That kind of technology shift is familiar territory for Pickrum. Trained as an engineer, he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford before completing his MBA at Wharton. Early in his career, a mentor pushed him to look beyond the math—connecting financial models to real business results. He even ran a media company before becoming CFO.

Those experiences shaped his philosophy. “Financial models are tools for structured conversations, not ends in themselves,” Pickrum told me. “Only collaboration makes them truly useful. Modern CFOs must bring a strategic lens, especially as technology drives rapid change.”

Pickrum said she was drawn to The Knot by its mission to help couples bring one of the most important moments of their lives to life—with the opportunity to do it at scale. He points to the company’s 30-year history, strong brand, and new leadership under CEO Raina Moskowitz as signs that it is well-positioned for its next chapter.

The company’s recent transformation reflects a tech-driven strategy that uses AI to enhance the wedding planning experience. Early examples include Make It Yours, which analyzes couples’ saved inspiration to recommend vendors, and The Knot’s new ChatGPT app, which delivers personalized vendor suggestions through a conversational interface.

According to The Knot’s 2026 Trends in View Reportin a survey of 228 engaged couples, 36% reported actively using AI for planning, and three in 10 used image-based AI tools for inspiration or planning. While these initiatives precede his arrival, Pickrum sees his role as ensuring that investments are aligned with priorities, rigorously evaluating, and being disciplined about how they generate returns—especially as AI continues to transform the category.

Pickrum was previously CFO of Maximum Effort, the marketing company founded by Ryan Reynolds. What he gained from that role was a deep appreciation for storytelling—an understanding of how storytelling and positioning can create value for content, properties, and businesses. In working with startups and with founders, he emphasizes listening as a core skill: financial leaders often come with a strong point of view, but they don’t have the full picture. For him, listening closely to founders and partners, and being allowed to communicate his vision, is essential to being truly helpful.

He also has a 17-year tenure at Viacom’s BET, where he served as CFO and COO. Pickrum describes using a consistent leadership framework. Finance, he says, must be technically strong, operationally sound, highly collaborative, and able to deliver insights that help teams make better decisions.

“Collaboration is a subtle but critical skill for CFOs that is often underestimated,” he said.

Comparing The Knot Worldwide to traditional media, Pickrum says the success of the two-sided market depends on serving both sides equally well. The goal is to provide “relevant, reasonable, unique value” to couples and wedding professionals — so everyone wins, he said.

cheryl Estrada
[email protected]

LeaderBoard-

Kenta Kon, CFO and COO of Toyota Motor Corporation(a Fortune Global 500 company) has been promoted to CEO, effective April 1. Kon, CFO since July 2025, will replace Koji Sato, who has served as chief executive for the past three years. Sato will hold the roles of vice chairman and chief industrial officer, a newly created position.

Liz Coddington appointed CFO of Palmettoa consumer energy platform, effective March 30. Coddington will join Palmetto at the end of his four-year tenure as CFO of Peloton Interactive, Inc., where he currently leads the company’s global finance organization during a period of transformation. Coddington brings more than 20 years of experience. Prior to Peloton, he served as VP of finance at Amazon Web Services and held senior finance roles at Walmart.com, Adara, and Netflix.

Great Deal

Demand for data center transactions remains strong through 2026, with increased capital chasing a shrinking pool of assets, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Last year, 113 data center deals were completed, totaling more than $69 billion, surpassing the previous year’s record by approximately $8 billion. Notable mega deals, including the $40 billion acquisition of Aligned Data Centers LLC, contributed significantly to this total.

deepened

“Meta’s multi-million-dollar Super Bowl ads may not just be about smart glasses — but about selling Wall Street Zuckerberg’s AI future” a luck article by Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez.

Heard

“A job well done.”

—Sam Darnold, quarterback of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, said to his teammates during an interview after his team’s Super Bowl LX victory on Sunday. “It’s been a special journey with these guys—a lot of hard work has gone into it,” Darnold said.