Welcome to yet another edition, chief!

In today’s edition — Sometimes the smartest move a CFO can make is to skip a meeting on purpose or let a problem roll away to another cabin. That’s because stellar results don’t come when you focus on every issue. Nestle CFO Anna Manz says finance chiefs can improve their performance when they carefully choose what deserves their attention and what doesn’t.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving Attention

Vishwas Ved

CFOs these days are handling more variables than ever. In fact, it’s become part of their job description to have foolproof plans even for things no one saw coming — markets turning overnight, shifting costs, or an unexpected change in ground rules. 

The best of them have realised that the world won’t slow down to make their lives easier. The only thing they can control is how well focused they are.

That’s what Nestlé CFO Anna Manz said in a recent interview. 

She spoke less about accounting or how to chalk up the perfect budget, and more about mindset. About how finance leaders can remain focused and in control even when things beyond their control go awry.

What Manz said applies to almost every CFO, no matter the company size or sector. And the first advice is:

Don’t Do Everything

Manz is of the view that because CFOs are essentially numbers people, they find it easier to drown themselves in data and financial decisions — big and small. 

But they should avoid doing that and stop trying to do everything. The smartest finance leaders focus on fewer things — the areas that deserve more time and attention, and the ones that need fixing.

That kind of sharpness and focus, Manz says, changes the way an organisation thinks. It’s a style worth emulating, but before that it needs to be understood clearly that not everything deserves equal attention.

Act in Time 

Traditional finance waits for the P&L to tell the story. Modern CFOs find a fix before the problem becomes public.

Instead of reacting to missed margins, they track the early signs such as distribution flow, customer trial results, or repeat purchase numbers. They are indicators of future health. Spotting them in time lets you fix the problem before it is known to everyone.

It’s a small shift in approach where you don’t focus on how to manage outcomes. Instead, you make and execute plans to shape them.

Use Tech for Insights

There is justifiable fear that AI and automation are going to take away jobs. But it’s not going to replace finance. In fact, it is going to empower it. 

With AI tools, you could ask straightforward questions like, “What’s behind this quarter’s slowdown?” and get an insightful answer. 

Manz says that finance is heading towards conversational and decision-ready data. But she adds a good point: “Don’t wait for perfect systems. Start with 80% clean data, and use it to make better calls now. The rest will follow.”

Make Cost Cuts Attractive

Every CFO has to undertake that efficiency drive, which is a nicer term for cost-cutting. But the best ones explain why the company had to make tough calls.

Manz says cost savings shouldn’t feel like punishment; they should feel like progress. 

When teams know that the saved money will be invested in new products, digital infrastructure, or reskilling people, they support the change. 

Listening vs Insisting

When you occupy a powerful position in a company, it’s easy to forget a simple fact: numbers don’t move people, it’s people who move numbers. 

Manz says when people resist a change put forward by the company, CFOs should listen to them first instead of insisting on the plan or pushing through it.

She also says that when someone challenges a cost-cutting idea, it doesn’t always mean they are just selfishly worried about themselves. There may be some real concerns there.

“If it’s hard, it’s because it’s hard. In those moments, it’s really important that the CFO be a person who can rise above it with a big smile and say, ‘It’s all right, let’s come together, and let’s work through it.’” Manz says..

$1.1 Billion

That’s the amount Michael Burry, the hedge fund investor who inspired the movie, The Big Short, is betting against AI companies. AI valuation concerns took hold in the US after it was revealed that Burry has bet $1.1bn on a fall in prices for AI-related stocks such as Nvidia and Palantir. Burry was played by actor Christian Bale in the 2015 film about traders who made millions from predicting the collapse of the US housing bubble in 2008.

—Alto tops Maruti Suzuki charts as highest-selling car. Alto has been Maruti Suzuki India’s highest-selling car in India to date, with over 4.7 million units sold, followed by WagonR at more than 3.4 million units and Swift at over 3.2 million units, the company said. Brezza and Fronx also rank among the top 10 most-sold vehicles in its portfolio. The company said it has crossed cumulative domestic sales of 30 million (3 crore) passenger vehicles, achieving the milestone within 42 years of starting operations. 

—Mutual fund equity buying hits six-month low in October. Equity market deployment by mutual funds (MFs) hit a six-month low in October, indicating a slowdown in fresh inflows into equity MF schemes amid the market recovery. MFs deployed a net ₹17,778 crore last month (as of October 30), compared to ₹46,442 crore in September 2025. The buying was even higher at ₹70,534 crore in August. Experts said the decline could be attributed to profit booking and rising valuation concerns.

—Maharashtra first state to partner with Starlink. The Maharashtra government announced this week a partnership with billionaire Elon Musk's satellite communications venture in India to deploy a host of satellite-based internet services, becoming the first Indian state to formally tie up with the US firm. This marks Maharashtra as the first state to collaborate with Starlink to deploy satellite-based internet services for government institutions, rural communities, and critical public infrastructure, said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

—OpenAI launches Sora for Android devices. OpenAI launched this week its Sora app of AI-generated videos for Android devices. The artificial intelligence company first launched Sora for Apple devices in September. Now, users only in the US, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam can access it on the Google Play Store app. Sora reportedly hit 1 million downloads less than five days after its debut, and it topped Apple’s App Store for nearly three weeks.

ICYMI | Breaking 31 Bad Customs

Missed last week's update? Old customs rules were a mess — 31 notifications all the way from the 1950s laying down regulations in 31 confusing ways. Now, the customs department has decided to do some Diwali cleaning by bringing together details of all duties and exemptions in one place. Also, we tell you that Pablo Escobar’s Medellín has done the unthinkable: it has found a place on National Geographic’s ‘Best of the World 2026’.

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