US tariffs and the test of business foresight

As US tariff tensions rattle global markets, UK businesses are turning to CFOs for strategic guidance. Matt Rodgers at OneStream argues that this requires them to harness the power of unified data and AI to deliver real-time insights

 

April saw the introduction of a new US tariff on imported goods, creating new waves of disruption across the global trade economy. This has injected fresh uncertainty for global businesses with exposure to the US market or reliant on international supply chains.

 

Trade tariffs add another layer of complexity for UK businesses already dealing with economic stagnation, rising costs and evolving policy changes. While the UK and US have agreed a deal that will reduce tariffs on cars, aluminium and steel, many organisations are still left vulnerable.

 

In this environment, the ability to act quickly makes all the difference. And, as a result, the role of the finance function has never been more important. Business leaders are expecting their finance teams to step beyond the balance sheet, embracing their role as strategic navigators of uncertainty.

 

 

The role of finance in times of uncertainty

Tariffs could affect everything from profit margins to the cost of goods sold. Managing international supply chains and navigating shifting political landscapes requires agility and foresight. Businesses can’t afford to wait for the dust to settle; they must be able to proactively pivot their strategies in response to changing economic and political conditions.

 

Business leaders are being forced to make high-stakes decisions at speed. For example, manufacturers may be asking whether the financial impact of tariffs will be significant enough to justify investing in a US-based production facility, or whether they should pivot away from certain markets entirely and focus on regions with more stable trade conditions. This requires a real-time approach to financial decision-making. 

OneStream’s Finance 2035 research found that three-quarters of UK CFOs believe the expectations placed on them have multiplied over the last three to five years. In many organisations, the CFO is quickly becoming the strategic advisor to the business due to their exposure to wider business challenges beyond finance. They are expected to carry out traditional financial duties while also being key drivers of compliance, innovation and growth.

 

With a bird’s eye view of operations, finance teams are ideally placed to model various scenarios, assess risks and guide organisational strategy in real time. But to do this, they need access to unified data and purpose-built AI tools.

 

 

Harnessing data and AI for future-ready finance

Finance teams are now expected to serve as the trusted curators of organisational data. They’re entrusted with making sure financial and operational information is collected transparently, consistently and with a clear audit trail. But as data volumes grow exponentially, many teams are still constrained by outdated systems and fragmented processes, making it difficult to extract meaningful insights or respond swiftly to change.

 

To overcome this, organisations must bring their financial and operational data together in a single platform – creating a single source of truth. Once this foundation is in place, AI tools can be layered on top to help leaders make faster, more informed, more confident decisions.

 

Applied AI, purpose-built for finance, integrates seamlessly into existing processes to drive predictability, agility and productivity. These technologies deliver instant insights that empower finance teams to:

• Accelerate forecasting with real-time data.
• Detect risks and anomalies before they escalate.
• Run ‘what-if’ scenarios to instantly assess the impact of trade policy, interest rates or macroeconomic shifts.

With the right tools in place, CFOs can quickly simulate how a proposed shift in the business environment will impact cost structures, effectively run alternative scenarios, and update forecasts. And they can do this all without relying on external data scientists or spending days on manual analysis.

 

 

Embracing financial agility

The pressure on UK businesses is unlikely to ease in the short term. With the economic landscape shifting day by day, companies must be prepared to respond with speed and precision. In this environment, finance teams are no longer just stewards of the numbers; they are becoming strategic enablers of resilience and growth.

 

In a world where uncertainty is the only constant, the businesses that will thrive are those that embed agility into their financial DNA. Unified, real-time data is the foundation of this agility – enabling faster forecasting, sharper scenario planning and more confident strategic moves.

 

Financial agility goes beyond reactive cost-cutting or crisis management; it means having the tools and insight to anticipate change, assess real-time risk and seize emerging opportunities. This isn’t just about surviving disruption. It’s about using it as a catalyst for smarter, more adaptive growth.

 

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Matt Rodgers is Executive Vice President for EMEA at OneStream

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and Tippapatt