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☆ Late Bed Bath & Beyond CFO Dropped From Suit Alleging Collusion With Ryan Cohen
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

“There’s plenty of grief in his family, and us making it even worse didn’t seem worth it,” Mr. Toll said. Gone are claims from the original 24-page complaint that Mr. Arnal and Mr. Cohen colluded to boost the company’s share price. Bed Bath & Beyond and Mr. Cohen, along with JP Morgan Securities LLC, are still named as defendants in the suit, which seeks class-action status. Mr. Cohen unloaded his entire stake in Bed Bath & Beyond in mid-August. Bed Bath & Beyond shares traded around $4.05 on Wednesday, down more than 70% since the beginning of the year.

☆ Regulator Warns Hong Kong Companies About Auditor Resignations
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong’s accounting regulator is sounding the alarm over a surge in auditor resignations a month before or after a company’s reporting period ends. So-called “late auditor resignations,” which increased to 107 during the nine months ended Aug. 31 from 71 in the same period a year earlier, can jeopardize audit quality, the Accounting and Financial Reporting Council said Thursday. Audit firm resignations, and changes in general, are rare in the U.S., where companies are not required to switch firms after a certain number of years. In March, Enterprise Development announced annual results for the period that ended in December audited by Hong Kong accounting firm BOFA CPA Ltd. “We are concerned that audit quality may be compromised by late auditor resignations because the incoming auditor will have limited time to plan and conduct a proper audit in order to meet the listed entity’s deadline to announce their audited results,” she added.

☆ Companies Seek Guidance on New U.S. Minimum Tax as Launch Date Nears
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Analyzing past securities filings, researchers from the University of North Carolina’s Tax Center found that fewer than 80 publicly traded U.S. companies would have paid any corporate minimum tax in 2021 had the tax been in effect. Businesses, including media company Liberty Media Corp., in recent weeks have pressed for additional information from the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service on the implications of the tax. “It’s casting a very wide net,” David Rievman, a partner at law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, said of the minimum tax. Among the concerns from businesses is that reorganizations could cause a company to become subject to minimum tax, or increase their tax liability. Without the deduction, the company would pay another level of corporate tax on that dividend.

☆ Finance Chiefs Switch Jobs, Retire as Companies Face Uncertainties
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

This compares with 8% in September 2021 and 11% in the same month in 2020, Russell Reynolds said. It is also leading some companies to prepare for a potential downturn by looking for CFOs with experience in cutting costs or restructuring operations, they added. Photo: NordstromNordstrom, meanwhile, last Monday said finance chief Anne Bramman will leave in December after more than five years in the role. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CFO Journal The Morning Ledger provides daily news and insights on corporate finance from the CFO Journal team. That trend is continuing, with the slowing economy forcing finance chiefs into thinking about their next steps, she said.

☆ Nordstrom CFO Anne Bramman to Leave the Company
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | Suzanne Kapner | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Nordstrom Inc.’s finance chief is stepping down as the retailer confronts industrywide pressures including soft consumer spending and high inventory levels. The Seattle-based retailer said Monday evening that Anne Bramman will leave the company effective Dec. 2 after more than five years as CFO. Nordstrom’s senior vice president and chief accounting officer, Michael Maher, will serve as interim finance chief. Nordstrom is looking for ways to reduce its inventory levels, Mr. Nordstrom said during an earnings call in late August. Merchandise inventory levels increased 9.9% from a year ago, to around $2.4 billion, although they were lower than the previous quarter.

☆ FASB Settles on Fair-Value Accounting for Measuring Crypto Assets
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

The Financial Accounting Standards Board on Wednesday said companies should use fair-value accounting for measuring bitcoin and other crypto assets, moving a step closer to a standard that could clear up uncertainty over reporting how much such holdings are worth. Companies and accountants want the FASB to adopt fair-value accounting instead, which would allow them to recognize losses and gains immediately and treat digital assets as financial assets. The FASB on Wednesday said fair-value accounting best captures the economics of crypto assets and determined the method would be a requirement rather than an option for companies. PREVIEWCompanies and investors have asked the FASB for years for rules on how to account for and disclose crypto assets. “Without these standards for the accounting and valuation of crypto assets, companies are reluctant to hold them,” she said.

☆ XPO Logistics Names CFO Ahead of Planned Spinoff of Freight Brokerage Business
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Kristin Broughton | Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

XPO Logistics Inc. named a new finance chief ahead of the planned spinoff of its freight brokerage business later this year, part of an ongoing effort to split the sprawling transportation company into smaller pieces. Carl Anderson will take over as chief financial officer on Nov. 8, Greenwich, Conn.-based XPO Logistics said Monday. XPO Logistics in 2021 spun off its supply-chain business GXO Logistics Inc., which provides services such as warehousing and e-commerce. XPO Logistics reported a total profit of $141 million during the quarter, down 10% from a year earlier. During his tenure as finance chief, Mr. Tulsyan played a key role in the spinoff of the GXO supply-chain business.

☆ Costco Not Ready to Cut Prices as Shipping, Commodities Costs Fall
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-06 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Richard Galanti, Costco Wholesale CFO Photo: Costco Wholesale Corp.“It takes time for changes to come through,” Mr. Galanti said. A company’s freight costs vary depending on whether they are fixed by contract for a period of time or based on spot-market rates that can change more quickly. The length of contracts as well as the company’s ability to renegotiate the terms of its agreements also affect the retailer’s freight costs, he said. These cost pressures will persist, as wages don’t tend to come down once they have gone up, Mr. Galanti said. Price increases have also hit food court items such as individual sodas and whole pizzas because of rising costs, Mr. Galanti said earlier this year.

☆ With Interest Rates Rising, Companies Look to Unload Pension Liabilities
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Rising interest rates are boosting corporate pension plans, providing finance chiefs with an option to lighten their companies’ balance sheets and transfer obligations to insurers. PREVIEWWhen interest rates rise, liabilities for defined-benefit plans—a type of pension plan that promises fixed amounts to participants—shrink. They can also move just a portion of their pension obligations, but that still requires a high funding status. “If interest rates level off or decrease, the funded status could fall pretty quickly,” said Matt McDaniel, a partner at Mercer who advises companies on pension risk transfers. Recent stock market declines have hurt some defined-benefit pension plans invested in publicly traded equities, Mr. McDaniel said.

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☆ GSK Taps Burberry Executive As CFO
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | Mark Maurer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Pharmaceutical firm GSK PLC hired the finance chief of British luxury fashion group Burberry Group PLC to lead its finances as it works to develop new medicines after the recent spinoff of its consumer-health business. Brentford, U.K.-based GSK, a maker of cancer and asthma medications, on Monday named Julie Brown as chief financial officer and executive director, effective next spring. Ms. Brown serves as chief operating and financial officer at Burberry, a role she has held since 2017. “Julie is a highly experienced CFO with a tremendous understanding of the biopharma sector,” Emma Walmsley, chief executive officer at GSK, said in a release. Burberry on Friday said a search is under way for the successor of Ms. Brown.

☆ Waymo Fills Finance Chief Role as Autonomous-Vehicle Company Looks to Expand
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Waymo LLC hired a new finance chief as the autonomous-vehicle company works to boost self-driving capabilities and expand in multiple regions. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet Inc., on Friday said it named Elisa de Martel as chief financial officer. The company’s interim head of finance and its controller have covered the company’s finances while Waymo looked for a permanent CFO, according to a spokeswoman. Two months earlier, Waymo’s biggest competitor— General Motors Co. subsidiary Cruise—began offering driverless rides to the public in San Francisco. Waymo since 2017 also has tested its driverless technology in semitrucks.

☆ Yogurt Maker Chobani Names New CFO as It Still Weighs an IPO
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

The New Berlin, N.Y.-based company, known for its Greek-style yogurt, on Thursday named Tarkan Gürkan as chief financial officer. Mr. Gürkan stepped into the role on an interim basis in June after former CFO Jody Macedonio stepped down the same month. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CFO Journal The Morning Ledger provides daily news and insights on corporate finance from the CFO Journal team. PREVIEWMr. Gürkan previously served as chief investment officer at the family office of Chobani founder and Chief Executive Hamdi Ulukaya. An IPO is still on the table, the spokeswoman said, adding that Mr. Gürkan will help take the company public if market conditions improve.

Vanna Krantz, a former Disney executive, was named chief financial officer, as company also named a new CEO. FASB Moves Forward With New Disclosure Requirements for Joint VenturesJulie Whalen will join the online travel company later this month, after a decade as finance chief of Williams-Sonoma. Shopify Hires Morgan Stanley Investment Banker as Its Next CFO Shopify named investment banker Jeff Hoffmeister as its next chief financial officer, a move that comes after the e-commerce company in July said it would cut its workforce by 10%. Grab Zeroes In on Costs as Super App Looks to Cut Losses Grab’s finance chief is pruning the company’s spending as the ride-hailing and food-delivery app looks to get closer to break-even. SEC Warns Chinese Companies About Risks of Auditor Changes As businesses switch auditors to avoid U.S. delistings, the agency’s acting chief accountant warns of potential investigations and enforcement actions.

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