CFOs shift strategies as economic uncertainty dims growth outlook

S·CFO DailyCFOs shift strategies as economic uncertainty dims growth outlookBY Sheryl EstradaBY Sheryl EstradaSenior Writer and author of CFO DailySheryl EstradaSenior Writer and author of CFO DailySheryl Estrada is a senior writer at Fortune, where she covers the corporate finance industry, Wall Street, and corporate leadership

SEE FULL BIO Good morning

Economic confidence among finance chiefs has taken a sharp hit

The CFO confidence score came in at 5. 4, indicating medium confidence, compared to the Q1 reading was 6. 4—high confidence

The survey, conducted from June 4 to June 18, found growth expectations declined across every key operational metric

In fact, CFOs lowered jections for revenue, earnings, and capital investments

Uncertainty at the core I asked Steve Gallucci, the global and U

Leader of Deloitte’s CFO gram, whether tariff uncertainty was the main cause of decline in optimism

He emphasized that broader global uncertainty is the real driver. “Anytime there’s uncertainty—whether it’s policy, geo, the economy, or capital —CFOs become less bullish,” he explained

While tariffs are one contributing factor, Gallucci noted that the survey doesn’t single them out, and that the overall mood is shaped by a constellation of unpredictable forces

He pointed to last year’s U

Presidential election as an example: “There was a lot of uncertainty around the outcome, and CFO optimism dipped

Once the election was settled, optimism spiked

With growth expectations and revenue jections falling, how are CFOs responding

Gallucci described the current environment as a recalibration, not a retreat

Rather than pulling back, finance leaders are doubling down on fundamentals: —Sharpening focus on growth drivers: CFOs are revisiting where growth can realistically come from, both organically and elsewhere. —Managing controllable risks: Finance chiefs are prioritizing what they can influence—cost discipline, talent strategy, and nology-enabled initiatives. —Staying active in M&A: Despite risk aversion, there’s interest in mergers and acquisitions, with some signs of increased IPO activity in the first half of the year

Nology and cybersecurity remain top priorities Gallucci highlighted the growing importance of nology investments—from disruptive innovations to generative AI

However, he noted CFOs are still moving cautiously on AI adoption

As companies expand their platforms, cybersecurity remains a leading external concern (51%). “Cyber will always stay at the top of the CFO risk list,” Gallucci said, especially as es rely more on third-party viders and digital infrastructure

Gallucci explained that these risks are deeply interconnected

Disrupted supply chains and potential policy changes are driving scenario planning around cost management

Meanwhile, the talent challenge has shifted from hybrid work logistics to capability gaps: “Do I have the right skill set within my finance organization to support the future—one that will rely more on nology, automation, and AI. ” he explained

CFOs are focused on up-skilling, recruiting for new capabilities, and tapping into broader talent pools to ensure their teams are prepared for what’s next

Deloitte’s Q2 CFO survey reveals a finance leadership community grappling with uncertainty; they’re actively working toward solutions to weather the storm of unknowns and position for future growth

ComLeaderboardGregor van Issum was appointed CFO of Wolfspeed, Inc. (NYSE: WOLF), effective Sept

Van Issum succeeds Kevin Speirits, who is serving as interim CFO

Van Issum brings more than 20 years of experience

He’s held senior roles at semiconductor manufacturers ams-OSRAM AG and NXP Semiconductors N

Most recently, van Issum served as EVP, group controller at ams-OSRAM

Narinder Sahai was appointed EVP and CFO of Sinclair, effective immediately

Sahai brings more than two decades of strategic financial leadership across publicly traded and private-equity-backed companies

Before joining Sinclair, Sahai served as CFO at Arcis

He was also the CFO of RumbleOn, Inc

At Amazon’s AWS, Sahai served as head of worldwide Go-to-Market Finance for Compute and AI/Machine Learning services

The re finds that adopting AI isn’t enough. “What you need now is a Frontier Firm mindset—one that questions how time is spent, how work gets done, and what truly drives impact,” according to the report

Microsoft offers advice on where to start

For example, become an agent boss. “There’s a new generation of fessionals rising through the chaos—not by working more, but by working smarter—we call them agent bosses,” according to Microsoft

Going deeper“Social Security sends incorrect saying ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ ends taxes on benefits—here’s what is actually changing” is a new Fortune report by Alicia Adamczyk

From the report: “The Social Security Administration sent a misleading to benefit recipients and other Americans last week the Republican budget bill that was recently signed into law by President Donald Trump

Advocates are now trying to correct the record to ensure beneficiaries know how the legislation could affect their tax bill. ” Overheard“We believe this is a tipping point in the Tesla story and ultimately, the Tesla board needs to act now and set the ground rules for Musk going forward around his political ambitions and actions. ”—Wedbush Securities analysts wrote in a report released on Tuesday morning

After leaving the Trump Administration and DOGE, Tesla CEO Elon Musk now said he plans to launch a U

Political party called the “America Party. ” On July 4, Musk said a third party could exert pressure on both the Republicans and Democrats by influencing the outcome in a dozen hotly contested races, Fortune reported

This is the web version of CFO Daily, a on the trends and individuals shaping corporate finance.