CFO 2.0 首席财务官2.0

CFO 2.0 TOMORROW'S CFO CFO 2.0: navigatingleadership's toughest role Distributed in REIMAGINING THE ROLE OF A MODERN FINANCE LEADER Supported by The expansion of the modern CFO's role means leaders must get better at navigatingcomplex demands, fostering cross-functional collaboration and communicating In a rapidly evolving landscape, the CFO's role is moving beyond traditional financial oversight. Success now demands a uniqueblend of strategic vision and digital fluency. What key capabilities must tomorrow's leaders master to drive business value? Contributors RELATIONSHIP SKILLS ARE BECOMING ESSENTIAL FOR LEADERSTO TRANSITION FROM FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP THE ROLE OF THE CFO IS BECOMING MORE COMPLEX,OFTEN SEEING THEM BALANCING TRADITIONAL SKILL organisation.The role has reallychanged beyond recognition.”The CFO’s relationship with therest of the executive team is also Fiona BondA freelance journalistcovering all areas offinance and investing What are the most important attributes that you feel a CFO must have in order toeffectively influence the executive team’s decision-making? Percentage of finance leaders identifying their primary challenges in achieving their priorities3734 Fromgrowing ESG com-mitments to digital transformationprogrammes, a CFO’s remit is con-tinuallyexpanding and shiftingfrom a traditional accounting rolethat safeguards the financial health %Managing a wide range of operational % “You have to influence [functions]beyond finance,” says Dadra. “You areoften seen as the right hand to theCEO, but you need to extend that tothe rest of the C-suite to make sure you Ben EdwardsA freelance journalistspecialising in finance,business, law and Finding time to build knowledgeand expertise through exposure toexternal expertise and access to “In the past few years, we are see-ing a lot of market pressure on prof-itable growth and efficiency, whichusually means trying to accomplishmore with less,” says Carol Lee, CFOatLogicMonitor,a software-as-a-service IT-monitoring business. “Ifyou lean towards profitability too Key to this is honing effective com-munication skills that can expertlydistil complex financial information “The role is really about storytell-ing,” says Dadra. “It’s about buildingbusiness narratives that are accuratebut also accessible. You can’t talk infinancial language across the busi- THE NEED FOR AN AGILE LEADER IS MORE CLEAR THANEVER WHILE THE INDUSTRY NAVIGATES CHALLENGES FROM Most important capabilities CFO should have for a successful finance function The CFO balancing act also meansarticulating these stories not just to In addition to these competing pri-orities, the demands on a CFO’s timeare also rising. To better manage theincreased workload, CFOs must be “A lot of the communication usedto be only internal; now you’ve got a Design and illustrationKellie JerrardJames LampardProduction executiveSabrina Severino Special projects editorIan DeeringCommercialcontent editorsLaura Bithell chain, will find it quite difficult tospan across all the different areasthat need their attention.”Therefore, while technical exper-financial knowledge with leadership,strategic insight and knowledge ofthe business and what drives it.”Aside from this increased strategic proficiency, the modern CFO alsoneeds the emotional intelligence tomanage relationships with a diverserange of stakeholders.“You’ve got to be able to build rela-tionshipsand build confidence,”you have to do,” says Dadra.CFOs therefore must extend theirrelationship-managementskills tothose external stakeholders to buildtrust and confidence that the com-pany is presenting accurate infor- Design directorTim WhitlockCreative directorbranded contentTom Watts broader commercial goals.“The modern CFO has to be a finan- than 12 badly. Growth should alwaysbe the overriding priority, so I alwaysrank the initiatives by the value orgrowth they’re going to deliver, andthen select the three or four that aregoing to deliver the most value andcial steward, but they’ve also got tobe a key player in shaping the com-panystrategy and growth,”saysDadra. “The ideal strategic CFO com-binesreally good technical andDadra says. “CFOs need a balance ofskills that enables them to not onlymanagethe day-to-day financialoperations, but also meaningfullycontributeto the success of the 360-degree view of the business thatcanhelp it to drive sustainable This expanded remit also meansthe personal and professional skillsneeded to be an effective modern TO PLAN FOR LONG-TERM SUCCESS, CFOS ARE PLAYINGA KEY PART IN FOSTERING BETTER BUSINESS ALIGNMENT “It’sall about connecting thedots,” says Lee. “Growth is a teamsport; no single function can do allof that. But the CFO, along with theCEO, needs to figure out the bestway to make sure the team is rowing Although this publication is funded through advertising andsponsorship, all editorial is without bias and sponsored featuresare clearly labelled. For an upcoming schedule, partnershipin