Robots Can Crunch Numbers. But Can They Think Like a CFO?

A friend messaged recently to say they were “using AI to rewrite all their clients’ finance blogs in the style of McKinsey.”

That’s a choice.

Here’s the thing: you can train an AI to mimic sentence structure, summarise an earnings call, or spit out a neat definition of ‘working capital optimisation’. What it can’t do is think like a CFO.

It doesn’t know what it feels like to sit in front of a board, defending a revised forecast for the third quarter in a row. It’s never had to weigh up the cost of a new ERP system against a slowing market and a nervous investor base. It doesn’t feel the pressure of balancing capital efficiency with growth expectations, or the reputational risk of a data leak buried deep in the finance tech stack.

Being a CFO isn’t just about numbers. It’s about judgement. Trade-offs. Timing. That’s where the human brain still has a decent edge on the machine.

Because in finance it’s not what the data says. It’s what you do with it.

Data Is Everywhere. Intelligence Isn’t.

For years, the promise of analytics has been: “If only we had the data, we’d make smarter decisions.”

Well, we’ve got the data. Piles of it. Dashboards, pipelines, automated reports. But what CFOs really want (and what they’re prioritising) is actionable intelligence (and yes we know some folks think that term is absurd). But what it really means is having access to insights they can use. Trends they can trust.

They’re asking: What does this mean? What should we do next? Not: What’s the average churn in Q3?

Cue: the rise of advanced analytics and AI-enhanced decision-making.

AI Won’t Save You. But It Might Save Your Ops Budget.

AI can’t replace human judgement. But it can help CFOs:

• Automate routine reporting
• Improve forecasting accuracy
• Spot anomalies before they become boardroom crises

Generative AI is also starting to play a bigger role in finance. From summarising investor reports to generating cash flow scenarios in real-time. But only if you’ve already got your data strategy in place. Garbage in, still equals garbage out.

Security Is the Elephant in the Server Room

All that transformation comes with a big, blinking warning light: data security.

CFOs now sit at the heart of data governance, balancing innovation with compliance. And with threats (and fines) on the rise, the stakes are too high to get this wrong. Expect to see more finance leaders working hand-in-hand with CISOs and compliance teams.

Growth Is Still the Goal — But Efficiency Is the Lens

What do the CFOs we’re speaking to want in 2025? Efficient growth.

That means:

• Making smarter bets with strategic capital
• Getting ROI clarity on every tool and acquisition
• Re-evaluating business models that once felt untouchable

Every investment is under the microscope. And yes, cost control is back in fashion, driven by inflation, salary pressures, and relentless market volatility.

ESG: Not a Buzzword. A Boardroom Mandate.

Sustainability is no longer someone else’s problem.

Finance teams are now directly responsible for ESG disclosures, sustainability metrics, and the systems that support them. Greenwashing? That’s a PR nightmare waiting to happen. CFOs know the importance of building ESG into planning, not just reporting.

People First. Tech Close Second.

The finance function is evolving at speed. CFOs are no longer just stewards of the balance sheet, they’re tech navigators, commercial strategists, and culture builders.

And it’s not all plain sailing. A recent report by Korn Ferry found that 72% of senior executives fear for their job security over the next five years, with many quietly grappling with a creeping sense of impostor syndrome as technological change outpaces traditional skill sets.

The reality? Finance leaders need teams that can keep up, push their business forward and alleviate the anxiety of boardrooms.

That means:

• Upskilling existing teams in analytics, automation, and AI
• Attracting digital and data-savvy talent who can partner with the business, not just report on it
• Solving the technology finance skills shortage before it becomes a business-critical gap

The future CFO isn’t just a number-cruncher. They’re a builder of systems, of teams, and of new ways of thinking.

What CFOs Really Want

We speak to a lot of CFOs. The ones ahead tend to have a few things in common, not just in what they say, but in what they do.

They’re not chasing every new technology trend. They’re not getting lost in endless data dashboards. They’re focused on the basics, executed at the highest level:

✔ Using data to answer better questions, not just pull faster reports

✔ Balancing efficiency with ambition, knowing when to tighten and when to invest

✔ Taking the lead on security, ESG, and digital strategy, rather than leaving it to IT or compliance

✔ Building teams who can keep pace with the change, hiring and upskilling for the finance function of the future

If you’re still talking about business transformation like it’s a future project, you may already be behind.

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