A recent Deloitte Finance Trends report, drawing on a survey of 1,326 finance leaders at companies with revenues exceeding US$1 billion, paints a clear picture: the CFO position is not just expanding in scope, it is being structurally rebuilt. The real story is about the widening distance between what the role now demands and how most organizations are still approaching leadership, talent, and succession in finance.
The CFO is Now a Central Driver of Enterprise Strategy
More than half of finance leaders surveyed now identify themselves as among the top leaders influencing strategy across their organizations, and those who do carry a notably broader set of responsibilities, averaging 20 percent more accountabilities than their peers. Today’s most effective CFOs are core architects of growth, transformation, and long-term value creation.
What stands out is how consistently technology investment tracks with strategic influence. Finance leaders who have expanded their strategic footprint are deploying cloud-based solutions at a meaningfully higher rate than those in supporting roles, and are far more likely to be realizing measurable value from their AI investments. Strategic influence and technological fluency are no longer separate capabilities; they are mutually reinforcing ones.
Complexity is Growing, With No Single Answer
When asked to rank their top priorities, the survey found little consensus among respondents. Economic uncertainty, regulatory pressure, AI adoption, and cost management all ranked within a few percentage points of each other. There is no dominant priority, only competing ones demanding attention simultaneously.
This environment is accelerating investment in scenario planning and agile governance. Organizations are moving away from monthly planning cycles toward real-time modelling, and redesigning decision-making structures to give finance teams the autonomy to respond faster. The ability to operate with speed and adaptability is quickly becoming a defining trait of effective finance leadership.
The Talent Gap Inside the Finance Function
Perhaps the most pressing challenge the research surfaces is one that rarely features prominently in CFO search conversations: the talent crisis inside the finance function itself. Nearly two-thirds of respondents plan to infuse more technical skills into their teams over the next two fiscal years, yet the pipeline feeding those teams is under serious strain. The number of CPA exam candidates has fallen by 27 percent over the past decade, and three-quarters of current accounting professionals are within 15 years of retirement.
The CFO being hired today is not just accountable for their own performance. They are accountable for rebuilding the team beneath them. Finance is becoming a hybrid of finance, data science, and technology expertise, and the leaders navigating that transition most effectively are those treating it as an organizational design challenge, not simply a recruiting one.
AI is Accelerating Expectations
Nearly every finance department is experimenting with AI, and the majority report having fully deployed AI solutions within their function. Yet only a fraction believe those investments have delivered clear, measurable value. Technology adoption alone is not the differentiator. The leaders generating the most value from AI are those who have paired investment with strong governance, clear business cases, and a workforce genuinely equipped to use the tools. Leadership capability and integration discipline matter far more than the technology itself.
Bottom Line
The CFO role isn’t just evolving, it’s becoming more integrated, more strategic, and more demanding. Organizations that recognize this shift and align their leadership and talent strategies accordingly will be better positioned to navigate complexity and drive sustained growth.
Ryan Harmon
Managing Director
rharmon@mbexec.com
214.532.3005
Ryan Harmon serves as Managing Director at McDermott + Bull and is based in Dallas, Texas. He plays an integral role in the firm’s continued expansion across the region to strengthen McDermott + Bull’s presence and client relationships throughout Texas. Ryan partners with private equity firms, portfolio companies, and corporate clients to deliver executive leadership across the private equity, residential and business services, and energy sectors.