FP&A moving into the C-suite
Finance analytics is being reframed as a strategic function — practitioners argue FP&A should join early brainstorming sessions and generate options, not just deliver polished board packs shared; others say CFOs must drive pricing, cash visibility and capital allocation, not just report history emphasized. That shift is already visible in corporate moves like Fortune Brands’ recent governance update and interim CFO appointment, which the company announced as signalling value for FP&A-linked leadership skills.
On March 16, 2026 Fortune Brands [announced] (sec.gov) a governance package that launched a CEO search, said Amit Banati will not assume the CEO role in May, named David Barry as Interim CEO and confirmed Jonathan Baksht’s departure while appointing Ashley George as Interim CFO. Ashley George is identified in the filing as the company’s SVP of Finance and Business Unit CFO [named] (sec.gov) and was previously promoted to CFO & SVP, Global Finance for Fortune Brands’ Plumbing Group in earlier company communications [noted] (prnewswire.com). The filing describes David Barry as a decade‑plus Fortune Brands executive who “was CFO until 2025” and will provide continuity as Interim CEO during the search process [stated] (sec.gov). The Board simultaneously [appointed] (sec.gov) Ed Garden of Garden Investments under a cooperation agreement and said it will include a proposal in the upcoming proxy to eliminate the company’s classified board structure [reported] (markets.financialcontent.com). Fortune Brands’ recent public disclosures show pressure on the business — fourth‑quarter sales of about $1.1 billion (down ~5% year‑over‑year) and an earlier $1 billion share‑repurchase authorization — context cited in analyst coverage of the leadership changes [reported] (investing.com). The pivot in finance leadership is notable because Jonathan Baksht had been appointed CFO effective May 5, 2025 and is now departing within a year, a rapid CFO turnover the company documented in its 2025 and March 16, 2026 filings [documented] (fbin.com).
