AI skills could mean bigger paychecks for finance talent

Good morning. AI skills aren’t just changing how finance professionals work. They’re also influencing what employers are willing to pay. Nearly three-quarters of managers (72%) say they are increasing pay for relevant AI skills, and 42% say they offer higher pay for AI-related expertise than for other technical skills, according to Robert Half’s 2027 Salary Guide. Although these findings span professional fields beyond finance and accounting, they underscore how specialized capabilities can influence compensation within a given role. According to Dawn Fay, operational president of Robert Half, salary expectations are changing as employers compete to attract workers with specialized, in-demand skills. The premium extends beyond AI. Fifty-seven percent of managers say they are offering higher-than-planned salaries to attract new hires, citing specialized skills as the leading reason. Finance and accounting salaries are projected to rise by an average of 1.8% in 2027. However, several roles are expected to outpace the broader salary guide’s projected national average increase of 1.9%. These include financial analyst (+3.8%), staff accountant (+3.7%), FP&A manager (+3.6%), assistant treasurer (+3.3%), procurement specialist (+3.3%) and payroll specialist (+3.2%). These benchmarks reflect projected starting base salaries for new hires, not raises for existing employees. The guide draws on market data, recruiter insights and survey findings from more than 2,000 U.S. hiring managers, business leaders and employed workers. As companies invest in AI, automation, data analytics and modern financial systems, they need talent that can translate those investments into results. Finance and accounting professionals who can apply AI tools effectively while maintaining accuracy and compliance will be especially valuable. The CFO role is expanding to encompass enterprise technology and AI strategy. Building teams capable of supporting those priorities adds another consideration to compensation decisions. But technical proficiency with AI is only part of the equation. James Tucker, who leads corporate finance and strategy globally at Boston Consulting Group, recently told me that entry-level finance hiring is shifting toward judgment rather than task execution. Junior employees increasingly need to evaluate AI-generated work, not simply produce the numbers themselves. The question for CFOs, then, is not just how much to pay for AI skills. It’s how to identify and develop the judgment that makes those skills valuable. LeaderboardNotable moves this week: James Dibbo was appointed CFO of Pinterest (NYSE: PINS), the visual search and shopping platform, effective Oct. 26. He succeeds Julia Brau Donnelly. Dibbo joins Pinterest from Amazon, where he most recently served as vice president and CFO for global entertainment, advertising and corporate development. During his decade at Amazon, he also served as CFO of worldwide consumer and North America consumer. His background includes serving as CFO of P.F. Chang’s and holding senior finance leadership positions at Tesco and BT Group. He began his finance career at PwC in London. David Vaillant was appointed managing director and CFO of the World Bank Group. Vaillant spent two decades at BNP Paribas, most recently as global head of finance, strategy and participations for its asset management business. Previously, he was managing director and head of banking for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at BNP Paribas Corporate and Institutional Banking. Brian LaRose resigned as CFO of Neighborhood Intelligence (Nasdaq: NXH), formerly Bed Bath & Beyond, effective Oct. 5 after roughly six months in the role. LaRose became CFO in April following the company’s acquisition of The Container Store, where he previously served as finance chief. The company did not disclose a reason for his resignation in its SEC filing. Paul Kosturos, a managing director at Alvarez & Marsal, was appointed interim CFO effective Oct. 5. He brings more than 30 years of finance and accounting experience and joins as the company integrates its businesses and cuts costs. Sara Bonstein will step down as CFO of Insmed (Nasdaq: INSM), a biopharmaceutical company, on Oct. 30 after nearly seven years in the role. Bonstein said she plans to pursue a broader leadership role. During her tenure, Insmed raised more than $4.2 billion in capital, according to the company. She will remain CFO through Insmed's third-quarter earnings report and participate in its Oct. 29 earnings call. Insmed has engaged an executive search firm to identify her successor. Jonathan I. Lieber was appointed CFO of Bambusa Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company. Lieber joins from Rallybio, where he had served as CFO since February 2023. Previously, he was CFO of Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation and a managing director at Danforth Advisors. He also held CFO roles at Histogenics, Metamark Genetics, Repligen, Xcellerex, and Altus Pharmaceuticals. Stephen Cumming was appointed senior vice president and CFO of Penguin Solutions (Nasdaq: PENG), an AI infrastructure and memory solutions company, effective Oct. 6. Cumming most recently served as CFO of Edgio. Previously, he was CFO of Cambium Networks, where he led the company through its 2019 IPO, and held CFO roles at Kenandy and Atmel. His appointment comes as Penguin seeks to expand its AI data center business. Aaron Johnson, who had served as interim CFO since July, will return to his role as vice president of finance and accounting. Big DealWaymo’s latest financing puts a familiar CFO decision at the center of the autonomous-driving race: how to fund expansion while preserving financial flexibility. Steve Fieler, CFO of the autonomous-driving technology company, announced on Thursday that Waymo had closed a $5 billion term loan, marking its first debt financing. Waymo is majority-owned by Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, alongside outside investors. Dan Ives, a partner and senior managing director at Yorkville Ives & Co., told me he views the financing as a competitive move. “This is a major strategic move that we applaud and it gets them closer to the autonomous vision playing out,” he said. “It’s an arms race.” The borrowing follows a $16 billion equity investment earlier this year, providing an additional source of capital as Waymo expands its fully autonomous ride-hailing service across the U.S. and internationally. Going deeperHere are four Fortune weekend reads: "Anthropic is launching a ‘presidential engagement’ effort to advise candidates on AI policy ahead of the 2028 election" —Emily Forlini "OpenAI publishes solutions to more than 370 outstanding math challenges. The results divide mathematicians but most agree: Math will never be the same" —Jeremy Kahn "Kevin Warsh’s Fed has a rent problem: Higher rates could fuel a ‘doom loop’ in housing, top economist warns" —Eleanor Pringle "Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says he wishes he were 26 again because the opportunities post-ChatGPT ‘are so much more powerful’" —Emma Burleigh Overheard"The debate around AI often gets framed as speed versus safety. In our experience, you can have both." —Caryn Seidman-Becker, chief executive officer of Clear Secure Inc., writes in a Fortune opinion piece.