Lack of working relationships between finance and fellow board members risks poor decision making
Research from leading business and financial adviser Grant Thornton UK has revealed that many Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) believe that financial factors are often not fully factored into key decision-making processes, with Finance often only consulted after decisions have been made.
Just 26% of CFOs say that financial and tax factors are ‘fully embedded’ in decision-making across the business, with a further 23% saying finance is either mostly consulted reactively (15%) or is rarely involved (8%) in decisions.
The poll of 800 C-suite members (being CFOs, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief People Officer (CPOs)), conducted by research house Censuswide for Grant Thornton in July 2025, also uncovered a lack cross-functional collaboration at the leadership level.
36% of CPOs say they liaise with their CFO only ‘on occasion’, and mostly during planning cycles or major initiatives. A quarter (24%) of CPOs admitted to engaging rarely with their CFO on strategy at all – with discussions limited to issues around financial oversight.
And despite technology’s growing role as a driver of business growth, 38% of CIOs say they liaise with their CFOs ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ on strategy, and 25% of CIOs are either ‘not very confident’ or ‘not confident at all’ that their CFO understands and supports the long-term technology and digital strategy of their business.
When asked what change their CFO could make to enable people and digital strategies to deliver greater value, CIOs’ and CPOs’ top request was not for Finance to deliver more insight; in both cases, it was for CFOs to develop improved understanding of people and technology’s strategic impact.
Without this regular engagement, CFOs risk being sidelined from the very conversations where their insight could unlock value, shape transformation, and strengthen enterprise-wide alignment.
Less than half (44%) of CFOs surveyed believe they are currently perceived as a ‘strategic partner’ by their CEO. 32% of CEOs say they perceive their CFO this way, and only 23% of CPOs and 35% of CIOs agree.
When asked what’s holding them back from evolving their finance function into more of a strategic enabler of growth, ‘time consumed by operational and compliance demands’ was CFOs’ most selected response, followed by legacy systems and fragmented data infrastructure.
These functional silos may be hindering decision-making, the research suggests, with a ‘lack of clarity over strategic direction’ most selected by CEOs as the tension slowing decision-making in their business. 27% of CEOs admitting they struggle to manage C-suite tensions productively.
Simon Davidson, partner and Head of Finance Consulting, Grant Thornton, commented:
“In an environment of digital disruption, regulatory pressure, and geopolitical uncertainty, leadership teams need to address the human dynamics that influence speed, clarity, cohesion and foresight. Yet, it seems many organisations are held back by competing priorities and packed agendas that lack a shared sense of direction. I’m not surprised to see that over one-quarter of CEOs admit they are struggling to manage C-suite tensions productively –but I am taken aback by how weak some of the relationships are between CFOs and their C-Suite colleagues.
"It seems most effective CFOs won’t just manage the numbers – they'll bridge divides, surface constructive challenge and create the space and insights needed to build strategic capacity across the business.
“This isn’t just a problem for CFOs, it’s a risk for businesses – when finance isn’t integrated into decision-making, choices risk being made without the rigor, foresight, and informed trade-offs needed to drive value”.
Press Release
CFOs still on the sidelines of strategic decision-making, new research from Grant Thornton reveals
10 Sep 2025
Lack of working relationships between finance and fellow board members risks poor decision making
Research from leading business and financial adviser Grant Thornton UK has revealed that many Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) believe that financial factors are often not fully factored into key decision-making processes, with Finance often only consulted after decisions have been made.
Just 26% of CFOs say that financial and tax factors are ‘fully embedded’ in decision-making across the business, with a further 23% saying finance is either mostly consulted reactively (15%) or is rarely involved (8%) in decisions.
The poll of 800 C-suite members (being CFOs, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief People Officer (CPOs)), conducted by research house Censuswide for Grant Thornton in July 2025, also uncovered a lack cross-functional collaboration at the leadership level.
36% of CPOs say they liaise with their CFO only ‘on occasion’, and mostly during planning cycles or major initiatives. A quarter (24%) of CPOs admitted to engaging rarely with their CFO on strategy at all – with discussions limited to issues around financial oversight.
And despite technology’s growing role as a driver of business growth, 38% of CIOs say they liaise with their CFOs ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ on strategy, and 25% of CIOs are either ‘not very confident’ or ‘not confident at all’ that their CFO understands and supports the long-term technology and digital strategy of their business.
When asked what change their CFO could make to enable people and digital strategies to deliver greater value, CIOs’ and CPOs’ top request was not for Finance to deliver more insight; in both cases, it was for CFOs to develop improved understanding of people and technology’s strategic impact.
Without this regular engagement, CFOs risk being sidelined from the very conversations where their insight could unlock value, shape transformation, and strengthen enterprise-wide alignment.
Less than half (44%) of CFOs surveyed believe they are currently perceived as a ‘strategic partner’ by their CEO. 32% of CEOs say they perceive their CFO this way, and only 23% of CPOs and 35% of CIOs agree.
When asked what’s holding them back from evolving their finance function into more of a strategic enabler of growth, ‘time consumed by operational and compliance demands’ was CFOs’ most selected response, followed by legacy systems and fragmented data infrastructure.
These functional silos may be hindering decision-making, the research suggests, with a ‘lack of clarity over strategic direction’ most selected by CEOs as the tension slowing decision-making in their business. 27% of CEOs admitting they struggle to manage C-suite tensions productively.
Simon Davidson, partner and Head of Finance Consulting, Grant Thornton, commented:
“In an environment of digital disruption, regulatory pressure, and geopolitical uncertainty, leadership teams need to address the human dynamics that influence speed, clarity, cohesion and foresight. Yet, it seems many organisations are held back by competing priorities and packed agendas that lack a shared sense of direction. I’m not surprised to see that over one-quarter of CEOs admit they are struggling to manage C-suite tensions productively –but I am taken aback by how weak some of the relationships are between CFOs and their C-Suite colleagues.
"It seems most effective CFOs won’t just manage the numbers – they'll bridge divides, surface constructive challenge and create the space and insights needed to build strategic capacity across the business.
“This isn’t just a problem for CFOs, it’s a risk for businesses – when finance isn’t integrated into decision-making, choices risk being made without the rigor, foresight, and informed trade-offs needed to drive value”.