Category: 3. Business

NEW YORK – January 5, 2026 – The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) today announced that Hans Swildens, Justin Burden, and Roland Reynolds have joined Goldman Sachs as Partners in its Asset and Wealth Management business.  

The three will join the firm’s External Investing Group (XIG) within Goldman Sachs Asset Management as part of the closing of the Industry Ventures acquisition. In their roles, they will continue to focus on managing key parts of the Industry Ventures business, including investment processes, operations, and limited partner relationships. 

Hans Swildens founded Industry Ventures, and served as its CEO, managing the overall business. He brings decades of experience to the firm as an early pioneer of the modern secondary market for venture capital and early supporter of the development of a new class of venture capital partnerships focused on seed and early stage investing during the last decade.

Earlier in his career, Hans co-founded and acted as president of Microline Software. He also helped start Speedera Networks (acquired by Akamai) and provided board advisory services to Discovery Mining (acquired by Interwoven), nCircle Network Security (acquired by Tripwire), and StepUp Commerce (acquired by Intuit).

Hans earned an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA with distinction from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Justin Burden served as senior managing director at Industry Ventures. In this capacity, he has focused on originating, valuing, and managing secondary investment opportunities in later-stage, venture-backed companies and venture capital funds. He has also been actively involved in fundraising and maintaining limited partner relationships. Justin joined Industry Ventures in 2004.

Previously, Justin worked at GE Equity in San Francisco, the venture capital arm of the General Electric Company, where he sourced, structured, and managed investments in the technology, consumer, media, and telecom sectors. Prior to GE Equity, Justin worked at Wells Fargo’s high yield fund purchasing debt securities in buyout transactions.

Justin earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley and an MSc from the London School of Economics.

Roland Reynolds served as senior managing director at Industry Ventures. In this role, he has focused on originating, valuing, and managing primary fund commitments, early secondary limited partnership investments, and direct company investments for the Industry Ventures Direct and Partnership Holdings team. He has also been actively involved in fundraising and maintaining limited partner relationships.

Previously, Roland was founder of Little Hawk Capital Management LLC, which was acquired by Industry Ventures. He also spent five years as Principal with Columbia Capital, a leading communications and information technology venture capital firm. Earlier in his career, Roland was an investment banker with JP Morgan & Co. in New York.

Roland graduated from Princeton University with high honors and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School.

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About Goldman Sachs Asset Management

Goldman Sachs Asset Management is the primary investing area within Goldman Sachs, delivering investment and advisory services across public and private markets for the world’s leading institutions, financial advisors, and individuals. The business is driven by a focus on partnership and shared success with its clients, seeking to deliver long-term investment performance drawing on its global network and deep expertise across industries and markets. Goldman Sachs Asset Management is a leading investor across fixed income, liquidity, equity, alternatives, and multi-asset solutions. Goldman Sachs oversees approximately $3.5 trillion in assets under supervision as of September 30, 2025. Follow us on LinkedIn.

About Goldman Sachs Alternatives

Goldman Sachs Alternatives is one of the leading investors globally, with approximately $576 billion in assets as of September 30, 2025 and more than 30 years of experience. The business invests in the full spectrum of alternatives including private equity, growth equity, private credit, real estate, infrastructure, sustainability, and hedge funds. Clients access these solutions through direct strategies, customized partnerships, and open-architecture programs. The business is driven by a focus on partnership and shared success with its clients, seeking to deliver long-term investment performance drawing on its global network and deep expertise across industries and markets.

 

Goldman Sachs Media Relations

Mary Athridge

+1 212 902 5400

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Goldman Sachs Investor Relations

Jehan Ilahi

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Paris, January 5, 2026 – Meeting on January 5, 2026, the Board of Directors of Capgemini SE took due note of Ms. Megan Clarken‘s resignation as a director and decided to appoint by co-option[1] a new director, Ms. Lila Tretikov, following a proposal by the Ethics and Governance committee.

Ms. Lila Tretikov, a French and American national, is currently Head of AI Strategy, at New Enterprise Associates, Inc., a global venture capital firm. She will bring to the Board her technological skills and her expertise in Artificial Intelligence as well as business transformation through technology.

The Board considers Ms. Lila Tretikov to be independent pursuant to the criteria of the AFEP-MEDEF Code to which the Company refers.

Ms. Lila Tretikov’s nomination is effective from January 5, 2026.  This nomination is in line with the Board’s ambition to enrich the diversity of its profiles and deepen its industry expertise.

The Board of Directors warmly thanked Ms. Megan Clarken for her contribution to the work of the Board and the Strategy & CSR Committee on which she sat.

As of January 5,2026, the Board of Directors therefore comprises 15 directors, including two directors representing employees and one director representing employee shareholders. 83% of its members are independent[2], 40% have international profiles and 42% are women².

BIOGRAPHY

Ms. Lila Tretikov

Ms. Tretikov is a leading expert on Artificial Intelligence and innovation-driven business transformation. Since 2024, she has been Partner, and Head of AI Strategy, at New Enterprise Associates, Inc., a global venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley.

Ms. Tretikov studied computer science (specializing in AI) and visual art at the University of California, Berkeley.

Prior to joining New Enterprise Associates, Ms. Tretikov was employed by Microsoft Corporation since 2018. She notably held the position of Corporate Vice President & Deputy Chief Technology Officer from April 2020 to January 2024, driving large-scale AI transformation.

Previously, Ms. Tretikov served as Senior Vice President of Engie SA, a multinational energy company, and Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of the Terrawatt Initiative, a non-profit corporation launched by Engie, Total, IBM, and other multinationals to accelerate decarbonization of global industries. She was previously Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of The Wikimedia Foundation and Wikipedia Endowment, which support Wikipedia. Ms. Tretikov sits on the Board of Directors of UBS Group AG, Volvo Car Corporation, and Xylem Inc.

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[1] Ms. Lila Tretikov will serve the remainder of Ms. Clarken’s mandate until 2027 at the AGM convened to approve the 2026 statutory accounts. Ms. Megan Clarken left her position on December 31, 2025.

[2] The Directors representing employees and employee shareholders are not taken into account in calculating this percentage, in accordance with the provisions of the AFEP-MEDEF Code and the French Commercial Code.

Editor’s note: The University of Delaware is diligently working to enhance infrastructure and support available to campus innovators. As part of this effort, the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Accelerating Research Translation program (NSF ART program) at UD is investing in capacity-building resources to boost the translation of UD research discoveries into novel technologies of benefit to Delawareans and the nation. UD is an inaugural member of the NSF ART program.

For thousands of years, our clothing has primarily been used for protective and aesthetic uses. University of Delaware inventor Sagar Doshi thinks apparel is capable of more. He wants to make our clothing smarter, so that we can get more information about how we move.

Why is this necessary? About 3 million Americans undergo physical therapy each year to recover from injuries such as a ligament tear, or after surgery, such as a knee replacement. 

Doshi, a research scientist at the Center for Composite Materials (CCM) and a research assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is developing next-generation wearable technologies with the ability to provide physical therapy clinicians and athletic trainers with useful data to make data-driven decisions about their patient’s or athlete’s recovery. 

The UD-developed nanomaterial-based sensors embedded in Doshi’s wearable technologies contain carbon nanocomposites, which are over 1,000 times smaller than a human hair and impart unique electrical properties when deposited on everyday fabrics like cotton, polyester or elastane. This allows the material to measure precise changes in human movement. Combined with the newest repair technologies, these novel sensors also have the potential to make our civil infrastructure safer, from bridges to pipelines. 

These are big aspirations for a technology that grew out of Doshi’s UD doctoral work. That early research led Doshi in directions he had dreamed about but wasn’t sure how to make happen … from inventor to patent holder to entrepreneur. He didn’t get there alone. He’s had significant help along the way.

As an Innovation Ambassador at UD, Doshi wants campus inventors to know how the UD innovation ecosystem has been there for him — and that this growing network is available to others, too.

Tell us about your invention.

Doshi: We are developing the next generation of wearable technology. The key problem that we are trying to address through this invention is providing improved techniques that clinicians, physical therapists and athletic trainers can use to measure progress or improvement for patients and athletes who are undergoing rehab after an injury. We are going beyond what Fitbit and smartwatches can do. The data our wearable technologies collect can help physical therapists, clinicians and athletic trainers to make informed and data-driven decisions for providing better care to patients and athletes so that they can safely recover faster.

Al Husn Hotel Muscat, Hilton Muscat Al Bandar, and DoubleTree by Hilton Muscat Al Waha begin welcoming guests

MUSCAT, Oman – Hilton (NYSE: HLT) has introduced three hotels at Barr Al Jissah, a landmark waterfront destination celebrated for its natural beauty.

Nestled between the cliffs of Al Jissah and the Gulf of Oman, the properties offer a blend of family-friendly options, vibrant event spaces, and elevated luxury experiences. Owned by The Zubair Corporation and located just 40 minutes from Muscat International Airport, the openings usher in a new chapter of world-class hospitality along Oman’s coastline.

Guy Hutchinson, president, Middle East & Africa, Hilton, said, “As Oman’s travel and tourism sector continues to thrive, we are proud to open these three hotels at Barr Al Jissah – the country’s iconic seaside destination. We look forward to contributing to its success through our portfolio of world-class brands and our global network. Together with The Zubair Corporation, we aim to strengthen Oman’s position as a leading tourism destination, supporting the nation’s Vision 2040 goal of attracting 11 million visitors annually and driving sustainable growth in the sector.”

Niels Bormans, group chief executive officer, The Zubair Corporation, said, “Today marks a milestone moment for Barr Al Jissah and for Oman’s hospitality sector as a whole. We are pleased to officially welcome Hilton as the new operator of Barr Al Jissah Resorts, confident that their global experience, operational excellence, and shared commitment to quality will further elevate the three hotels. This partnership reflects our belief in long-term value creation through world-class collaborations that support tourism growth and talent development, in line with the goals of Oman Vision 2040.”

The three hotels at Barr Al Jissah each deliver a distinct yet complementary experience.

The three hotels share the extensive recreational, dining, and leisure amenities of the Barr Al Jissah complex, ensuring a seamless guest journey across the destination. Shared recreational facilities include multiple swimming pools, tennis courts, a lazy river, and over 500 meters of private beachfront. Guests can also enjoy water sports such as kayaking and diving, with a PADI-certified dive centre offering courses suitable for all experience levels. Wellness enthusiasts will appreciate the destination’s spa facilities, which include The Spa, offering treatments inspired by Omani Rose, and Luban Spa, known for its use of Frankincense.

The hotels are part of Hilton Honors, the award-winning guest loyalty programme for Hilton’s 25 world-class brands. Members who book directly have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose nearly any combination of Points and money to book a stay, an exclusive member discount, free standard Wi-Fi and the Hilton Honors mobile app. Book direct at hilton.com, through the Hilton Honors app or through other official Hilton channels for more perks and a price match guarantee. Hilton Honors members can redeem Points using the Points Explorer tool. 

For more information, or to make a reservation, travelers may visit hilton.com or call +968 2477 6262. For more information on Hilton, please visit stories.hilton.com/emea

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About Hilton

Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 25 world-class brands comprising 9,000 properties and over 1.3 million rooms, in 141 countries and territories. Dedicated to fulfilling its founding vision to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality, Hilton has welcomed over 3 billion guests in its more than 100-year history. Named as the No. 1 World’s Best Workplace by Great Place to Work and Fortune, Hilton aims to create the best culture for its 500,000 team members around the world. Hilton has introduced industry-leading technology enhancements to improve the guest experience, including Digital Key Share, automated complimentary room upgrades and the ability to book confirmed connecting rooms. Through the award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors, the more than 235 million Hilton Honors members who book directly with Hilton can earn Points for hotel stays and experiences money can’t buy. With the free Hilton Honors app, guests can book their stay, select their room, check in, unlock their door with a Digital Key and check out, all from their smartphone. Visit stories.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

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About DoubleTree by Hilton

DoubleTree by Hilton is a fast-growing, global portfolio of more than 700 hotels across 61 countries and territories. For more than 55 years, DoubleTree by Hilton has continued to be a symbol of comfort for business and leisure travelers around the world, welcoming guests with the beloved DoubleTree chocolate chip cookie and prioritizing the spaces and human moments that make travelers feel good. DoubleTree by Hilton offers contemporary accommodations and amenities, including unique food and beverage experiences, state-of-the-art fitness offerings and meetings and events spaces. Experience a comfortable stay at DoubleTree by Hilton by booking at doubletree.com or through the industry-leading Hilton Honors app. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits. Learn more about DoubleTree by Hilton at stories.hilton.com/doubletree, and follow the brand on Facebook, X and Instagram.

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About Hilton Hotels & Resorts

For over a century, Hilton Hotels & Resorts has set the benchmark for hospitality around the globe, connecting people, cultures and communities. Offering striking design and vibrant communal spaces—from buzzing lobbies to lively bars, best-in-class restaurants, and iconic gatherings— Hilton Hotels & Resorts is the place to see and be seen in the world’s most sought-after destinations. With more than 600 hotels across six continents, Hilton Hotels & Resorts is where the world comes together, and travelers are masterfully hosted with expertise and care.  Experience a legendary stay at Hilton Hotels & Resorts by booking at hiltonhotels.com or through the industry leading Hilton Honors app. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits. Learn more about Hilton Hotels & Resorts at stories.hilton.com/hhr, and follow the brand on Facebook, X and Instagram.

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About Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts

Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts is an award-winning portfolio of 36 iconic properties, each embodying a distinct sense of place through sincerely elegant service, one-of-a-kind experiences and culinary mastery in landmark destinations around the world. The highly anticipated reopening of Waldorf Astoria New York marked a defining moment for the brand – reintroducing a legend while ushering in a new era of luxury. Inspired by their timeless environments, Waldorf Astoria hotels deliver an effortless experience seamlessly, creating a true sense of place for guests through stunning architecture, the famous Peacock Alley, refined art collections, Michelin-starred dining and elevated in-room amenities. In addition to the brand’s world-class hotel offerings, Waldorf Astoria boasts a global residential portfolio that provides the comfort of a private home combined with unsurpassed amenities and high-touch service. Waldorf Astoria is part of Hilton, a leading global hospitality company. Experience an unforgettable stay at Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts by booking at waldorfastoria.com or through the through the industry-leading Hilton Honors app. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits. Learn more about Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts at stories.hilton.com/waldorfastoria, and follow the brand on X and Instagram.  

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About The Zubair Corporation

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Built on a legacy of more than five decades, The Zubair Corporation is one of Oman’s leading diversified business groups, contributing global expertise, innovation, and long-term value across key sectors of the national economy. Guided by principles of transparency, responsible corporate governance, and business excellence, the Corporation adheres to international ethical standards and maintains enduring partnerships with approximately 300 global and local brands.//
The Corporation’s portfolio comprises over 60 wholly owned companies, subsidiaries, and associates operating across sectors, including industrial and chemical solutions, smart electrification and automation, mobility and equipment, energy and natural resources, fast-moving consumer goods, education, real estate development, hospitality, digitalisation, and information technology. Firmly rooted in Oman, The Zubair Corporation remains committed to sustainable growth, cultural preservation, and value creation aligned with national development priorities.//
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For more information, visit //zubaircorp.com// and connect with The Zubair Corporation on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.//

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a global leader in technology, today announced that Spatial Signage has been recognized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® as part of the CES Innovation Awards ® 2026 program. The award marks Samsung’s first-ever recognition in the Enterprise Technology category, coinciding with the company’s commercial display debut at the show.

Each year, the world-renowned CES Innovation Awards honor outstanding design and engineering across a vast range of technology products. As the #1 leader in global digital signage for 16 years,¹ this recognition further reinforces Samsung’s commitment to providing best-in-class display signage and solutions that help captivate and convert shoppers into customers.

First introduced at IFA 2025, Spatial Signage is a glasses-free 3D display that delivers an immersive visual experience. Using Samsung’s breakthrough display technology, it delivers immersive realism by adding multidimensional depth to 2D visuals, creating more captivating shopping experiences with existing content. The display’s sleek 2.1-inch profile and slim 85-inch frame allow for seamless placement in design-conscious environments, from big box chains to luxury stores and even stadiums. With Samsung VXT built in, users can remotely deploy in-store content across devices, from vivid images of in-store merchandise to enticing promotional offers.

Spatial Signage will be on display during official show hours at the Samsung Exhibition Zone at The Wynn Las Vegas from January 5-7, 2026.

For more on Samsung Spatial Signage, visit Samsung.com.

• Rebrand announced in June as part of Fujifilm Life Sciences Group restructuring becomes official
• FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific becomes FUJIFILM Biosciences, providing a full spectrum of life sciences solutions built from a 55-year history as a cell culture pioneer.

SANTA ANA, California, January 5, 2026 – FUJIFILM Biosciences, a global leader in the innovation and manufacture of cell culture solutions for the life science market, today announced the Company has officially changed its legal name from FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific, Inc., to FUJIFILM Biosciences Inc., effective January 1, 2026. The FUJIFILM Biosciences’ name builds upon the Company’s roots as a pioneer in the cell culture media industry that through a core focus on people, innovation, and quality now serves a much broader life science community and customers.

FUJIFILM Biosciences continues to be dedicated to its customers with a focus on empowering scientists and researchers at every stage of discovery, development, and commercialization. By offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services in cell culture media, feeds, specialty chemicals and reagents, single-use technologies, and human-induced pluripotent stem cell capabilities, the Company supports and helps accelerate the development of life-changing treatments that can improve patient outcomes worldwide.

“All of us at FUJIFILM Biosciences take immense pride in being a people-focused company that empowers our colleagues to create an exceptional customer experience,” said Brandon Pence, president and chief operating officer, FUJIFILM Biosciences. “We utilize our 55-year legacy of deep industry knowledge to collaboratively develop innovative solutions and technologies that are supplied from our global network of manufacturing facilities. With this approach and our ongoing investments, we look ahead to a strong future with our employees, customers, and partners around the world.”

ENDS

For high-res images, please contact lily.jeffery@zymecommunications.com

Notes to Editors

The CFO role is no longer just about financial stewardship, it’s about shaping technology strategy, navigating political and regulatory uncertainty, and building organizations that can adapt as fast as the world changes. AI is rewriting workflows, cloud environments are continuing to redefine infrastructure, and compliance pressures continue to shift. In a landscape defined by constant disruption, success isn’t just about making the right decisions. It’s about creating a finance function that can learn, pivot, and thrive no matter what comes next.

These five trends stand out as critical for CFOs who want to lead, not lag, in 2026:

Trend #1: Agentic AI and the Workflow Revolution…Redefining How Work Gets Done

By 2028, 33% of all enterprise software applications are expected to incorporate agentic AI¹, a shift that will fundamentally change how work gets done. That’s because, unlike previous tech waves, agentic AI isn’t just a tool. It’s a collaborator. AI agents can plan, execute, and adapt entire processes autonomously, transforming workflows from static sequences into dynamic, self-optimizing systems.

For CFOs, this means rethinking workforce development and training from the ground up. Traditional transformation focused on speed, cost, and agility. Transformation shaped by agentic AI demands bigger questions:

• How can AI agents reshape financial strategy to be proactive, not reactive?
• Which workflows should be fully automated to free talent for higher-value work?
• What governance frameworks ensure AI enhances human judgment rather than replaces it?

The disruptive nature of agentic AI makes human-led governance and principle-based oversight – anchored in transparency, privacy, and adaptability – essential. CFOs must prioritize and build technical fluency across finance teams, define clear objectives for AI agents, and embed continuous learning into the fabric of their organizations.

The payoff? Finance operations that are predictive, adaptive, and capable of self-improvement—unlocking a new era of intelligent transformation. 

Trend #2: CIO-CFO Collaboration…Driving AI and Financial Tech Decisions, Together

As AI agents are changing how work gets done, who then orchestrates that change? Enter the CIO–CFO partnership.  

Eighty-two percent of CIOs now lead enterprise-wide digital transformation initiatives², and nowhere is this shift more visible than in financial software decisions, once considered primarily the CFO’s domain.

One reason is that corporate performance management (CPM) tools – essential for planning, forecasting, and compliance – are increasingly powered by AI for predictive analytics and automation. As these tools evolve beyond traditional functionality, decisions about their adoption can no longer sit in silos. That means, what might initially look like a potential turf war is, in reality, an opportunity for CFOs and CIOs to align and jointly shape the enterprise’s AI-enabled future.

By collaborating on finance software decisions, these leaders can create a blueprint for broader alignment, ensuring technology investments deliver measurable outcomes, scalability, and security. CIOs bring expertise in architecture and integration. CFOs ensure platforms meet compliance needs and improve, or completely transform, real finance workflows.

The momentum is clear: 93% of CFOs and CIOs agree AI integration has already increased collaboration³, and most say this partnership significantly impacts innovation, efficiency, and risk management. For CFOs, success isn’t about becoming IT experts, it’s about articulating finance priorities, championing change management, and developing enough technical fluency to engage on data models and integration. Done right, this collaboration will set the stage for smarter AI-driven decisions across the enterprise.

Trend #3: Hyperscaler Neutrality…Safeguarding Flexibility in a Cloud-Dominated World

Shared CIO–CFO leadership sets the strategy for AI adoption, but the cloud architecture and data foundation you choose will determine how fast and safely you can execute it.

As finance systems migrate to the cloud, hyperscalers like AWS, Azure and Google Cloud are becoming the backbone of enterprise infrastructure. But with this convenience comes risk. Locking into a single provider can limit flexibility, inflate costs, and constrain innovation when new AI capabilities or regulatory requirements emerge.

For CFOs, having technology that is hyperscaler neutral isn’t just an IT preference, it’s a strategic safeguard. Neutrality means building architectures that avoid deep dependencies on one vendor, enabling organizations to pivot quickly as technology, pricing, and compliance landscapes shift. It also strengthens negotiating power, mitigates concentration risk, and ensures resilience in the face of geopolitical or regulatory disruptions.

Equally critical is your data foundation. The quality, structure, and accessibility of your data will determine whether AI delivers real value or stalls as an exceedingly costly experiment.
CFOs should work with CIOs to ensure that cloud platforms support open standards, robust APIs, and scalable data models. Because agility isn’t just about infrastructure; it’s about making data accessible and actionable across the enterprise. And agility isn’t just an IT advantage; it’s a financial one.

Trend #4: Geopolitical and Regulatory Complexity…Preparing for the Pendulum Swing

While CFOs collaborate with CIOs to accelerate AI-driven transformation, they can’t lose sight of another force shaping the future of finance: geopolitical and regulatory complexity. Take into consideration just a single example from 2025: the EU’s significantly loosened CSRD requirements. Now, only companies with 1,000+ employees and €50 million (approximately $55–57 million USD) in annual revenue are required to meet CSRD’s mandatory reporting requirements, removing nearly 80% of organizations that were previously in-scope. Compliance deadlines were also pushed back up to two years, and reporting standards were simplified, cutting mandatory data points by more than half.

For CFOs, this might feel like a reprieve, but that’s a risky illusion. Regulatory pendulums swing. Sustainability reporting remains a political priority in some geographic regions, and future tightening is inevitable. History shows that while progress toward transparency may ebb and flow, even periods of rollback rarely erase the underlying momentum. Over time, the trend continues. Organizations that scale back their ESG and compliance capabilities now will find themselves scrambling (and paying a premium) when stricter rules return.

The smarter play? Operationalize monitoring of the regulatory change, even in this period of relaxation. Why?

• In the long term, investor expectations aren’t loosening. Capital markets still demand transparency on ESG performance.
• Global frameworks are converging. CSRD may be easing up for now, but ISSB, and other regimes continue to advance.
• Future-proofing saves money. Building robust systems now avoids costly catch-up later.

CFOs should treat this moment not as an excuse to pause but as an opportunity to lead, ensuring their organizations stay ahead of the curve when the pendulum swings back.

Trend #5: Absorptive Capacity…The Secret Sauce for Thriving Through Transformation

If AI disruption and regulatory shifts have one thing in common, it’s unpredictability. The organizations that win aren’t those that forecast every change, they’re the ones that can absorb it, adapt, and turn it into advantage.

Enter absorptive capacity: an organization’s ability to identify valuable external knowledge, internalize it, and apply it for impact. In the era of Agentic AI, AI that can analyze, decide, and act autonomously, this capability is essential. But it’s equally critical for responding to regulatory swings, market shocks, and competitive disruption.

Organizations that exemplify absorptive capacity share five traits. They:

• Hire for adaptability, not just credentials. Curiosity and cognitive agility matter more than static technical skills.
• Build AI-literate teams. Everyone doesn’t need to code, but they must understand how AI works and how to challenge its outputs.
• Design roles for augmentation, not replacement. Humans handle complexity and creativity; AI handles the repeatable.
• Create learning ecosystems. Continuous learning beats one-off training: embed experimentation and peer knowledge-sharing into workflows.
• Empower expertise over hierarchy. If someone finds a better way to use AI for forecasting or compliance, let them lead, regardless of title.

Conclusion

The next era of finance won’t be defined just by faster closes or cleaner forecasts. It will be defined by intelligent workflows, shared leadership, adaptive architectures, resilient compliance, and teams built for continuous learning. Agentic AI is rewriting the rules of work, and the CIO-CFO partnership is the engine that will drive this transformation. But technology alone isn’t enough. CFOs must champion hyperscaler neutrality to preserve flexibility, build absorptive capacity to turn disruption into advantage, and operate at the higher end of regulatory complexity to stay ahead of the pendulum swing.

CFOs who lead boldly, by asking bigger questions, investing in future-proof systems, and embedding governance and adaptability into every decision, won’t just keep pace with change. They’ll set the pace. Those who hesitate risk being left behind in a world where finance isn’t just a function – it’s a strategic force shaping the enterprise of tomorrow.

Launching in early March: The Future-Ready CFO report. Reserve your complimentary copy today and get instant access as soon as it’s released.