What do financial leaders around the world have at the top of their agenda? What changes are they planning for their department and business? How do they regard their role today and see it changing tomorrow? What drives them? What’s their recruitment strategy for the finance function? See our global info graphic for an at-a-glance view of responses from over 2,800 financial leaders worldwide.

1. GLOBAL INSIGHTS
CFO & FINANCIAL LEADERSHIP
BAROMETER
As priorities return to core value creation,
what’s top of mind for CFOs & FINANCIAL LEADERS worldwide?
To SUCCESSFULLY DEAL with a broader remit, financial leaders must combine STRATEGIC
THINKING with excellent SKILLS IN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, communication and change leadership
Today’s CFO unites in-depth financial expertise with additional capabilities in IT,
legal, HR and procurement – DO YOU HAVE THE TALENT YOU NEED?
Cost optimisation 61.1%
Process optimisation 59.6%
Cash & liquidity management 48.2%
Financial risk management 30.8%
ERP implementation 23.3%
Mergers & acquisitions 21.4%
Transfer pricing 12.7%
Implementation of new policies 50.0%
Software implementation(s) 47.0%
Shared service centers 25.5%
Centralisation 23.9%
Outsourcing 13.6%
Decentralisation 7.4%
Insourcing 6.4%
No significant changes 18.8%
The figures on this infographic are based on 2,847 responses from financial leadership position in over 70 countries.
Legal
36.5%
Human Resources
33.7%
Procurement
& Supply chain
23.6%
IT
41.1%
Administration
57.6%
Finance
100%
In the current scope of CFOs
Changes planned over the next 12 months
Top priorities over the next 12 months
As their own role diversifies, 6 out of 10 financial leaders are ACTIVELY
looking TO RECRUIT experts to take on core finance functions
Financial leaders are mostly recruiting for…
Financial planning
& analysis
19.8%
Cash management
8.5%
Financial
management
7.7%
Accounting
23.0%
Controlling
24.9%
As their roles become
broader and more
strategic, FINANCIAL
LEADERS are GENERALLY
HAPPY in their position
HAPPY
75.0%
UNHAPPY
25.0%
2 out of 3 companies
find it difficult to hire the
right financial talent –
ARE YOU RECRUITING THE
TALENT YOUR
BUSINESS NEEDS?
NOTEASY
65.9%
EASY
34.1%
Once regarded as a stepping-stone to CEO,
the CFO role is now A CAREER AMBITION in its own right
Where do CFOs see themselves in two years’ time?
Same
position with
a larger remit
43.1%
Same
position
24.0%
Interim
manager
2.7%
CEO or
Managing
Director
1.7%
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