Chief Finance Officers Archives - Carpe Diem Global Partners

Ecommerce Strategies Adopted for the Growth of Social Commerce

Market Scan

Carpe Diem Global Partners spoke with 63 executives through October 26, 2025, at scale with revenues of $1B or greater, to seek their views on how digital commerce strategy has changed to accommodate the growth of social media platforms.

Executive Summary

Carpe Diem Partners continues to provide real-time market intelligence through direct engagement with C-suite executives and financial leaders.

We engaged 120 executives from 100+ multinational retailers with revenues exceeding +$1 billion. Conducted between August and December 2025, our research highlights how digital commerce has evolved over the last 12-18 months.

Over the past decade, digital commerce has undergone a profound transformation as consumers increasingly shift their attention toward social platforms and AI-driven discovery. This white paper outlines key trends reshaping marketing strategies and the actions companies must take to stay competitive.

From Advertising to Dialogue-Driven Engagement

Marketing has shifted from one-way social media ads toward creating continuous, personalized conversations with customers. Partnerships with influencers now play a central role in driving trust, engagement, and brand authenticity. Brands must “fish where the fish are,” aligning investment with where consumers spend their time—primarily social platforms rather than traditional search.

The Rise of Social Commerce and First-Party Data

The rise of social media transformed paid search–dominated strategies. Companies now rely on first-party data to drive targeted digital investment and social commerce. This data enables:

Precise demographic targeting
Better content-channel alignment
Personalized customer experiences powered by AI
The shift from ecommerce-only to true omnichannel integration ensures consistent messaging across stores, online platforms, and marketplaces.

Global and Cross-Channel Consumer Behavior

Brands must understand where customers engage—country by country and platform by platform. In many markets, TikTok is the first touchpoint, even if the final purchase occurs in-store or on Amazon. Social channels now serve as brand discovery hubs, emphasizing:

Authenticity
Educational content
Value-driven interactions
Video, how-to content, and creator partnerships are now essential tool

Data-Driven Marketing Transformation

Newly acquired customer data has revealed misaligned demographic targeting for many brands. Updated insights now inform:

Correct audience segmentation
Channel prioritization
Social targeting for younger consumers

The store experience must remain strong, but digital engagement—fast shipping, social selling, and marketplace visibility—drives early customer interactions.

Digital as the Core of Modern Strategy

Over the last decade, marketing has shifted to 85% digital, led by influencer marketing, paid search, and dynamic targeting. As store visits drop by about 5% annually, brands must increase digital-driven revenue at the same rate to stay competitive. Social platforms now enable off platform purchasing, making it critical for brands to appear where customers browse (Instagram, TikTok, emerging AI platforms).

AI’s Disruption of Search and Social

AI-driven platforms (ChatGPT, Perplexity) threaten to redirect product searches away from company websites. SEO performance has declined due to AI-powered search results, creating the need for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) – new content structures designed for AI platforms. Social algorithms are now AI-first, requiring brands to adapt content and investment strategies to platform-level AI.

Connected Commerce and the New Consumer Journey

Consumers seamlessly move between social platforms, product detail pages, and physical stores. Lower income segments are especially sensitive to inflation, altering purchasing patterns. TikTok remains a dominant driver of impressions and discovery.

Organizational and Channel Investment Challenges

Case studies such as Tractor Supply show dramatic reallocations toward performance marketing. Many firms remain top-of-funnel heavy or underinvested in social channels such as META or TikTok. Marketing mixes must be refreshed every 12 months due to platform volatility.

Jeff DeFazio
Managing Partner

These market insights from Carpe Diem Global Partners are gathered from the firm’s extensive client work leading Board, CEO, CXO, and CHRO executive search engagements for public and private multinational companies. For deeper, custom insights, contact Jeff DeFazio at Jdefazio@carpediempartners.com or Michael Whitehead at mwhitehead@carpediempartners.com.

Michael Whitehead
Managing Partner

The Litmus Test for Company Values

As an organization, do you live by your values or talk about your values?

We all want to hire and retain employees who are aligned with and adhere to our company’s values. To that end, companies will expend considerable effort (and often considerable expense) in crafting their values. Some of those statements can be quite memorable and inspirational. They can also provide a strong signal to the marketplace about the company’s direction and intent.

However, those words don’t always resonate with staff. Some employees might not even be familiar with the values, or they know them only as words that appear on the back of their ID badge.

This doesn’t suggest that the employees are turning a blind eye towards the values. Nor should we demand that our staff members take time out to memorize the wording of the various values statements. That is because, from an employee standpoint, it is not the specific words in the statements that matter. What they are focused on are the deeds behind them.

Employees want to know that their company:

Offers a good set of products and services that serve a meaningful customer need
Provides timely and effective delivery and customer service
Keeps up with (or helps to set) trends in the marketplace
Consistently treats its customers (and suppliers) with respect and finds ways to contribute to the greater good in the community
Pays a competitive wage, fitting with the employee’s contributions to the company’s success
Treats its employees with respect by promoting open and honest communication and helping people to reach their potential
Enables creativity and innovation
Fosters a sociable and collaborative work environment
Fulfills all its promises and obligations, both explicit and implied

Employees may place different levels of importance on and seek out different manifestations of those characteristics, ultimately creating their own definition of what they want or expect the company to be. Alignment with the mission, vision, and values comes when 1) the employee believes that the organization and its leaders are living up to that definition in their day-to-day actions and communications; and 2) the company, through its various change efforts, seems committed to maintaining that same trajectory into the future.

Another litmus test for staff members is whether the organization places greater emphasis on its people or its systems and processes. The immediate reaction is to say people. But where does the investment go? And which does the organization call out more frequently out in sales or marketing materials, or in its conversations with customers and clients? Employees are well aware of where they “rank” in the pecking order – and that can carry over to their perceptions of other aspects of the work environment.

These market insights from Carpe Diem Global Partners are gathered from the firm’s extensive client work with Board, CEO, CXO, and CHRO leaders in public and private multinational companies. For deeper, custom insights, contact Craig Kamins at ckamins@carpediempartners.com.

Managing Foreign Exchange (FX) Risk: Strategies and Best Practices from Treasury Leaders

Carpe Diem Global Partners recently interviewed 33 corporate and divisional treasury leaders of predominantly multi-national, public consumer products companies with revenues of $5 billion or greater, to seek their views on strategies and best practices to manage and mitigate foreign exchange risk.

This white paper explores the critical elements of managing FX risk, including specific information on sources of risk exposure, operational practices, and the decision-making process, among other elements.

Foreign exchange (FX) risk is a significant concern for companies operating in more than one country, as it can impact financial performance and earnings stability. To mitigate these risks, organizations employ a variety of strategies and practices. Here, we summarize the key insights from corporate treasury leaders to provide a comprehensive overview of managing FX risk.

Understanding Exposure

The first step in managing FX risk is to understand the nature and source of the exposure. This involves identifying where the exposure lies, netting out currencies to find true exposure levels, and determining whether the net exposure is significant enough to warrant hedging. Companies like those in the global banking and capital markets sector can help companies assess the risk profile of the business, understand the time horizon of volatility, and evaluate the exposure to make informed decisions.

Hedging Strategies

Companies use various hedging strategies to manage FX risk. Cash Flow Hedging involves hedging forecasted cash flows to mitigate risks associated with currency fluctuations. This approach is often used in conjunction with Balance Sheet Hedging, where companies hedge their balance sheet exposures using derivatives like forward contracts and options.

Forward Contracts: Many organizations favor forward contracts for balance sheet hedging due to their cost-effectiveness. Forward contracts are commonly used for large transactions.

Options: Options are also used but are considered riskier. They offer flexibility but require a higher premium, making them less common for large-scale hedging.

Cross Currency Swaps: These instruments are used to manage exposure in multiple currencies, providing a more comprehensive risk management solution.

Operational Practices

Effective management of FX risk requires collaboration across departments, including accounting, financial planning & analysis (FP&A), and treasury teams. This ensures that all parties agree on the strategy and understand the company’s risk profile.

Regular Exposure Analysis: Monthly assessments of FX exposure are common, often involving presentations to an FX committee for recommendations on hedging strategies based on current market conditions.

Technology Utilization: Organizations leverage software tools to extract data related to balance sheet exposure and monitor trades effectively. This includes real-time monitoring of trades and costs associated with FX transactions.

Risk Assessment and Decision-Making

Risk assessment is a critical component of managing FX risk. Companies need to assess the exposure and associated risk, check risk tolerance with leadership teams, and agree on limits for financial exposure and cash flow exposure with management.

Leadership Involvement: Senior management, especially CFOs, play a crucial role in defining the overall strategy for hedging based on risk tolerance and business objectives. They work closely with accounting teams to ensure accurate exposure analysis and align hedging strategies with financial goals.

Scenario Analysis: Running different scenarios helps companies evaluate the effectiveness of their hedging programs and adjust as needed. This involves assessing the impact of different market conditions on the company’s financial performance.

Challenges and Considerations

Managing FX risk can be particularly challenging for companies operating in multiple countries with varying access to financial instruments. Each region may require tailored strategies based on local market conditions.

Cost Management: Firms must consider the costs associated with hedging programs, including fees from banking partners. In some cases, companies have successfully negotiated reduced fees after identifying overcharges from banks.

Local Market Conditions: In regions like LATAM, cash pooling systems are used to identify exposure, but these systems can be complicated due to limited access to financial instruments.

Illustrations of Effective Management of FX Risk

Company A: Implemented a hedging program that won a Treasury group award. The program involved balance sheet analysis and proper exposure identification to minimize volatility.

Company B: Used spot trading for smaller transactions and hedged everything above a specific amount to manage exposure effectively.

Company C: Hedged when the exposure was significant, such as when transactions were plus or minus a million dollars. The company netted all currencies to find true exposure and made decisions based on that.

Conclusion

Managing foreign exchange risk involves a comprehensive approach that includes understanding exposure, employing various hedging strategies, utilizing operational practices, assessing risk, and considering local market conditions. Collaboration across departments, leadership involvement, and continuous evaluation of market conditions are essential for effective risk management. By leveraging technology and tailoring strategies to specific business needs, companies can minimize volatility and protect their financial performance.

Michael Whitehead
Managing Partner

Culture and Change Management Practice Leader, Craig Kamins, joins Leadership Advisory Firm

Craig Kamins, JD, MBA, spanning multiple decades in global consulting companies, Korn Ferry, Gallup, and McKinsey, extends the firm’s leadership advisory services, broadening its ability to help executive leaders navigate culture change.

Leveraging Culture to Enable Organizational Change

Mr. Craig Kamins will serve as the head of the firm’s new Culture and Change Management Practice. Carpe Diem sees this as an area of vital importance to clients as they attempt to navigate through another period of dynamic change.

For a few years, organizations framed their people strategy around their response to COVID. Then they had to deal with the recession, return to work and its aftermath, and now the onslaught of artificial intelligence. Organizations with healthy and supportive cultures are in the best position to weather the storm.

Helping Leaders Properly Assess and Map Culture Change – at Scale

Craig Kamins, JD, MBA

Mr. Kamins has over 25 years of experience partnering with clients assessing, aligning, and executing on culture and change management initiatives in a broad range of sectors including technology, consumer, healthcare, and industrial. This includes companies experiencing significant changes in leadership and organizational structures or facing disruptive changes to the business or operating model.

The Impact of Workforce Management and RTW Policies on Retail Cultures: A Mixed Bag

The retail industry is in the midst of a grand experiment: remote work. While some companies are singing its praises, others are still trying to figure out the tune. The question on everyone’s mind: does remote work benefit the bottom line and company culture?

How Risk & Compliance Executives Gain CEO, Board and Organizational Alignment

Within large corporations, especially those whose business models are very technology-centric, there is perhaps no function more critical but also widely misunderstood than risk and compliance. Often seen as little more than a necessary evil at best–and a hindrance to progress at worst–Risk and Compliance leaders’ biggest challenges often come from within their own companies, in the form of executives and even boards who simply don’t understand the importance of the work they do.

In early 2023, Carpe Diem surveyed some 242 Risk and Compliance leaders at 160 companies, and followed up directly with 93 of them to gain insights into the challenges faced in their roles, and how they overcame lack of understanding internally of their function at both the executive and board levels.

While the most common thread to emerge from these professionals is the need to build relationships and educate their peers, leaders also pointed to a number of approaches including the importance of partnering with product teams. A tight alignment with this group will ensure that new technology innovation is being built in a compliant manner cognizant of the regulatory and statutory requirements in the markets where the innovation is being deployed.

Investor Relations: Enhancing CEO Effectiveness through Strategic Communications

In a highly volatile business climate, shareholder activism is a concern across a variety of industries in 2023—with tech being at the top of the list. That’s not surprising: according to a recent report from EY, as tech stocks declined by 27% over the course of 2022, activist investors launched 59 campaigns against a variety of companies in the field, including the recent high-profile campaign against SalesForce.

What Is the Right Balance between Human Involvement and Automation in a Finance Function?

Cash Management, Process Identification and Hiring, Become the Top Priorities Over Automation for Finance and Accounting Leaders in Early Stage Businesses.

Carpe Diem Managing Partner, Fay Wasylyniuk, presented these questions to leaders in companies comprised, almost entirely, of life sciences or biotech businesses. The majority of leaders cited cash management as the most important accounting priority at start-up. Leaders also focused on the importance of ensuring that payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and bank accounts are set up in accordance with laws and accurately reported.
– for management decision-making and stakeholder reporting. Other responses also highlighted that hiring the right people for the team was necessary for establishing proper internal controls and segregation of duties.

How Can Your Company Translate a Finance Narrative Culture and Cadence that Is Inspiring and Engaging to Your Associates?

Carpe Diem Managing Partner, Jeff DeFazio, spoke to a number of Corporate Communication leaders over the last 6 months to better understand how to transform an organization’s culture to a more finance-driven culture while continuing to maintain an inspired and engaged workforce. The Communication Leaders he spoke to represent a wide range of companies from CPG, Technology, Health Care, Pharma, Energy, and Retail. Communication Leader’s views represented a mix of public and private equity-owned companies, predominantly with a scale of over $2 billion in revenue. DeFazio condensed the discussions in the following executive recap.

In summary, most communication leaders discussed shifting culture to a more financial orientation by ensuring associates understood the link between capital markets and greater investment capability in R&D, operational improvements and brand building. Shifting an organization’s culture to more finance-driven requires rewarding more for outcomes, leaders taking more risks, and ensuring associates are deeply connected to a company’s vision and strategy.

How Companies Are Dealing With Tariffs

San Francisco, CA – August 14, 2019

President Trump’s tariffs have cost U.S. businesses $3.4 billion in June alone, according to data compiled by Tariffs Hurt the Heartland in conjunction with The Trade Partnership. That research was released just as the President announced that he would impose a 10 percent tariff on $300 billion in Chinese imports beginning Sept. 1, escalating a tit-for-tat standoff that has already seen imports from China drop by 12 percent during the first half of 2019.Read More

Ecommerce Strategies Adopted for the Growth of Social Commerce

Market Scan

Executive Summary

From Advertising to Dialogue-Driven Engagement

The Rise of Social Commerce and First-Party Data

Global and Cross-Channel Consumer Behavior

Data-Driven Marketing Transformation

Digital as the Core of Modern Strategy

AI’s Disruption of Search and Social

Connected Commerce and the New Consumer Journey

Organizational and Channel Investment Challenges

The Litmus Test for Company Values

Managing Foreign Exchange (FX) Risk: Strategies and Best Practices from Treasury Leaders

Understanding Exposure

Hedging Strategies

Operational Practices

Risk Assessment and Decision-Making

Challenges and Considerations

Illustrations of Effective Management of FX Risk

Conclusion

Culture and Change Management Practice Leader, Craig Kamins, joins Leadership Advisory Firm

Leveraging Culture to Enable Organizational Change

Helping Leaders Properly Assess and Map Culture Change – at Scale

The Impact of Workforce Management and RTW Policies on Retail Cultures: A Mixed Bag

How Risk & Compliance Executives Gain CEO, Board and Organizational Alignment

Investor Relations: Enhancing CEO Effectiveness through Strategic Communications

What Is the Right Balance between Human Involvement and Automation in a Finance Function?

Cash Management, Process Identification and Hiring, Become the Top Priorities Over Automation for Finance and Accounting Leaders in Early Stage Businesses.

How Can Your Company Translate a Finance Narrative Culture and Cadence that Is Inspiring and Engaging to Your Associates?

How Can Your Company Translate a Finance Narrative Culture and Cadence that Is Inspiring and Engaging to Your Associates?

How Companies Are Dealing With Tariffs

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