Finance experts at CFO Brew’s recent live event, Next-Gen Finance: Future-Proofing Your Business Operations, had lots to say about smartly investing in technology to supercharge organizations.

But the big takeaway for CFOs was this: Successful implementation is easier said than done, and requires a thoughtful approach.

Chris Ortega, CEO and a fractional CFO of Fresh FP&A, warned finance leaders to not fall for the “shiny” new piece of technology that promises to solve all an organization’s challenges. Rather, companies should do their due diligence first, build a solid foundation consisting of the right people, processes, and partnerships to ensure the technology they adopt is fully integrated.

“This is always where I’ve seen successful technology adoption: when it’s integrated in the decision-making of the business,” he said.

Companies should identify any barriers to implementing new technologies, Adriana Carpenter, CFO of Emburse, advised.

“Typically, it is data related and operations related,” she said. “So I’m making sure that I’m partnering…with executives across the business to really understand, where is our data, what’s our governance like around that data, and how do we get access to it?”

Click here for more insights from our live event.—AZ

Do you have the right financial planning platform for your business? Or are outdated and clunky processes holding you back?

Well, here’s something you gotta know: A commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting found that Pigment drove an ROI of 306% over three years with a payback period of six months or less.

But that’s not the only stat worth knowing. Check out the Total Economic Impact™ of Pigment study for even more next-level stats.

Pigment also saves analysts 1,000 hours per year across finance, sales, and supply chain planning. Numbers like that speak for themselves.

Level up your ROI.

Outside the Grind is our occasional feature that spotlights the unique passion projects, side hustles, and hobbies of finance professionals outside of the office. Let us know if you know, or you are, a CFO or finance pro with an interesting, weird, or unusual side gig.

This fall, Karen Walker, CFO of cloud security platform Sysdig, will participate in her 11th ride with the ALS Network’s Ride, Walk & Roll to Cure ALS in California’s Napa Valley, during which she plans to ride 62 miles. She’s also helped put on the ride and was a board member of the organization previously.

Walker has a personal connection to the cause; her mother was diagnosed with ALS when she was only a few years older than her daughter is now. Short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is an always-fatal disease of the nervous system and affects the muscles that control a person’s ability to move, speak, and even breathe, according to the Mayo Clinic.

CFO Brew recently spoke with Walker about the event, long-distance biking, and what it means to participate in a cause that’s personal to her.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

To continue reading, click here.—AZ

When we think of company perks, the standard offerings often come to mind: A gym membership, subway card, or office snacks are all items employers might foot the bill for in order to keep their employees happy. If you’re lucky, maybe you get a branded company mug at the holiday party.

But what about country club dues, or tickets to a sporting event? How about a ride on the corporate jet? These more lavish rewards—known as perquisites or perks—are typically non-cash benefits reserved for executives at larger firms. They’re also regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which requires public companies to disclose these benefits when they amount to more than $10,000 annually, unless the perk is “integrally and directly related to the performance of the executive’s duties.” Such personal benefits are considered a form of income, and thus subject to taxation.

Boeing recently revealed in an SEC filing that it neglected to properly disclose more than $500,000 worth of travel that executives took on the company’s aircraft in 2021 and 2022. While these trips were initially recorded as business travel, they should have been disclosed as perquisites.

To read HR Brew’s story on the crackdown on perks, click here.—CV

Is QA eating your engineering budget? Most engineering departments spend over 25% of their budget on end-to-end testing. If that’s your team, QA Wolf offers a solution. At one-third the cost of a full-time hire, they get you to 80% automated end-to-end coverage within months. Let your devs focus on shipping features, not testing.

The CFO Leadership Conference returns June 4–6 in Boston's Seaport. Engage with 300+ senior finance leaders and develop your strategic leadership skills. Experience three full days of main-stage sessions, breakouts, and networking. This conference is unmissable for finance professionals seeking success in unprecedented times! Save $100 with code Brew24. Register here!