CFOs

Retail finance chiefs are being urged to track the mounting costs of product returns, which eat into margins through shipping, processing, and resale losses. The guidance, reported by CFO Brew, highlights how returns management has become a core financial discipline for retail companies rather than just an operational issue, with CFOs expected to monitor and control these expenses closely.

A new IBM study reports that as artificial intelligence scales across enterprises, chief financial officers are taking on a broader role in leading transformation efforts beyond traditional financial oversight. The findings suggest finance chiefs are increasingly involved in AI strategy, investment decisions and enterprise-wide change, reflecting how AI adoption is reshaping executive responsibilities in large organisations.

FTI Consulting has published an analysis on how technology transformations should be reflected in financial reporting, arguing that companies need to capture the real value behind their technology investments on their balance sheets. The piece addresses the challenge accountants and CFOs face in measuring intangible assets such as software, digital infrastructure and data initiatives, and how disclosures can better communicate the returns from large-scale tech spending to investors.

Fortune reports that artificial intelligence is reshaping how companies structure and run their operations, and argues that chief financial officers are well placed to lead this transformation. The piece frames AI adoption as an operating-model question rather than purely a technology one, positioning finance leaders as natural owners of the shift given their control over budgets, data and enterprise-wide decision-making.