risk management

Morning Brew Inc

Oh, pricing. That pesky little challenge that won’t go away.

In the last few years, many companies have hiked prices, rolled back those increases, used tariff refunds to lower prices again, and seemingly tried every tactic in between to get the P problem under control.

Those challenges aren’t going away anytime soon. “Pricing is different now than it was a few years ago, driven by AI, the [war with Iran], and boards of directors [are] expecting the CFO to be all over this,” Brian Bailard, senior managing director and co-leader of the pricing practice at Blue Ridge Partners, told us.

That’s because it’s increasingly their job: Pricing has become such a moving-target problem that any management tactic is inherently a strategic decision, and, as such, it’s landing on the CFO’s desk, he explained. “If the CFO is not performing on pricing, they will find a different CFO,” Bailard continued. “This has become one of those core competencies that CFOs must have.”

Click here to join Bailard as we walk through which pricing levers can be the most effective in the year ahead.—NP

      

Sponsored By Anrok

At the end of the month, finance teams spend valuable time manually tracking down mismatched totals, and missing just one means risking audit exposure.

Join Anrok and fractional CFO Chris Ortega on Nov. 12 as they chat about why reconciliation takes so long in the first place—and where mismatches come from. In the session, you’ll learn how to reconcile Anrok against any billing system by jurisdiction.

Get the scoop on:

• what still needs human review
• what AI agents can handle on their own
• how to connect Anrok to another AI assistant

Then you’ll check out how Anrok MCP, its AI assistant, runs the first pass for you. Save your spot.

strategy

Wildpixel/Getty Images

The AI gold rush has pushed CFOs into an even more complex leadership position than before. In addition to evaluating the internal tech’s ROI, CFOs can expect to be called on to lead internal AI rollouts, including pilot programming, change management, and data accuracy.

In a survey from Deloitte, CFOs reported feeling pressure from boards to deploy AI quickly, but to be able to give them realistic timelines, a CFO needs a few other things first. Mitchell Nakken, Accordion managing director and head of strategic finance, said his first question when someone asks him about AI is “How strong is your data environment?”

“If you started with really great data and a ready management team, you could be up and running in about a month,” Nakken explained. A successful AI deployment “hinges on the ability to have very clean data,” he added.

For thoughts on what to consider before a full AI rollout, keep reading.—DL

      

Sponsored By PwC

From moat to scope. Morning Brew sat down with PwC Chief Client and Markets Officer Sean Viergutz for this Executive Spotlight, centered on workforce evolution, the impact of AI, current client concerns and strategies as seen by PwC, and so much more. Watch the full video of insights here.

earnings

Morning Brew Inc.

Your next bout of retail therapy could involve an AI personal shopper who knows your size, remembers your taste, and never judges your late-night impulse purchases. But letting it swipe your credit card? That’s another story.

Online shopping platforms are racing to put AI to work, both for customers and the people selling to them. Shopify offered a glimpse of that today, reporting that orders referred by AI chatbots jumped 3.3 times from a year ago.

Investors weren’t as enthusiastic. Shopify shares tumbled 8.74% after quarterly revenue of $3.74 billion and $119 billion in merchandise sales missed expectations, despite growing 32% and nearly 30%, respectively.

Clickify to readify all aboutify merchants’ new AI intern, on Brew Markets.—HC

      

Sponsored By Hub International

Move forward with clarity and confidence. You have big ambitions for your organization. HUB is here to help you prepare for what’s next with protection, insights, and solutions to move your business forward. With specialized risk management expertise, forward-thinking solutions, and a human touch, HUB helps you make smarter, more informed decisions.

market forces

Francis Scialabba

Today’s top finance reads.

Stat: 1.2%. That’s how much US imports grew in September compared to the prior month, driven in part by computers and pharmaceuticals. Overall, the trade deficit dropped 0.7% from the August record high. (the New York Times)

Quote: “Disease is complicated, biology is complicated. To say AI is going to cure cancer is maybe a little bit of a jump.”—AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot, on AI companies’ claims the technology will soon cure disease (the Wall Street Journal)

Read: Kraft Heinz plans to sell its coffee business, which includes brands Maxwell House and Gevalia, as it works to refocus its portfolio…We may know some finance executives about to get really busy closing the books on 2026 who could use some of its product, if it’s giving any away as part of the divestiture. (Bloomberg)

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Jobs

Skip the noise and cut to the jobs that matter. CollabWORK curates openings from top employers and shares them directly in trusted spaces like CFO Brew—click here to see the full list for readers like you.

• Executive Assistant to the CFO at ATSU PUBLIC
• Chief Financial Officer at Tidelands Health
• Senior Director, Finance – Glad and Kingsford SBU CFO at The Clorox Company
• Tax Accountant — Controller and Fractional CFO Services at Lang Recruiting
• Researcher, Executive Search — CFO Practice Team at Egon Zehnder