Trust is the enabler as the CFO role steps into performance orchestration

At Global CCH Tagetik inTouch 2026, finance leaders focused on faster decisions, tighter governance, and trusted AI.

The finance function is not short on data or expectations. What has changed is the complexity of the environment, the evolution of AI, and the need to orchestrate data (and relationships) across the enterprise.  

These themes shaped discussions at Global CCH Tagetik inTouch 2026, May 19-21 in Lucca, Italy, where more than 750 corporate finance leaders joined partners, product experts, and peers to examine the evolving Office of the CFO.  

Across sessions, finance was defined by coordination and control as technology becomes embedded in day-to-day work. The role now requires acting more like a performance orchestrator, linking financial results to operational activity, and translating both into clear, accountable decisions.

What leaders are prioritizing right now

Across sessions and discussions, several themes defined how leaders are approaching the next phase of transformation, supported by polling conducted during the event: 

• AI is becoming part of core operations: AI is now being applied within planning, reporting, and capital allocation, shaping how teams approach decision-making and execution. 
• Trust is the constraint: As more processes are handled within systems, governance, auditability, and explainability are becoming critical to maintaining control. 47% of respondents cited trusted data as a prerequisite for adopting autonomous agents. 
• Transformation progress is uneven across organizations: Many teams have modernized systems and digitized workflows, but progress remains inconsistent. 58% of polling respondents reported systems that remain manual or siloed, limiting the ability to respond quickly as conditions change. 
• Connected data is critical: Fragmentation remains a challenge. Discussions emphasized linking financial, operational, and performance data to maintain accuracy and context. 
• Human judgment remains central to outcomes: Responsibility for decisions continues to sit with finance. Polling showed teams most often lead or hold primary responsibility for accounting and financial close (72%) and cash flow and liquidity oversight (61%). 

From fragmentation to greater accountability

This gap is creating friction. Teams are expected to operate across planning, close and reporting in a connected way, yet many still rely on partially aligned environments. The result is slower visibility and less consistency in execution. 

As expectations increase, leaders are taking greater ownership for linking financial outcomes to operational drivers and ensuring decisions are based on a complete, current view of performance. 

In response, priorities are moving toward environments where data flows continuously across processes, supported by stronger control, traceability, and governance. 

Applying new capabilities in everyday work

The tone across inTouch remained grounded in practical application, with a clear focus on how new capabilities are used in real environments. 

Sessions highlighted how offerings such as Expert AI, an embedded capability that analyzes data to support forecasting, reporting, and how decisions are made. Planning Sentinel, which detects changes, risks, and outliers across planning environments, is also being embedded directly into planning, reporting, and performance management workflows. 

Rather than operating as stand-alone tools, these capabilities are designed to support teams within the processes they already own, where accuracy, compliance, and accountability are required at every step. 

The focus was on applying these technologies in a way that strengthens control and consistency. As systems take on a greater role in analysis and execution, environments where outputs can be trusted, assumptions are visible, and decisions remain grounded in governed data are prioritized. 

Looking ahead for finance leadership

inTouch 2026 reflects a transition point for the finance function. Organizations have made progress in modernizing systems and processes, but expectations continue to increase. Decisions must be made faster, supported by connected information and clear governance. 

The challenge is to manage complexity without losing control. That requires discipline in how systems are used and consistency in how outcomes are measured. As organizations introduce trusted, governed, autonomous agents into workflows, that balance becomes more critical. 

Maintaining accountability, applying judgment carefully, and keeping a clear line between information, decision-making, and execution will define what comes next. As finance teams move toward more autonomous execution, trust in data, assumptions, and outputs will ultimately determine how confidently organizations act.