Good morning. Five years from now, traditional corporate finance may be a distant memory—and perhaps a bit lonelier for the workforce.
Global research and advisory firm Gartner urges CFOs to act now to future-proof their teams and workflows. Why? Gartner predicts eight powerful forces—spanning technology, organizational dynamics, and regulatory change—will fundamentally reshape the finance function.
AI is chief among them. By 2030, Gartner projects that one-third of enterprise applications will have embedded agentic AI, with 15% of day-to-day work decisions made autonomously. Human roles will evolve to focus on supervising, collaborating with, and coaching AI counterparts.
Machine decision-making will also accelerate. As early as 2028, Gartner is predicting 70% of finance functions will use AI analysis with connected device data for real-time decision making on operational costs and cash flow management, according to Brian Stickles, senior principal at Gartner Finance. This automation means less time spent on repetitive work for finance employees.
But one prediction—the “lonely enterprise”—warns that these advances may negatively impact the employee experience if CFOs are not proactive. According to Gartner, organizational specialization and remote work technologies will make finance staff more isolated. While self-service tools boost efficiency, they also risk creating silos and disconnecting finance from the broader business context necessary for high-quality advice.
A recent Harvard Business Review article also emphasizes that organizations shouldn’t lose sight of their most important asset—humans—as AI creates more efficient and productive workplaces. Companies must proactively ensure the quality of employee interactions and workplace relationships is preserved, according to the authors.
Gartner points to another looming force: the “finance talent crash.” With the majority of CPAs nearing retirement and fewer replacements entering the field, the traditional finance talent pool is shrinking. Finance will increasingly seek technology-savvy recruits, and will need to reshape roles to blend finance and IT skills.
Other transformative forces include do-it-yourself tech, the end of customization, the complexity of matrixed organizations, and the challenge of keeping up with ever-shifting regulatory compliance.
Adapting to these changes requires a strong focus on change management to ensure employees have a positive experience with AI. For instance, a LinkedIn report released earlier this week found that half of professionals surveyed say learning AI feels like another job, and there has been an 82% increase this year in people posting on LinkedIn about feeling overwhelmed and navigating change. One-third admitted feeling embarrassed about their lack of understanding of AI, and 35% reported feeling nervous discussing AI at work for fear of sounding uninformed, according to the report.
These are exciting times for the evolution of the finance function. Keeping employees engaged and supported on this journey will be critical to long-term success.
Quick note: The next CFO Daily will be in your inbox on Tuesday. Enjoy the Labor Day holiday.
Sheryl Estrada
sheryl.estrada@fortune.com
Leaderboard
Fortune 500 Power Moves
Brad Delco will become CFO and EVP of finance, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (No. 348), effective Sept.1. The company is one of the largest supply chain solutions providers in North America. Delco previously served as SVP of finance and VP of finance at J.B. Hunt. He joined the company in 2019. Before J.B. Hunt, Delco spent 14 years at Stephens Inc., a privately-owned investment banking and financial services firm, working in both corporate finance and equity research roles, primarily covering the transportation industry.
Every Friday morning, the weekly Fortune 500 Power Moves column tracks Fortune 500 company C-suite shifts—see the most recent edition.
More notable moves this week:
Leanne Cunningham, EVP and CFO of Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE: BFA, BFB) announced that she will retire on May 1, 2026, after more than 30 years of service with the company. Cunningham joined Brown-Forman in 1995 as a corporate accountant and progressed through a series of roles in accounting, finance, corporate strategy, and production operations. Before being named CFO in July 2021, she served as SVP, shareholder relations officer, commercial finance, and financial planning and analysis. The company has initiated a formal search for Cunningham’s successor with the goal of announcing an appointment by the end of the calendar year.
Surajit Datta was appointed CFO of Kodiak Robotics, Inc., a provider of AI-powered autonomous vehicle technology, effective immediately. Datta succeeds Eric Chow, who has been with Kodiak since January 2019, has served as CFO since 2022 and plans to remain at Kodiak through the end of 2025 to support the transition. Datta brings more than 20 years of experience. Most recently, he served as VP of finance at SentinelOne, a cybersecurity firm. Before that, he held several senior-level positions with semiconductor and AI technology company Arm, including VP of finance and corporate development.
Kalani Reelitz was appointed CFO of Sedgwick, a risk and claims administration partner. Reelitz succeeds Henry Lyons, Sedgwick's CFO since 2015, who will retire later this year. Reelitz brings more than 20 years of experience to the company. He previously served as CFO at Compass, where he oversaw the entire range of accounting and finance functions. Since November of 2023, Reelitz served as the company's de facto chief operating officer. Before Compass, he held roles at Cushman & Wakefield and Walgreens.
Matthew Brown was appointed CFO of Tenable (Nasdaq: TENB), an exposure management company, effective immediately. Brown succeeds Steve Vintz, who was recently appointed as a co-CEO of the company alongside Mark Thurmond. Brown has more than two decades of experience in the technology sector. Most recently, he served as CFO of Altair Engineering, where he helped lead its sale to Siemens for $10.7 billion. Before Altair, Brown held senior finance roles at NortonLifeLock, Symantec, Blue Coat, Brocade, NETGEAR, and KPMG.
Big Deal
After a period of heightened macroeconomic uncertainty, bidder dynamics are stabilizing as the third quarter progresses, and capital targeting commercial real estate continues to grow. That’s according to JLL’s proprietary Global Bid Intensity Index, which measures bidding activity and offers a real-time view of improving liquidity and competitiveness in private real estate capital markets.
In July, the index recorded its first month-over-month improvement since December, indicating more competitive bidder dynamics across the market after a stretch of bond market volatility and trade policy uncertainty.
“With no shortage of liquidity, institutional investors are returning to the market with more capital sources and a renewed appetite for real estate,” said Ben Breslau, chief research officer at JLL. “We expect momentum to pick up through the second half of the year.”
Going deeper
Here are four Fortune weekend reads:
"The S&P 500 officially notches a new record over 6,500—but investors shouldn’t get too giddy" by Shawn Tully
"Accenture CEO Julie Sweet says there’s one thing you should never do if you get offered a big job you don’t feel ready for" by Preston Fore
"Dollar General builds a rural delivery edge over Walmart and Amazon—and it’s taking their higher-income shoppers, too" by Eva Roytburg
"A tax company in Kansas City gave thousands of workers the afternoon off to celebrate Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement" by Jessica Coacci
Overheard
"It's one of the most devastating things we've seen."
—Teddy Phillips Jr., CEO of Knoxville-based Phillips Inc., recently told a local news station about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005—one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history. The company was awarded a contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2005 to help clean up debris following the storm.
