Gartner Finance Symposium/Xpo 2026 London: Day 1 Highlights

We are bringing you news and highlights from the Gartner Finance Symposium/Xpo 2026, taking place this week in London. Below is a collection of key announcements and insights coming out of the conference.

On Day 1 of the conference, we are highlighting sessions on how to super-charge financial forecasting, succeed as a new to role CFO, and avoid the most common data quality pitfalls. Be sure to check this page throughout the day for updates.

Presented by Matthew Mowrey, VP Analyst, Gartner

The biggest barrier to better, more driver-based forecasting is not AI capability itself, but the way finance teams structure and optimize data. In this session, Matthew Mowrey, VP Analyst at Gartner, outlined how finance needs to unlock value and rebuild forecasting around business logic,  starting with driver-based models, mapping how outcomes are created, and translating that logic into data design.

• Forecasting challenges tend to stem from how finance structures data, with many forecasts still built as accounting exercises rather than models of how the business actually works.

• Effective AI-driven forecasting starts by aligning to the business algorithm: demand drives revenue, revenue funds cost, and cost defines value.

• First, define a forecast model and treat it as a living representation of how the business works.

• Second, build a driver map that shows how key variables drive outcomes.

• Third, translate that business logic into data design using data maps to create a foundation for more effective AI-enabled forecasting.
  
  Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with Matthew Mowrey by contacting Rob van der Meulen at rob.vandermeulen@gartner.com.