Spotlight Retail 2026

Move from explaining last month to actively steering next week.

Turn two reactive outcomes into the proactive tools they should be.

Three concrete AI roles already doing the work, built for retail finance

Present:

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13:00 - 15:30

Online

Your finance team isn't the problem. The architecture is. Retail doesn't slow down for month-end close. Margins shift before the dashboard refreshes. Inventory decisions made last week are already affecting cash positions today and finance is still explaining what happened, not steering what's next. The pressure is real. The effort is high. But working harder inside a system that's structurally one step behind the business doesn't close the gap. It just makes the gap more exhausting. Something needs to change. Not the people. The setup.

The problem isn't your team. It's the setup.

Margins shift before the dashboard refreshes. Inventory decisions made last week are already affecting cash positions today. And finance is still explaining what happened instead of looking at what's next.

The effort is high. The impact feels low. That gap isn't a people problem. It's an architecture problem.

Working harder inside a system that's structurally one step behind the business doesn't close the gap. It just makes the gap more exhausting. Something needs to change. Not the people. The setup.

What you'll leave with

This isn't a session where you sit back and watch slides. It's a working session built around three things you can actually use.

‍A clear picture of where your finance function stands today: We'll map the gap between your current setup and what real-time retail finance looks like in practice — so you leave with a concrete view of what needs to change, not just a vague sense that it should.‍
Sharper thinking on the three pressure points that keep coming back: Margin steering. Cash and inventory management. AI as a structural part of the team — not as a concept, but as a daily operational reality.‍
A roadmap you can take into the business: Not a whitepaper. A concrete picture of the next steps and what it looks like to actually close the gap.

What we'll cover

Retail finance has three pressure points that keep coming back. We tackle all three directly.

‍Margin in real time: Most finance teams are still reporting on margin after the fact — explaining last month instead of steering next week. We'll show what changes when you move to continuous close, channel-level visibility, and AI that catches anomalies before they hit the P&L.‍
Cash & inventory as strategic levers: Both are too often managed reactively — treated as outcomes rather than tools. We'll show how scenario-based planning and smarter working capital management shift that thinking and give finance a more active seat at the table.‍
AI as a digital team member: Not AI as a trend. AI as a structural part of the team that's already doing the work. Three concrete roles: the Digital Margin Analyst, the Digital Close Assistant, and the Digital Cash Guardian — each one designed to take a specific job off your plate and handle it faster, continuously, and without the manual overhead.

Alongside the sessions, you'll hear directly from retail finance leaders who've been through it. What broke, what changed, and what they'd do differently. Real stories, no polish.

Built for finance leaders in retail

This event is for CFOs, Finance Directors, Heads of FP&A, and Directors Business Control who are accountable for margin, cash, and forecasting accuracy. And those who are done accepting that finance is always one step behind the business.

If you've ever felt like effort is high and impact feels low, this session was built for you.