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Odgers Berndtson: What Every CEO Should Look for in a CFO
The relationship between CEO and CFO is pivotal to success
Odgers Berndtson's guide offers advice for CEOs making that all-important hire.
Today, a successful CFO needs to do much more than report on the financial impact of past transactions. CFOs are expected to be leaders who can see where the business is going and who can help the CEO strategize how to get there. There will be times when the CFO needs to push back with a ‘no’, but more often it’s their role is to work constructively with the business towards a ‘yes’.
Along with this shift towards greater strategic responsibility has come the expectation that the CFO will be the primary communicator of an organization’s financial health and strategy. Both internally and externally. In addition, the modern CFO is increasingly expected to be entirely more operationally-minded, as well as tech and data-savvy.
“CEOs' roles have expanded exponentially over the last two decades, so a CEO can no longer do their day job in a day. The CEO needs to delegate some elements of their day job, and the CFO is a great candidate to take on an expanded role.” Mark Freebairn, Odgers Berndtson, London.