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Hey there, CFOs! 💼

The CFO Live recap from September 24 highlights how automation is reshaping finance work, yet leaders emphasized that communication, judgment, and relationships are more important than ever.

The panel described a “WebMD-style” moment, where clients arrive with AI outputs that require explanation. They discussed the importance of tailoring numbers differently for IT, executives, and marketing, as well as practical ways to build trust with IT, such as spending time off-site together and giving clear reassurances to staff during technology rollouts.

📰 Upcoming in this issue

• 🗣️ Soft Skills Still Reign for CFOs

• 🤖 Why You Should Put Automation and New Tech First

• 📊 CFOs Race to Build Data Skills in the AI Age

📈 Trending news

• Define a Target Architecture With CFO Guardrails

• CFOs Shift 2026 AI Budgets Toward Agent

• Make Payment APIs a CFO Priority in 2026

🗣️ Soft Skills Still Reign for CFOs

At CFO Live, leaders noted that automation is accelerating, but persuasion, empathy, and cross-functional influence drive the real outcomes. The recap highlights habits that help CFOs coach teams and earn trust.

Read the full article here »

Key Takeaways:

• 🎯 Influence Over Automation: Skills such as persuasion, storytelling, and stakeholder alignment convert analysis into informed decisions and tangible results.

• 🧠 Coach the Team: CFOs train managers in providing effective feedback, active listening, and conflict resolution, thereby strengthening culture and accountability during times of change.

• 🤝 Cross-Functional Trust: Strong ties with product, sales, and operations speed decisions, unblock pilots, and ensure automation aligns with customer outcomes.

• 📈 Hire and Measure: Recruit for curiosity and communication, track engagement, and reward behaviors that improve decisions, not just outputs.

🤖 Why You Should Put Automation and New Tech First

Private Funds CFO explains why finance chiefs are fast-tracking automation to gain speed, accuracy, and control. Early movers also unlock stronger data and sharper talent leverage.

Read the full article here »

Key Takeaways:

• 🚀 Speed to Insight: Automated closes, reconciliations, and reporting reduce cycle times, freeing teams to focus on analysis instead of spreadsheet work.

• ✅ Control and Compliance: Digitized workflows embed approvals and audit trails, cutting errors and improving regulator readiness.

• 📊 Data as an Asset: Unified systems enhance quality and lineage, enabling more accurate forecasting, pricing, and portfolio decisions.

• 🧠 Talent Multipliers: Automation takes on routine tasks, elevating finance roles to business partners while improving retention and recruiting appeal.

📊 CFOs Race to Build Data Skills in the AI Age

CFO Dive reports that finance chiefs are building data literacy, not just upgrading tools. The striking finding: self-service analytics outpaces dashboards when speed determines outcomes.

Read the full article here »

Key Takeaways:

• 🧠 Data Literacy First: CFOs train teams to query data directly, interpret metrics, and challenge models with clear questions.

• 🤝 Finance and IT Partnership: Leaders align with CIOs on governance, access, and quality, creating one data language for faster decisions.

• ⚙️Self-Service Analytics: Search-style BI and AI copilots replace static reports, enabling ad hoc insights in real time.

• 🧭 Upskill With Purpose: Programs focus on scenarios, controls, and storytelling, ensuring insights translate into actions that stakeholders understand.

Why It Matters

Treating numbers as narrative changes outcomes in time, money, and risk. In an automated world, the cost of miscommunication rises, and trust becomes the currency that accelerates plans and reduces rework.

Finance leaders who can translate data, align with IT, and manage change effectively cut cycle times, lower adoption risks, and protect credibility with clients and employees. Soft skills transform new tools into tangible outcomes, seen in cleaner execution, fewer surprises, and reputations that withstand pressure.

Wishing you continued success,

Vanessa Carter
Editor-in-Chief
CFO Executive Insights

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