This Week's Top Five Finance Leadership Stories

Puma Appoints Mark Langer as New CFO to Drive Growth

Puma SE has confirmed that Mark Langer has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer and Member of the Management Board, effective May 1, 2026. 

Mark, 57, succeeds Markus Neubrand, who is stepping down from the role following a phase of financial restructuring for the German sportswear manufacturer.

As new CFO, Mark’s remit includes oversight of finance, tax, legal, investor relations, and internal audit. 

His arrival marks a shift in Puma’s leadership focus, moving from the stabilisation efforts of the previous year toward a more aggressive pursuit of profitable, long-term growth.

“I very much look forward to working with Mark, as he combines deep financial and capital market expertise with proven leadership across renowned consumer brands,” said Arthur Hoeld, CEO of Puma. 

“His track record of delivering results will be key in achieving our goal to return to profitable growth.”

Finance Podcast: StJohn Richardson on CFO Strategy & AI

Finance leadership is evolving rapidly, and the first episode of Finance Podcast captures that transformation through a thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation. In Episode 1, titled “Finance Can Help Businesses Move Faster and Make Better Decisions,” host Matt High speaks with StJohn Richardson, Chief Financial Officer at BizClik, to explore how the modern CFO role is shifting far beyond traditional reporting and number-crunching.

With a career spanning accountancy, commercial leadership, and strategic finance, Richardson offers a grounded perspective on how finance has become a central driver of business performance. From his early background in physics and astrophysics to leading the finance function at one of the world’s fastest-scaling digital media businesses, Richardson explains how analytical thinking, adaptability, and strategic clarity are now essential tools for finance leaders.

A key theme throughout the episode is the changing perception of finance itself. Rather than being viewed solely as a back-office function focused on compliance and reporting, Richardson makes the case for finance as the backbone of business strategy. He argues that today’s CFO must help organisations move faster by enabling informed, confident decision-making while balancing profitability, cash flow, opportunity, and risk without becoming a blocker to growth.

The discussion also explores how technology is fundamentally reshaping finance leadership. Richardson highlights how dashboards, live data, cloud systems, and AI are accelerating access to business intelligence, reducing time spent on producing reports and allowing finance teams to focus more on understanding what the numbers actually mean.

This shift from reporting history to interpreting trends is redefining how finance supports strategic execution. For Richardson, the real value of finance lies not in perfect precision, but in telling the story behind the numbers. He explains how modern finance leaders must identify which metrics genuinely matter, separate signal from noise, and ensure that financial insight directly informs business direction.

In fast-moving sectors such as digital media, where scaling quickly requires constant flexibility, this ability to combine commercial understanding with strategic discipline is critical. Finance, in this context, becomes a business enabler that supports growth rather than simply measuring it.

Palantir Posts 85% Revenue Growth in Q1 Results

Palantir Technologies reported US$1.28bn in US revenue for the first quarter of 2026, a 104% increase from the prior year period.

The data and AI company posted 85% year-on-year revenue growth overall. Shares dropped 3% in after-hours trading following the announcement.

US government revenue climbed 84% year on year to US$687m. The company's total contract value reached US$2.41bn, up 61% from the previous year.

Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies, outlined the financial metrics in a shareholder letter.

"Palantir's Rule of 40 score has soared to 145%," he said. "We have shattered the metric, a feat matched only by other fellow AI infrastructure companies: NVIDIA, Micron and SK hynix."

The rule of 40 score reached 145%, while GAAP income from operations brought US$754m, representing a 46% margin. 

Disney Cuts Stock Awards for Tech Staff by 10%

Disney has reduced stock-based compensation for some technology employees, according to sources seen by Business Insider.

According to these sources, who work as software engineers at the company, the ceiling for their long-term incentive awards has been cut from 35% of their base salary to 25%.

In a recording of the conversation, an unnamed director says there was "no way to sugarcoat" that this was a "reduction in your total compensation."

The compensation reduction follows news of layoffs at Disney, announced around a month after Josh D'Amaro took the helm as Chief Executive Officer.

What Finance Leaders Need to Know about Coupa Inspire 2026

High interest rates and evolving ESG requirements have placed procurement at the centre of business operations as finance leaders gather in Las Vegas this May.

Coupa Inspire 2026 will take place at the ARIA Las Vegas from 11–14 May. 

The event carries the theme "The Network Effect" and examines how AI-native technology connects with a global community supported by Coupa's US$9.5tn dataset.

Attendees will explore methods to shift from transactional purchasing to what the company describes as agentic procurement. The conference programme centres on autonomous action rather than passive management.

The four-day gathering represents a departure from conventional enterprise software conferences. 

Rather than focusing solely on product demonstrations, the agenda addresses the structural inefficiencies that create drag across finance, procurement and supply chain functions.