Special Report: Intelligent Automation

“We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don’t let yourself be lulled into inaction,” Bill Gates wrote in his 1995 book, “The Road Ahead.”A few years later I saw an interview with Gates in which he appli...

By David McCann • Sept. 27, 2017

Mind Games

Lee Coulter arrived at a point when he recognized within himself a chronic, “near-medical-level” case of frustration. After decades as a shared-services executive and ceaseless immersion in that function’s accelerating technology requirements, he came to the conclusion that he didn’t know what an...

By David McCann • Sept. 27, 2017

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from CFO.com

From CPA licensure changes to undergoing a digital transformation, these are the most popular stories CFOs are reading. 

By CFO.com staff

Facebook Scraps Share Reclassification Plan

Amid shareholder opposition, Facebook has abandoned a plan to reclassify its stock so CEO Mark Zuckerberg could sell billions of dollars of his shares without giving up any of his control of the company.Facebook’s move came on the eve of a trial in a shareholder class action challenging the plan ...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 25, 2017

Specialty Drug Costs to Soar Again in 2018

The rate of increase in prescription and specialty drug costs is expected to tick down in 2018, but that prospect likely isn’t all that comforting to health-plan sponsors weary of huge annual cost spikes for pharmaceuticals.Growth in the cost of drugs continues to soar far beyond that for medical...

By David McCann • Sept. 22, 2017

CFOs on the Move: Week Ending Sept. 22

Gordy Brooks has been appointed to lead the finance function at FinancialForce. Most recently finance chief of Citrix GetGo, he also formerly headed finance at Blue Coat Systems.Gordy Brooks Andy Wilson announced his retirement from the top finance spot at PerkinElmer, effective in August of next...

By Joan Urdang • Sept. 22, 2017

How Is Regulatory Reform Likely to Proceed?

Editor’s note: Co-author George Madison served as general counsel of the U.S. Treasury Department from 2009-2012. Co-author Michael Borden was senior counsel to the House Financial Services Committee from 2007 to 2012.The great debate over the shape of post-crisis financial regulation is in full ...

By Michael Lewis, George Madison, Michael Borden, and Cameron Gibbs • Sept. 21, 2017

Dodd-Frank Is Needed But Merits Revision

The Dodd-Frank Act was designed to rectify the financial crisis of 2008, stabilize the American economy, and prevent another economic disaster. Unfortunately, the law is not perfect. Reform is favorable over repeal, as long as it strives for the same goals that inspired the original bill.Tyler Ha...

By Tyler Harrison • Sept. 21, 2017

‘Repeal Dodd-Frank’ Is a Mere Sound Bite

Much has been written since 2010 about the benefits and drawbacks of the Dodd-Frank Act. Advocates of the legislation insist that it has significantly reduced systemic risk, and that without it, it would be impossible to adequately supervise large financial institutions.Dr. Lauren Wright Critics ...

By Lauren Wright • Sept. 20, 2017

Many Parts of Dodd-Frank Should Be Repealed

Dodd-Frank backers largely misidentified the causes of the financial crisis and prescribed the wrong solutions to avoid another crisis. The law also included items that had nothing to do with the crisis. U.S. financial regulators turned into micro-managers of financial services rather than facili...

By Emre Carr • Sept. 20, 2017

Dodd-Frank Was Too Much — and Not Enough

In some ways, the Dodd-Frank Act was an over-reaction to legitimate problems revealed by the financial crisis. The law identified many of the right solutions but excessively applied them. In other ways, it barely scratched the surface of a deeper issue — a breach in trust between society and fina...

By Luke Zubrod • Sept. 20, 2017

N.Y. to Crack Down on Equifax and Its Ilk

In the wake of the massive Equifax data breach, New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo is proposing regulations to hold credit-reporting agencies accountable and put them under the watchful eye of the Empire State’s Department of Financial Services (DFS).On Monday, Cuomo directed the DFS to issue new r...

By Vincent Ryan • Sept. 19, 2017

CFOs on the Move: Week Ending Sept. 15

Kraft Heinz has announced the promotion of David Knopf to finance chief, effective Oct. 1. Knopf, now category head of the firm’s Planters division, takes over from Paulo Basilio, who will become zone president of the company’s U.S. business.Early-childhood education provider Learning Care Group ...

By Joan Urdang • Sept. 15, 2017

Closing the Confidence Gap in Sustainability Data

Investors, financial analysts, and rating agencies around the world are increasingly seeking relevant and trustworthy reports on sustainability performance to help guide their assessments of a company’s value-creation capacity and capability. Therefore, companies that utilize effective internal c...

By Robert H. Herz • Sept. 13, 2017

Career Census

When it comes to schooling and experience, there’s no such thing as a “typical” CFO, except that they tend to be well-educated and, still today, a majority are men. How much do you know about the backgrounds and careers of the top finance executives at the 250 largest publicly held U.S. companies...

By CFO Editorial Staff • Sept. 12, 2017

Value Drivers

CFOs to Watch 2017 Choosing the top finance chiefs for the third annual installment of CFOs to Watch was tricky. We wanted to honor a CFO’s past performance but, like stock-pickers, also wanted to select candidates with an eye toward what they might do in the next 12 months. Consequently, the 20 ...

By David Katz, Vincent Ryan and Dave McCann • Sept. 11, 2017

Dealing with a Deficit (of IT Talent)

Middle-market companies are struggling to attract and retain technology employees — and looking to managed IT services providers and the cloud for help in meeting the talent shortfall.A recent CFO Research survey of 123 U.S.–based middle-market senior finance executives, conducted in collaboratio...

By CFO Editorial Staff • Sept. 11, 2017

CFOs on the Move: Week Ending Sept. 8

Scott Lipesky has been appointed to lead the finance function at Abercrombie & Fitch, effective Oct. 2. He replaces Joanne Crevoiserat, who continued to head finance after her promotion to chief operating officer in February. Most recently head of finance at American Signature, Lipesky previo...

By Joan Urdang • Sept. 8, 2017

Scott Lipesky to Return to Abercrombie as CFO

Scott Lipesky is returning to Abercrombie & Fitch as its new CFO, taking on the challenge of helping to steer the teen apparel retailer through a turbulent business environment.Abercrombie announced on Wednesday that Lipesky would succeed Joanne Crevoiserat, who has continued to serve as CFO ...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 6, 2017

CFOs on the Move: Week Ending Sept. 1

Expedia has promoted finance chief Mark Okerstrom to CEO. He succeeds Dara Khosrowshahi, who has been named CEO of Uber. Okerstrom had been CFO and executive vice president of operations for the past six years. Expedia’s new finance chief is Alan Pickerill, senior vice president, treasurer, and h...

By Joan Urdang • Sept. 1, 2017

Wanted: A Hands-On CFO

Since CEO Bill Sandbrook joined U.S. Concrete six years ago, he’s had three chief financial officers, the latest one lasting only a year and a half. Now he’s looking for his fourth.But it hasn’t been easy. The difficulty is not just because the U.S. job market is tight, either. As a small-cap, pu...

By Vincent Ryan • Aug. 30, 2017

SEC Warns of Initial Coin Offering Fraud Risks

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has issued a warning about digital coin offerings, telling investors they could be used to manipulate a company’s stock price.The commission has been stepping up its scrutiny of offers and sales of digital assets, including “initial coin offerings” (ICO...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 29, 2017

Making Capital Investment Decisions in an Omnichannel World

Shopping has never been easier for consumers.But for executives behind the scenes, digital advances have created complexity. Consumers don’t think about channels, they think about what’s most convenient and inspiring in different shopping contexts. Companies require an omnichannel approach to mee...

By Josh Chernoff • Aug. 28, 2017

CFOs on the Move: Week Ending Aug. 25

Céline Dufétel will take over the top finance spot at T. Rowe Price Group in February, replacing Ken Moreland, who will retire after nearly 14 years at the company. Dufétel is now a managing director and global head of marketing and client service at Neuberger Berman.Tommie Brooks Symetra Financi...

By Joan Urdang • Aug. 25, 2017

Legal Case Shows Social Networks Can’t Remain Neutral On User Privacy

What is more important — that LinkedIn should be able to control the commercial use of its vast database of users’ “public profile” data (to protect the privacy of users, among other motivations) or that anyone should be able to access and exploit data that individuals choose to put in the public...

By Ron Moscona • Aug. 23, 2017

Virtual & Augmented Reality Should Pique CFOs’ Interest

Emerging technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have become important tools for companies of all sizes, and many CFOs are exploring the possibilities from technology, growth, and marketing standpoints.John Todd The transformative potential of these technologies will tou...

By John Todd • Aug. 23, 2017