Fiona Chin

Watching the Walmart U.S. Year Beginning Meeting yesterday morning, I found myself reflecting on the momentum — particularly how AI and digital experiences are accelerating the way we connect with customers. From tools that simplify work to platforms that unlock discovery, AI is reducing friction, speeding up decisions and creating more intuitive experiences in our stores and online. When technology works well, it creates space for better outcomes for both customers and associates. At the same time, Judy Werthauser's reminder resonated. Acceleration only works when culture keeps pace. Associate experience is still built one conversation at a time — on the sales floor, in the back room, after a tough day. And as she shared, those moments don’t stay at work. They show up at the dinner table — in what associates say about their day, their leaders and their future. As leaders, we influence more than performance metrics. We shape trust. Innovation may move us faster, but trust determines whether people choose to grow with us. That’s the balance: ensuring we remain people-led as we become increasingly tech-powered.

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You may find it odd that a CFO is sharing this piece, but I think this is a great article from Chip Wilson, distributed in the Wall Street Journal this week on how Lululemon lost its soul. The issue with Lululemon is not that they had (or didn't have) smart financial people. This is a crucial part of any successful business. The classic error occurred when the main conversation was on how to maximize profit(s) in the short term, rather than how to create amazing products for amazing guests with amazing people first and then financial management being used to support this dream first mentality. When you lose sight of the north star of amazing products, with amazing people, for amazing guests, you begin to take short cuts that lead to long term decline. This does not mean unfettered growth with no financial metrics in place, but a relentless focus on the important things first in conversations (innovation, culture, product and customer experience) followed then by conversations on how to make this profitable and sustainable over time (not necessarily in one or two quarters). These two functions can work beautifully together but finance must be second and support the creation of true business value, not just short term, unsustainable profit(s). I have found that the companies that succeed over many years and decades are ones that adopt a founder led/visionary mentality first, innovate constantly and then are supported by absolute excellence in business operations and finance. The reverse can work for a time and is celebrated by Wall Street in the short term but it does not create long term business value. When I think about the CFO I strive to be, it’s not just about bringing absolute excellence in financial and operational management.  It’s about aiding the dreams of visionaries and founders to create amazing products and services for amazing guests and to develop/support amazing team members. It will be interesting to see how Lululemon reacts to this article.

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Kroger has taken a step by consolidating Media, Loyalty, and Insights under RMN, positioning Kroger Precision Marketing #KPM as a comprehensive growth engine for brands. This new structure emphasizes the integration of data science and technology at its core. For more details, visit the full story at [https://lnkd.in/eFmFfd_q). #Kroger #Marketing #DataScience #Technology Path to Purchase Institute Progressive Grocer

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When I think about where retail is headed - and where Walmart is going - it’s clear we’re at a major inflection point. Technology has always shaped how we serve customers, run our business and support our people. But what’s happening now with AI - especially agentic AI - is something different. It’s not just another tool. It’s a fundamental shift in how Walmart operates. Over the past year, we’ve been rapidly building and deploying AI agents at scale. Now, we’re moving from a collection of tools to a unified agentic framework - built to empower everyone across Walmart: 🛒 Sparky: Our customer-facing agent, already live and learning - helping people plan, shop, and discover with ease. 👥 Associate Agent: A single, intuitive interface for schedules, insights, and support - designed to save time and reduce friction. 🤝 Partner Agent (Marty): Helping sellers, advertisers, and suppliers manage their work with Walmart more easily than ever. 💻 Developer Agent: Accelerating how we build, test, and deploy across the enterprise. We’ve reached a defining moment - where years of foundational work have come together to power a transformation of how Walmart runs, serves and grows. Learn more: https://walmrt.us/44UEh2W

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