an immense amount of time on administrative tasks and data processing. By automating these repetitive workflows, it clears my desk of the noise, allowing me to focus my energy on strategic decisions that provide real value to our organization.


What is a human skill you find yourself valuing more than ever in the age of AI?

While AI can process data at incredible speeds, it cannot replace human creativity and critical validation. Creativity is what drove us to this technological frontier in the first place. More importantly, the ability to ethically validate and control AI outputs is a skill that is becoming more vital every day. We need humans to ensure that technology serves a purpose and remains grounded in reality.


What is the biggest mistake you see other companies making when rushing into AI?

The biggest mistake is chasing the hype rather than solving a problem. Customers don’t care about your tech stack.They care about their own efficiency. AI should be a silent engine for value. Efficiency gains only matter if you maintain security and user control. If it doesn't solve a real pain point, it's just noise.


Can you share one concrete example where you used AI to add real value for the customer?

We add real value by using AI to automate bookkeeping and optimize core business processes. This automation acts as a foundation for better advisory services and significant time savings.


If a founder asked you where to start with AI tomorrow, what is the very first step you would tell them to take?

Focus on your people before technology. The first step is getting the right talent on board who can challenge the status quo. You need a team that understands how to leverage AI to ensure product quality and solve genuine customer pain points. Technology is the tool, but people are the strategy.

Related content