VP Finance × Food & Hospitality: How the Conversation Is Moving

BullishGuest is upbeat about his career trajectory and adapting to rapid change ("you have to be able to adapt to be effective"), with no real pessimism about what lies ahead.

FP&A Today (The FP&A Guy) — Copy the Architecture. Not the Bureaucracy. | Eric Lin · Nov 2026

MixedMeasured outlook: he expects the program's growth to slow ("growth of our team is gonna happen... not as fast") and calls future alpha "probably more evolutionary" than revolutionary, with no strong optimism or pessimism.

Capital Allocators — Continuation Vehicles from the LP Seat – Scott Ramsower (EP.523) · Oct 2026

SkepticalGuest's outlook is more concerned than hopeful: deals 'under too much scrutiny' fall apart, and failed projects 'went on for like 2 years' with 'a huge mess,' though he expresses some faith in solid accounting and defensible numbers.

FP&A Today (The FP&A Guy) — Is Your Forecast Just a Target in Disguise? | Alejandro Hellmund · Oct 2026

BullishBroader economy is discussed favorably, e.g. AI "adding about a point to GDP" and "growth begets better outcomes," though with some concern about Europe being left behind.

Masters of Scale — Reid Hoffman and OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar on where AI goes from here · Oct 2026

MixedMacro conditions are only lightly touched; she notes utilities' fear of equity-market reaction and skepticism, but also cites affordability tools and rate savings, so the tone is mixed.

Columbia Energy Exchange — DOE's Julie Kozeracki on the Federal Role in US Nuclear Financing · Oct 2026

SkepticalSpeakers warn of a frothy AI bubble that 'is going to burst' within 12–18 months, with valuations 'through the floor' and subsidies ending, making budgeting 'impossible'.

Growcfo Show — #308 Buying AI for Finance? What You Need to Know Before You Commit Lyndon Stickley & Rob Steele CEO & CFO, iplicit · Nov 2026

BullishGuest describes the security market as growing 10%+ a year and says CEOs 'are yearning for consolidation' and want to work with 20 vendors instead of 200, which he frames as a real opportunity for Sierra.

Cfo Thought Leader — 1224: Building a Cybersecurity Leader for the AI Era | Joe Iantosca, CFO, Cyera · Oct 2026

MixedGuest says the planning market 'is just moving so, so fast' and that pricing models are still being sorted out ('the industry is trying to find its way'), a balanced, wait-and-see view of the sector.

Cfo Thought Leader — 1226: Anaplan’s Growth Equation: AI, Profitability, and Scale | Hemant Kapadia, CFO, Anaplan · Nov 2026

SkepticalThey expect a shakeout among the ~400 new AI finance entrants, with 'flyby night' vendors failing, while legacy on-premise systems are dead and true cloud will persist.

Growcfo Show — #308 Buying AI for Finance? What You Need to Know Before You Commit Lyndon Stickley & Rob Steele CEO & CFO, iplicit · Nov 2026

BullishStrongly positive on AI's productivity and forecasting gains ('it is profound,' 'a really, really exciting time'), tempered by caveats that Anaplan is 'a piece of the solution' and that pricing and org redesign are unresolved.

Cfo Thought Leader — 1226: Anaplan’s Growth Equation: AI, Profitability, and Scale | Hemant Kapadia, CFO, Anaplan · Nov 2026

MixedBalanced view: AI is useful for drafting and variance analysis and the 'decision support' layer has the greatest value, but it "is not going to fix inconsistent metrics," needs strong governance, and he wouldn't delegate analysis to it.

FP&A Today (The FP&A Guy) — Copy the Architecture. Not the Bureaucracy. | Eric Lin · Nov 2026

SkepticalMays is skeptical of hyperscale AI data centers, calling 50 new projects "insane," citing neighborhood harms, heat, and water use, and saying they "don't create a lot of jobs long term."

POLITICO Energy — Arizona AG Mayes on the West’s water crisis, data centers and rising power bills · Oct 2026

BullishPositive about experimentation ("a lot of innovation and testing going on right now") and favors nimble, process-light setups, though he is measured about when to adopt new tooling.

FP&A Today (The FP&A Guy) — Copy the Architecture. Not the Bureaucracy. | Eric Lin · Nov 2026

MixedGuests favor modern true-cloud systems and 'leading edge' tech but reject 'bleeding edge' and advise a pragmatic, step-by-step rather than all-in change approach.

Growcfo Show — #308 Buying AI for Finance? What You Need to Know Before You Commit Lyndon Stickley & Rob Steele CEO & CFO, iplicit · Nov 2026

SkepticalSkeptical of new structures: CVs, described as an invented "4th way" to exit, are heavily criticized, and retail semi-liquid vehicles are questioned as taking away private equity's long-horizon feature.

Capital Allocators — Continuation Vehicles from the LP Seat – Scott Ramsower (EP.523) · Oct 2026