Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Best Buy appoints Anne Bramman as CFO

Best Buy has appointed Anne Bramman, a former Nordstrom finance chief and retail industry veteran, as its next chief financial officer, effective Aug. 19, 2026. She succeeds Matt Bilunas, who left Best Buy on July 31; CEO Corie Barry is serving as interim CFO until Bramman starts. Bramman previously served as CFO of Circana (June 2023–Aug. 2024) and Nordstrom (June 2017–Dec. 2022), and has worked as a senior adviser and executive coach at Boston Consulting Group. Her compensation package at Best Buy includes a $950,000 annual base salary, a $500,000 sign-on cash award and a $1.25 million sign-on equity award, according to an SEC filing. Analysts at Telsey Advisory Group reacted positively, and Best Buy’s incoming CEO Jason Bonfig is expected to focus on small- and medium-format stores and growth through secondary businesses such as advertising.

Whose Idea Was This Anyway? — Marketing Priorities

This opinion piece by François Bazini examines how annual off-site planning processes lead to marketing teams executing priorities set by other functions inside companies. After leadership defines growth targets, individual functions (marketing, revenue management, sales, sustainability, etc.) propose their initiatives, often resulting in marketing accommodating cross-functional demands — including company-wide AI programs. The author draws on his background in consulting and marketing roles at Danone, PepsiCo and Suntory to reflect on how competing agendas shape what marketing ultimately delivers. The article highlights the common organizational dynamics that push marketers to implement others’ priorities rather than owning a single cohesive marketing agenda.

London Tops BCG Intelligent Cities Index 2026

The Boston Consulting Group's newly published Intelligent Cities Index 2026 ranks London as the world's leading 'intelligent city' with a score of 85/100, ahead of Dubai, New York City, Washington and Amsterdam. The study evaluates 61 metropolitan areas in 39 countries across five dimensions — outcomes for residents and businesses, strategic orientation, use and adoption of digital technologies, work and organizational practices, and structural prerequisites such as infrastructure and innovation ecosystems. BCG highlights artificial intelligence as a key enabler when embedded into public services and everyday use, and identifies two city development strategies: 'Balanced Builders' and 'Focused Specialists'. The report also finds that usage and trust in AI reinforce each other, and that technology must be paired with talent, funding and public–private collaboration to deliver sustained benefits.