How Hewlett Packard Enterprise CFO Uses Agent AI to Shape Finance and Her Daily Life
good morning. Agent AI is predicted to revolutionize The role of financesCFOs are at the forefront of this conversion.
I recently spoke with Marie Myers, EVP and CFO. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), get her perspective on topics. “I’ve been building bots for many years,” Myers told me. “So when Agent AI came in, I was very excited.”
A veteran financial and technology executive, Myers served as the first CFO at UIPATH robot process automation (RPA) company. She describes Agent AI as “the biggest unlock (enterprise resource planning system) in finance since RPA and ERPS.
Myers is also a former longtime executive. Website Inc., she has held several leadership roles, including CFO and Chief Change Officer. In January 2024, she joined HPE Fortune 500 Company Specializing in enterprise IT solutions. On July 2nd, HPE completed it $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Network. It was reported in April that activist investor Elliott Investment Management paid $1.5 billion Company interests.
Integrated Agent AI and Upskills in HPE
Since joining HPE, Myers has prioritized AI integration over delivering both financial organizations and clients. HPE’s finance team pilots DeLoitte’s Zora AI for Finance. This is an AI-powered agent platform that can be used as an on-premises solution with Private Cloud AI. The initial focus is on operational reports launched this summer, with plans to add further enhancements to the solution covering forecast forecasts and expanded datasets.
The main metric HPE is tracking productivity. Gustav van der Westhuisen, Myers’ Chief of Staff, deployed AI training for thousands of employees. Myers emphasizes that successful implementation requires strong change management, data quality, governance and the right talent. “Data quality and governance are probably the biggest inhibitors to get started,” she noted.
In terms of talent, ideally, the recent alumni you want to hire are those with financial and accounting insights combined with AI knowledge and awareness, Myers said. “What does the company’s new entry-level job look like?” she said. “I think that’s a question we’re still asking.”
Personal impact of AI
After completing graduate school, Myers considered himself a “spreadsheet junkie.” Her work included collecting data and analyzing it late into the night. “Is this something you should do after your education?” she recalled her thoughts. Fast forward to today, Myers uses AI agents for almost everything.
“Every aspect of my day is influenced by AI, from my personal life to my professional life,” she said. The AI agent helps her organize her agenda and think about the issues while commuting. “When I’m driving to work, I tell my AI agent what’s going to happen today.”
At a recent board meeting, Myers used AI to clarify unfamiliar terms rather than raising his hands to ask questions. In meetings, I use AI tools to take notes. Outside of work, she relies on AI for personal tasks such as finding gift ideas and helping children. “In fact, my kids told me, ‘Can you stop using AI at home to answer questions for us?” she said.
Overall, Myers says that AI has made her life more efficient. “I will definitely use it for everything. It changed my life.”
Have a great weekend.
Cheryl Estrada
sheryl.estrada@fortune.com
Leaderboard
The power of the Fortune 500 moves
Greg Ziegler Promoted to CFO of Toll Brothers, Inc. (No. 390) and replaces Marty Connor, who will retire at the end of the company’s fiscal year on October 31st. Ziegler is a 23-year company veteran and currently serves as SVP, Investor Relations and Treasurer. He began his career with Toll Brothers in 2002 as assistant finance director for finance and investment relations, and has since played a variety of roles to raise responsibility.
Every Friday morning, the weekly Fortune 500 Power Moves column tracks the Fortune 500 Company C-Suite Shifts–See the latest edition.
More notable moves this week:
Chad Spooner He was appointed CFO of minimumahead of the separation of standalone, publicly-public companies, healthcare technology companies (NYSE: MDT), announced Tuesday. Starting July 14th, Spooner will be responsible for overseeing the financial functions of Medtronic diabetes and supporting initiatives that prepare them to become fully independent. Most recently, Spooner served as CFO at BIC, a global consumer goods provider. He began his career at General Electric. There, he spent 10 years in managerial positions that increase responsibility for corporate audits and financial planning, in the senior financial role at GE Energy.
KencookCFO has been appointed interim CEO Wendy’s company (NASDAQ: WEN). President and CEO Kirk Tanner will become president and CEO of Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) and will depart on July 18th. Wendy’s board of directors has begun searching for permanent CEOs. Cook, who remains CFO, played a key role in developing Wendy’s long-term growth strategy. Before joining the company, he was in leadership roles at United Parcel Service, Inc. I spent 20 years there.
Matt Person He was appointed EVP and CFO SASdata and AI companies. Parson replaces longtime CFO David Davis, who has retired after nearly 40 years of retirement at SAS. Person spent 12 years in Red Hat. He later served as CFO for CloudBees and Paynawus, leading the latter via IPO. Person recently played dual roles as CFO and COO at Extrahop.
Aparna RameshEVP, CFO, and Federal Agricultural Mortgage Treasurer Co., Ltd. (Farmer Mac; NYSE: AGM and AGM.A) resigned to accept CEO position at the Federal Home Loan Banks Office of Finance. Ramesh joined Farmer Mac as CFO in 2020 and will continue to work in this role until July 31st. The company plans to maintain an executive search company to conduct a nationwide search for the next CFO.
Alex Bali Promoted to EVP and CFO Main Street Bank. Mainstreet Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNSB & MNSBP) is a holding company of Main Street Bank. Vari was most recently Chief Accounting Officer and before that he was Vice President of Accounting and Finance Manager. Recently, he also led the process of developing and implementing the company’s Sarbanes-Oxley internal control framework.
Isamu’s Gregor He was appointed CFO of Wolfspeed, Inc. (NYSE: WOLF), effective September 1st. VanIssum brings over 20 years of experience. He recently held senior positions at semiconductor manufacturers AMS-OSRAM AG and NXP Semiconductor NV, with Van Issum serving as EVP, the group controller for AMS-OSRAM.
A big deal
Workplace ethics are important for a healthy work culture and employee retention. However, the resume is “Ethics Fallout Report” finds that many workers question whether their company is really practicing what they preach.
A survey of 1,000 US employees revealed insight into why employees quit. Almost half (47%) said they considered leaving because their employer’s actions did not match their stated values. Another 36% report being silent about unethical behavior to protect their work.
The report also finds that many workers either “fit” their sides or hide their sides just to maintain their work. More than half (54%) of respondents felt pressure in the workplace to “fit with the mold.”
Go deep
Here is the 4 Fortune weekend reads:
“Apple’s AI efforts are “beating hit in the middle of the night,” and the only way they can stop falling behind is to gain confusion, says analyst Dan Ives.“By Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
“It’s official: The company behind Nutella is buying the manufacturer of Froot loop“Chris Morris
I’ve heard it
“The goal is not to assign grades to AI or have managers exchanged, it is to enrich the understanding of the job.
– David Ferrucci, managing director of AI, nonprofit company at Global Enterprise Center, luck Opinion pieceIt is titled “When AI Assistant Writes Performance Reviews: A Glimpse into the Future of Work.”