The CFO is at the pinnacle of many finance functions. It is a role that places the accountancy and finance profession at the forefront of many stakeholders’ minds when considering how an entity conducts its financial affairs. Yet that traditional role of the guardian of an entity’s finances has been superseded by a new reality: one where the CFO has a broader function across the organization, where performance is measured against the 3Ps of People, Profit and Purpose that are increasingly used to evaluate success.

In this report, IMA and ACCA consider how the role of the CFO is changing and what the accountancy and finance profession needs to do to ensure that it has a robust generation of finance leaders for the future. Members of both IMA and ACCA as well as non-member CFOs and chief executive officers offered insights into what is currently expected of the CFO and the opportunities for the future.