Webinar: The CFO of the future

“You don’t need to be the expert in all things digital, but you do need to have an awareness of what could potentially be automated, the quality of data and the systems that that you're going to be relying upon, and what the appropriate solution for your business might be now, in two years’ time, and in the long term."

“Change is the new normal. Understanding the breadth of change and the cost of change - or the cost of not making a change - needs to be high up on finance leaders' agenda, but you also need to think about the impact of change on your people. As a finance leader, how are you bringing people with you on that journey?” 

“ESG is coming into the remit of a lot of finance leaders who we work with. As a CFO, you need understand what your business strategy is, and the ways in which ESG is likely to impact it. Will it create risks? For example, if a customer asked what your net zero policy is, would you be able to answer? There are a lot of areas within the ESG remit that need to be high up on a CFO's agenda."

“There are lots of different skills within finance teams now - you might have more data scientists, more coders and so on – which means that the team management skills CFOs need are shifting. You’re going to be a partner and a leader for many, and you will need to be able to adapt. Know your strengths and weaknesses, and have the right team around you to support you on the areas you’re not as confident influencing.” 

“Finance is often seen as the function that manage and report on the KPIs - but it's a responsibility of the finance leader to be go beyond that to really amplify what those KPIs are around the business, make sure that they're understood, and that people understand their contribution to them.”