CFOs are faced with complex challenges due to increasing economic uncertainty. Traditional planning and forecasting methods are reaching their limits and need to be replaced by agile, scenario-based approaches.

Flexible financial strategies and robust risk management systems are essential to successfully navigate volatile markets. CFOs should prepare their companies to react quickly to unexpected market fluctuations, thereby securing profitability and liquidity while identifying and utilizing growth opportunities.

Digitalization is fundamentally changing the financial sector. Historically evolved processes need to be evaluated and replaced by modern technologies such as end-to-end automation, AI and cloud solutions. Old systems and manual processes are reaching their limits.  To make optimized data-based decisions, old systems must be transformed, processes rethought and costs managed or even reduced.

Regulatory requirements and changing shareholder priorities imply that environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria are becoming increasingly important. CFOs should ensure that their companies meet the growing demands for transparency and sustainability. The integration of sustainability criteria into financial reports and the optimization of business models towards sustainability pose new challenges for the finance function.

The shortage of skilled professionals, particularly in finance and technology, is a growing problem. CFOs are increasingly involved in talent acquisition and retention to ensure their teams have the necessary skills to meet future challenges.