Gartner Finance Symposium/Xpo 2026 National Harbor: Day 3 Highlights

We are bringing you news and highlights from the Gartner Finance Symposium/Xpo 2026, taking place this week in National Harbor, MD. Below is a collection of key announcements and insights coming out of the conference.

On day three of the conference we are highlighting sessions on How to Get Started with Agentic AI in Finance, CFO-led SG&A Cost Optimization Strategies and Simple Practices to Elevate and streamline Board Presentations. Be sure to check this page throughout the day for updates.

• Gartner Says CFOs Gain a Competitive Advantages from Strategic AI Deployment, Not AI Spending Levels 
• Gartner Says CFOs Must Stop Mistaking Finance AI Deployment for Value Creation
• Gartner Says CFOs Risk Falling Behind Without a Scalable AI Strategy

Presented by Alex Levine, Director Analyst, Gartner

Adopting agentic AI in finance is an opportunity to drive efficiency, improve decision quality and unlock new business value. In this session, Alex Levine, Director Analyst at Gartner, explained how finance leaders can strategically introduce AI-powered agents to their organizations to ensure responsible, scalable adoption of agentic AI to build a foundation for sustainable innovation and agility.  

• Target high-value use cases: Begin with finance processes where agentic AI can deliver clear, measurable benefits, such as automating reconciliations or enhancing forecasting accuracy.

• Establish governance and controls: Implement strong frameworks for oversight, including policies for data privacy, risk and compliance, to ensure AI agents operate safely and ethically.

• Upskill finance talent: Invest in developing critical thinking, data literacy and change management skills, so finance teams can effectively leverage and oversee AI solutions.

• Drive cross-functional collaboration: Engage IT, risk and business stakeholders early to align priorities, manage risks and accelerate successful implementation.

• Measure, learn and scale: Track outcomes against KPIs, refine approaches based on pilot results and continuously improve AI strategies to maximize impact and address challenges.

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with Alex Levine by contacting Rob van der Meulen at rob.vandermeulen@gartner.com.

Presented by Vaughan Archer, Senior Director Analyst, Gartner

To achieve meaningful SG&A cost optimization, CFOs must mobilize the entire C-suite around a unified vision for cost management. In this session, Vaughan Archer, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, explained how cross-functional collaboration and data-driven decision-making help organizations overcome costly personnel and technology cost drivers to unlock sustainable value and efficiency. 

• To break down silos for cost optimization,success depends on cross-functional alignment, with CFOs leading efforts to dismantle territorial cost behaviors and foster shared accountability for SG&A performance.
• CFOs should link technology spend to strategy. Technology is the fastest-growing SG&A cost, and to manage effectively, CFOs must ensure data structures enable license costs visibility, and that technology project cost escalation risks are defined.
• Rather than increasing headcount, organizations should reallocate talent for maximum impact by scaling roles that require judgment and critical thinking, and optimizing the deployment of the most costly staff to drive efficiency and impact.
• CFOs should address people costs as a Top priority. While technology costs are rising, people remain the largest SG&A expense, making workforce planning and productivity improvements critical levers.
• By creating a culture of cost discipline, sustainable cost management is supported by incentive programs, transparent metrics, and ongoing communication that reinforce a cost-conscious mindset across the organization.

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with Vaughan Archer by contacting Rob van der Meulen at rob.vandermeulen@gartner.com.

Presented by Emily Connelly, Senior Director Analyst, Gartner

In this session, Emily Connelly, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, outlined practical steps to simplify and elevate board materials, focusing on clarity, strategic relevance and actionability. By adopting these practices, leaders can streamline preparation, enhance engagement and maximize the impact of every board interaction.

• CFOs’ well-intentioned thoroughness and rational fear of overstepping role boundaries get in the way of providing boards with intuitive-to-consume presentations.
• Resequence board materials preparation to start with the narrative rather than the data.
• Ease the burden placed on the board to make sense of strategic implications by coordinating a clear, shared throughline across C-suite materials. 
• Make information actionable for the board by stating why it’s being shared, providing expert perspective on what it means for the organization, and naming the best next step. 

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with Emily Connelly by contacting Rob van der Meulen at rob.vandermeulen@gartner.com.