Beyond the balance sheet: Why the CFO agenda now sets the pace for the business
Geopolitical friction, macro pressure, and AI are rewriting the rules of value creation. The CFO role is now the control tower for strategy under stress. Economist Impact's new report, "Beyond the balance sheet: The new CFO mandate," sponsored by SAP, captures this shift through input from 480 CFOs worldwide-and the message is clear: finance leaders are moving from accuracy and reporting to resilience, digital innovation, and durable growth.
The job got bigger. The clock got faster. The margin for error got thinner. Here's how top CFOs are adjusting in practice.
The expanding CFO mandate
The remit extends well beyond finance. Nearly 90% of CFOs say they're more involved in digital transformation and risk than three years ago, and two-thirds now influence sustainability and ESG. That means decisions about customers, products, suppliers, and talent now run through finance.
The expectation: anticipate disruption, contain risk, enable agility, and still deliver profit. That requires a working knowledge of operations, systems, and controls-plus the authority to realign them.
Read Economist Impact's research for the full context behind these shifts.
A sharper risk radar in an uncertain world
More than 80% of CFOs report deeper involvement in risk and compliance; a third say "significantly" so. The biggest headache isn't higher costs-it's unpredictability. With inflation, trade rules, and rates in flux, just 37% feel confident about liquidity targets, compared with nearly 90% for revenue goals.
What's working now:
- AI-enabled scenario planning to pressure-test assumptions across demand, supply, and funding.
- Real-time operational signals converted into forward-looking risk indicators.
- Flexible levers: modular systems, adaptable production, and vendor terms that shorten commitment cycles.
The goal: absorb shocks, respond in the moment, and keep strategy moving.
CFOs at the center of AI adoption
Digital transformation is now a core CFO responsibility-and AI sits at the top of the stack. High-potential use cases include compliance and controls: parsing complex rules, tracking changes, and automating updates to internal policies and workflows.
The talent constraint
More than 60% of CFOs cite upskilling and hiring digitally fluent talent as the biggest blocker. Fragmented systems and limited access to trusted, real-time data compound the problem.
- Invest in data quality before scaling models; bad inputs kill credibility.
- Upskill finance teams in analytics, automation, and prompt craft to shorten time-to-value.
- Standardize data definitions and governance so AI outputs are explainable and auditable.
Need structured upskilling for finance teams? Explore practical options by role at Complete AI Training.
The ROI paradox
Boards want quick returns, but the biggest gains-forecast quality, innovation runway, and new revenue-take time. Leading CFOs resolve this by sequencing impact:
- Start with high-certainty wins (close, reconciliations, contract review, cash application).
- Set clear benchmarks (cycle times, forecast error, working-capital turns) and report them.
- Reinvest early savings into predictive planning, pricing, and product analytics.
Designing the workforce for an AI future
Nearly seven in ten CFOs view AI as augmentation, not replacement. That calls for redesigned roles and a different early-career experience.
- Rewire entry roles around analytics, workflow design, and business partnering.
- Build blended teams: domain experts + data engineers + model governance.
- Codify human-in-the-loop checkpoints where judgment matters (materiality, policy, ethics).
The finance model is changing
Finance is moving from historical reporting to predictive support, real-time signals, and enterprise capability building. The winners balance speed with discipline-automating the routine while investing in data, skills, and new operating rhythms.
The new CFO playbook
- Automate to create capacity: close, reconciliations, AR/AP, policy checks, and audit trails.
- Tighten data foundations: unified models, shared definitions, and governed access.
- Institutionalize scenario planning: link P&L, cash, and supply signals to strategic triggers.
- Align with operators: shared KPIs, weekly signal reviews, and decision rights clarified.
- Engineer flexibility: modular systems, variable contracts, multi-sourcing, and optionality in funding.
- Rebuild career paths: analyst-to-architect tracks, AI fluency standards, and leadership rotations.
Where SAP fits
As expectations rise, CFOs need unified data, connected processes, and embedded intelligence. SAP's financial management solutions help finance leaders standardize, automate, and instrument the business for real-time decisions-so teams can focus on resilience, growth, and long-term value.
Bottom line
The modern CFO is no longer just the guardian of value-they architect future value. The edge goes to leaders who pair disciplined cost and risk control with bold bets on data, skills, and AI-built on systems that can bend without breaking.
Your membership also unlocks:
