BUSINESS GUIDE

The CFO Agenda

25 Business-Building Ideas
for 2025

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Read Time: 18 minutes

The CFO Agenda

25 Business-Building Ideas
for 2025

As CFOs look to 2025, their plan of action might be While CFOs will plan for many scenarios, a key part
best described as taking measured risks for growth of their strategy will be focusing on what they can
while building stability—all with a hefty emphasis on control. One of the main focus areas within their control
technology initiatives. in the year ahead will be progressing the company’s
technology investments. In IBM’s 2024 CFO Survey,
Executives understandably have concerns about leading CFOs said CTOs are their most important
continuing economic and geopolitical uncertainty, relationship, with 72% identifying them as highly
including impacts from the outcomes of the US and important or critical. And 65% of CEOs said their
other global elections. organization’s success is directly tied to the
When asked to select the three external risks that worry quality of collaboration between finance and
them the most, US CFOs put geopolitics near the top technology functions.3
at 52%, trailing only inflation (57%), and the economy With that in mind, we’ve compiled 25 ideas drawn
(54%), according to Deloitte’s Q3 2024 CFO Signals from interviews with finance leaders on areas they
survey.1 Their European counterparts exhibited more are focusing on for growth and resilience in their
intense geopolitical fears with 98% of respondents organizations. Technology is a clear thread throughout.
expecting their business to be impacted by geopolitics, In this agenda for 2025, we’ll cover enhancing data
with protectionism in global trade, the expansion of visibility to bolster a company’s financial health, staying
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, climate change concerns, ahead of new regulations, driving AI initiatives forward,
and increased ransomware and cyber-attacks ranking finding new ways to spur growth, and building the future
high on their list of concerns. 2 finance and accounting function.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Chapter 2
Overview Use Data Drive AI Initiatives
Visibility to Push Forward
Financial Goals

Page 2 Page 4 Page 6

Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

Give Finance Staff Explore Growth Bolster
Normal Hours and Opportunities Cybersecurity Amid
Fewer Fire Drills Increasing Stakes

Page 8 Page 9 Page 13

Chapter 6 Chapter 7
Stay Ahead of Reshape Your The Bottom Line
Regulations and Finance Team’s
Policy Changes Future

Page 14 Page 17 Page 19

CHAPTER 1

Use Data Visibility to

Push Financial Goals

1. Zero in on business performance management 3. Stay vigilant on cost management

In PwC’s June 2024 Pulse Survey, CFOs show they’re and reduction
focusing on business fundamentals with 58% of Inflation may have cooled (we hope), but the recent
respondents saying they’re dedicating more time to years’ sudden spike and speedy drop in prices and
business performance management compared to a year shifts in customer demand have left companies with
ago.4 CFOs have always loved their key performance added cost and complexity. The Producer Price Index
indicators (KPIs), but now the leaders want to track a rose just 1.8% for the 12 months ended in September
wider range of KPIs, in finance and also in operations 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, down
areas. And they want to share those metrics more easily from as high as 11.7% in March 2022. These swings,
with operational leaders, to make metrics the foundation and concerns about inflation’s potential return, keep
of performance conversations with sales, production, cost management and reduction in high focus for
human resources, and similar groups. Look for software finance leaders.
that centralizes data from across the business and
“The surface looks calm,” says Paul Melville, national
includes built-in capabilities for automatically tracking
managing principal of CFO advisory for Grant Thornton
KPIs, so the finance team can easily view and share
Advisors LLC. “But underneath, finance leaders are
up-to-date metrics via dashboards and status reports.
paddling like crazy to control all their costs, mitigating
2. Get a better pulse of consumer demand against liquidity challenges and materials costs while
Another way CFOs can flex their cost management making parallel investments in AI and cybersecurity,
muscles is around effective demand forecasting. Raw all of which will pay off.”5
Sugar CFO Jonathan Weiss says understanding demand
One top priority for cost reduction is supply chain,
has taken on increased importance in his role with the
manufacturing, and procurement. In a survey by BCG,
health and beauty brand.
nearly two-thirds of 600 global executives said they’re
“As a CFO, one of my top financial priorities in 2025 is prioritizing supply chain and manufacturing costs
around the consumer. The customer is changing in so over other historically popular cost-cutting targets
many ways,” says Weiss. “One thing I’m looking at every such as labor overhead and marketing and sales.6 For
Monday is what was last week’s results vs. the prior four example, one major US-based apparel maker this year
weeks average results vs. the average 13-week results— announced a plan to derive $100 million in savings
at the category level, channel partner level, and then all from its operations, with the bulk of it coming from
the way down to the SKU level.” efficiencies within the company’s supply chain. To lower
manufacturing and supply chain costs, companies
Consumer buyer patterns are constantly changing, and can optimize procurement, logistics networks, and
there may be fixed costs that sales volumes no longer distribution and warehousing, and invest in digital lean
justify. Companies have to be sure their product mix is manufacturing and advanced planning processes.
resonating with consumers and dropping or selling off
product lines that don’t meet performance standards.

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4. Ramp up strong FP&A practices, including 5. Prioritize productivity gains from efficiency
predictive forecasting and standardization
As automation helps alleviate CFOs and their teams In Deloitte’s Q3 2024 CFO Signals survey, 48% of CFOs
from numerous finance and accounting tasks, many ranked efficiency and productivity as their top internal
are putting a greater emphasis on financial planning risk—surpassing strategy execution, generative AI
and analysis. 58% of CFOs said they’re dedicating adoption, and even hiring and retention. In fact, it only
more time to FP&A compared to a year ago, according fell behind technology transformation, which came
to PwC’s June 2024 Pulse Survey.4 in as the top-ranked concern at 49%.1 With efficiency,
productivity, and technology top of mind, it’s no surprise
AI technologies that allow for better predictive that several CFOs we spoke with noted their focus on
forecasting and complex scenario modeling can help standardizing processes in their technology systems and
teams improve predictions around areas such as eliminating the time-consuming, ad hoc tasks outside of
revenue growth, cost fluctuations, and customer established workflows as top priorities in 2025.
demand to help drive more informed strategic
decisions across the organization. “We should be using the system as our highway, and we
should be spending 85% of our time on that highway,”
Especially given their concerns about near-term says Weiss, from Raw Sugar. “And when we’re spending
volatility and uncertainty, it’s integral that CFOs have time on exceptions, we should be asking the question,
a robust planning process, forecast future cash flows ‘Why is this an exception? How do we get it back on
with continuous updates, and prepare for a wide range the highway?’”
of potential scenarios.

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CHAPTER 2

Drive AI Initiatives Forward

6. Challenge your team to find a problem AI Remember, AI investments don’t have a finish line in
may help solve sight. We’ve only scratched the surface in terms of
Most financial leaders at this point understand the AI capabilities and applications so it’s important to
potential of AI and generative AI. However, where to approach investments with an eye for quality, company
apply AI in their finance organization may be less clear fit, and longevity.
cut. At the 2024 Finance and Accounting Technology
7. Look for AI already built into
Expo (FATE), presenters were consistent in their advice:
existing applications
start small, learn from mistakes quickly, and be specific
As teams identify tasks on which they would like to
about use cases. Think of good use cases that fit
apply AI, they should look at whether AI capabilities
your organization’s specific circumstances and then
are available within their existing software tools. The
relate that back to the broad strategic goals of
majority of companies don’t have the resources to
the organization.
develop or train AI models on their own. Instead, using
Stumped on where to apply AI? Consider asking your AI-powered features embedded within their platform
employees. Many times, they’ll have a process they can provide an easy, low-cost point of entry.
hate that they want to automate or think could be more
Packer Fastener, a distributor of fasteners and industrial
efficient. Potential areas could include bill capture or
supplies, started by experimenting with AI capabilities
account reconciliations.
available in its NetSuite applications. The team first
Jess Wijesekera, SVP of accounting at value-based care used AI features embedded in its NetSuite Analytics
platform Vytalize Health, recalls how one team member Warehouse data warehousing tool to highlight patterns
took the initiative to propose a more efficient and and outliers and run predictive models designed for
effective way of handling bank payments. specific use cases. Now, it’s experimenting with
other applications.
“My accounts payable manager came to me and said,
‘It’s a huge, error-prone headache of going into our bank “The deeper stuff we’re doing is on the machine
account and making all these payments. NetSuite can learning prediction models,” says Bill Feck, CTO at
do payments right out of the bank,’” she says. “Now, we Packer Fastener. “Once we started tapping into that, we
make our payments right out of NetSuite and reconcile had several ideas on where to go. We really just needed
our bank daily. I was so impressed with her that I to get started, and once we got started, the possibilities
promoted her to accounts payable director.” became endless.”

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 Where CFOs are benefiting from AI now

60%

40%

57%

43%
20%
33% 33% 32% 31%
25%

0%
Lower sales Reduction in Faster budget Faster cycle Decrease in sales Lower cost Lower cost
forecast errors uncollectable cycle time time for outstanding per journal entry per invoice
balances monthly close paid

Source: 6 Power Moves CFOs Must Make, IBM Institute for Business Value

8. Upskill with an augmented workforce in mind As the finance field is in constant flux, make sure
A workforce supported by AI capabilities promises to employees have the opportunity to stay current by
create more value than people or machines can deliver taking courses on AI fundamentals and AI applications
alone, but CFOs and their finance teams need training in finance, attending industry conferences, or
to make that a reality. Finance professionals don’t need participating in online communities to remain
to know how to code or become a data scientist to have at the forefront of industry developments.
an AI coworker. Instead, they should focus on building
9. Consider an AI company policy
strong data literacy skills, including data visualization,
Some executives have held back on AI until they are
statistical analysis, and data modeling. While AI can
prepared to provide clear direction on how it should
help identify patterns and trends within the data,
(and should not) be used. This approach is one way
finance employees need the analytical mindset and
to help maximize the returns on AI while managing
critical thinking skills to interpret and understand the
its risks.
implications of the data.
While there are many approaches to a corporate AI
“I see analytical skills as becoming must-haves for
policy, it would generally offer guidelines that govern
people in finance and accounting,” says Brian Hogeland,
the development, deployment, and use of AI within
CFO of Packer Fastener. “Many in the financial function
the company. With a policy in place, employees can
have just been used to entering transactions, writing
know that they’re within organizational standards, and
checks, and other manual tasks. Now, it’s really about
executives can feel comfortable that their AI strategy
embracing an analytical mindset, intellectual curiosity,
is infused into their overall business agenda and
and approaching AI developments with curiosity instead
understood by the workforce.
of fear.”

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CHAPTER 3

Give Finance Staff Normal

Hours and Fewer Fire Drills

10. Make your finance org a sought-after 11. Improve finance team hours
place to work Having finance teams working until 1 a.m. every quarter
In EY’s 2024 Tax and Finance Operations Survey, about just to close the books or working weekends scrambling
70% of respondents said fewer accountants entering to find the numbers to update a forecast for a board
the profession will cause a “moderate” or “significant” meeting isn’t great for morale.
disadvantage in how well their functions perform in the
53% of CFOs say retaining and attracting talent is either
next five years. 63% say the retirement of senior tax
an “extensive” or “significant” struggle, according to the
and accounting executives will cause a “moderate”
EY survey. Further, 89% say talent-related barriers are
or “significant” disadvantage to the function.7
preventing their finance functions from delivering on
In response to the shortage, both professional their purpose and vision.7 While compensation plays
organizations and the businesses themselves are a big role in talent attraction and retention, work-life
taking action to fill the pipeline. In September 2024, balance, burnout, and low-value, repetitive work are also
the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants top-ranked reasons for finance professionals leaving a
(AICPA) and the National Association of State Boards company—or the industry entirely.
of Accountancy (NASBA) proposed a new pathway to
To increase retention, finance leaders need to focus on
CPA licensure. If passed, the CPA Competency-Based
initiatives that will improve their teams’ work-life balance
Experience Pathway would provide an additional option
and experience.
for CPA candidates to demonstrate professional and
technical skills after earning a bachelor’s degree and “We’re using technology to get that work-life balance.
meeting their state’s requirements for accounting and I came from an organization previously where it was a
business courses instead of having to complete an extra 60-hour week and a 70-hour week during the month-
year’s worth of college credits. end close,” says Hogeland of Packer Fastener.
Companies are also looking to attract and retain “We just don’t have it in our organization now,
accounting talent by using technology to bring higher particularly more so since we adopted NetSuite.
value work earlier in the career path. People are getting out at a normal time and enjoying
the work.”
“I think people really embracing change and getting
automation and their accounting tech stack up and
running will bring more people into the profession,”
says Wijesekera of Vytalize Health. “It will create higher-
value work earlier in the process for people, when
they’re launching their accounting careers.”

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CHAPTER 4

Explore Growth
Opportunities

12. Review the company’s portfolio

In Dykema’s 20th Annual M&A Outlook Survey of
senior executives and dealmaking advisors, 70% of
respondents expect a stronger US M&A landscape
in the next 12 months, driven by improved financial
markets, the availability of capital, and a stabilizing
economy.8 After the US election, that number may
edge higher as the Trump administration is expected
to contest fewer mergers.

Private equity is a significant driver behind the

anticipated M&A resurgence, with nearly seven in 10
surveyed dealmakers believing private equity investors
will drive M&A growth in 2025, as firms look to deploy
$2.5 trillion in available capital.8 Companies are looking
for PE investments to accelerate growth and achieve
business transformation goals.

CFOs should review their portfolios to prepare for

strategic deals. They should evaluate current assets’
financial performance, growth potential, risk profile,
and alignment with the company’s strategic objectives.
On the acquisition side, they should focus on building
strong due diligence capabilities and having a list of
potential targets in place. From a divestiture perspective,
they should ensure their operations are due diligence-
ready, with clear financial and operating data, and even
have a list of potential buyers in mind.

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13. Prepare for an improved—yet discerning— The lesson for IPO aspirants: the window for going
IPO market public can open or close without much warning.
IPOs in 2024 started to show a gradual resurgence from Companies contemplating an IPO should start preparing
their 2022-2023 lows. IPO proceeds in the first three now, getting the right team, equity story, and technology
quarters of 2024 outpaced 2023’s full-year levels with in place to impress discerning investors. These steps
121 IPOs on US exchanges raising $27.3 billion.9 Overall also help you run a better, more focused business today
sentiment looking toward 2025 is a sense of cautious as well, so they’re a benefit even if an IPO remains out
optimism as a backlog of deals stands ready to sell after on the horizon.
several years of constrained activity.
Emphasizing sustainable growth, strategic positioning,
However, the end of 2024 also showed how capricious and effective liquidity management will be crucial
the markets can be. After the US election results were for navigating this dynamic market. Take the time to
announced in mid-November, the Dow Jones, Nasdaq, get your business and financial models right, so the
and the S&P 500 index soared to record highs and the company’s ready to go public when the capital market
Cboe Volatility Index (VIX)—Wall Street’s “fear gauge”— timing and business timing are right. Those models
dropped sharply. Two weeks later, expectations will be the foundations for success now and as a
tempered with some of the post-election rally gains lost. public company.
Much has no doubt changed again by the time you’re
reading this.

Several large deals bolstered Q3 IPO activity; positive outlook for 2025

Number of IPOs IPO proceeds (US$B)

450 $180
416
400 $160 $155.8

350 $140

300 $120

250 224 $100

$86.2
200 $80

150 127 $60

121
90 101
100 $40
$27.3
$22.2 $19.4
50 $20
$8.6
0 $0
2020 2021 2022 2023 Jan – Sep Jan – Sep 2020 2021 2022 2023 Jan – Sep Jan – Sep
2023 2024 2023 2024

Sources: EY analysis, Dealogic Data as of September 30, 2024 Sources: EY analysis, Dealogic Data as of September 30, 2024

Source: EY analysis, Dealogic data as of September 30, 2024

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 Top ways companies would increase spending after a rate cut

80%

60%

75%
73%
40%
70%
69% 68% 68%

20%

0%
Technology Capital Hiring Bank Introducing new Re�nancing
spending expenditures borrowing products/services debt

Source: Inside the Minds of CFOs survey, PNC

14. Make smart investments amid lower 15. Evaluate capital structure—and keep
interest rates maturing debt in mind
With lower interest rates, CFOs need to consider smart, Not surprisingly, most companies are borrowers: 70% of
targeted investments to drive their organizations respondent firms, and almost 90% of large firms, have
forward. In a report by PNC, surveyed CFOs ranked existing debt, according to the Q4 2023 CFO Survey by
technology as their top spending area after a rate Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the
cut, specifically around cybersecurity/fraud, cloud Federal Reserve Banks of Richmond and Atlanta.11
computing, and automation. Capital expenditures, Much of that debt will come due in the next few years.
hiring, and bank borrowing followed closely behind
And many of the companies with debt maturing will
as priority areas.10
refinance at a higher interest rate. In a 2024 CFO
To support both cost-cutting initiatives and growth- survey by PNC, only 5% of companies with a loan
related investments, look into an ERP platform that or bond maturing in the next 12 months planned to
provides real-time visibility into financial data from pay off the loan. Instead, nearly 63% said that they
across the organization. In addition to providing needed intended to refinance with the same or different bank.
visibility into company performance and resources, 27% said they would raise capital from private equity,
centralized and accurate data sets the foundation non-bank lenders, and private investors, showing the
for more advanced techniques—such as predictive increasing influence of private debt in the marketplace
modeling, data analytics, and scenario analysis—to as businesses look for more flexible terms than a
assess potential investments. And the automation traditional bank loan.10
capabilities can lower operating costs for finance.

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For CFOs with maturing debt, they’ll need to evaluate To determine the best path forward in maintaining an
the optimal capital structure for their companies. optimal capital structure, CFOs need up-to-date visibility
This returns again to our theme of data visibility and into transactional, financial, and operational data. Using
predictive analytics, including: a financial management solution, finance leaders can
better assess liquidity and cash flow positions, build
• Key leverage ratios, such as debt ratio, debt-to-equity, dashboards with important metrics around financial
debt-to-EBITDA, total debt to capitalization, long-term performance, and provide lenders or investors with
debt to capitalization, and fixed charge coverage ratio. the information they need.
• Ability to finance a potential acquisition.

• Best refinancing loan length. A shorter loan term

may be more beneficial than the more typical five-
to-10 year loan considering higher interest rates.

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CHAPTER 5

Bolster Cybersecurity Amid

Increasing Stakes

16. Deal with expanding cybersecurity threats cyber risk management, strategy, and governance so
The stakes around cybersecurity are increasing—and they have confidence in the accuracy and integrity of
CFOs are taking note. The average cost of a data breach the information given to the board of directors and in
in 2024 was $4.88 million—a 10% increase over 2023 the annual 10-K disclosure. For the CFO to fulfill both
and the highest total ever, according to research from of these capacities—and avoid the hefty fines from
IBM and the Ponemon Institute.12 CFOs are experts in the SEC—requires careful coordination with the CISO,
risk management, making them natural allies of the general counsel, and potentially the CIO/CTO and CEO.
CISO or CIO in their cybersecurity plans. Technology
In addition to the SEC requirement, companies should
executives should consult CFOs on cybersecurity plans,
be aware of other cybersecurity requirements they
making sure they reflect the company’s overall financial
may be subject to, including the amended New York
risk. Do they sufficiently guard systems that process
State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) Part
and store the organization’s most sensitive and valuable
500 cybersecurity regulation, the European Union’s
data? Do they help employees across the organization
General Data Protection Regulation, and the California
spot fraudulent emails, calls, and other scams?
Consumer Privacy Act.
One important area to consider: New AI initiatives. In
18. Re-check that cyber insurance policy
a 2024 survey by the IBM Institute for Business Value,
Cyber insurance can be a valuable protection against
only 24% of surveyed C-suite executives said their
the financial impact of a cyber incident, covering
current generative AI projects have a component to
high-cost areas such as lost revenue due to business
secure the initiatives, even though 82% of respondents
interruptions, incident response, legal expenses, ransom
say secure and trustworthy AI is essential to the success
payments, and data breach recovery. However, because
of their business. Nearly 70% said innovation takes
security breaches are becoming more common and
precedence over security.13
costly, many insurers are raising premiums, limiting
17. Understand cybersecurity coverage, and adding security requirements
reporting obligations for companies.
CFOs now have regulatory reporting obligations around
CFOs need to work with their CIO or CISO to make
cybersecurity. In 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange
sure the company has the right cyber insurance policy
Commission (SEC) finalized its cyber disclosure
in place—and that it covers everything they expect.
rules, requiring public companies to give investors
Common exclusions can include losses caused by
prompt, “decision-useful” information about material
insider threats, attacks that exploit a vulnerability known
cybersecurity incidents, as well as periodic information
to the business, and breaches of third-party vendors
on their approaches to cyber risk management, strategy,
or other partners. While many insurers are continuing
and governance. For CFOs, this means understanding
to provide coverage for certain aspects of AI-related
cyber risks and incidents to determine materiality. It
risks, it’s essential to review policy language carefully
also requires an understanding of their company’s
for limitations, exclusions, or triggers.

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CHAPTER 6

Stay Ahead of Regulations

and Policy Changes

19. Address potential tariffs the functions themselves as part of their role. However,
As a candidate, President-elect Donald Trump said he that close working relationship will become even more
would impose 10%-20% tariffs across the board on integral over the next several months as companies
imports, and 60% on imports from China. Time will tell gauge the impact of potential tariffs and ways to
how that plays out, and businesses are preparing for mitigate it. For many companies, this could mean
different scenarios. 75% of surveyed executives in PwC’s changing or adding suppliers, stocking up on inventory,
October 2024 Pulse Survey said that a universal 10% or raising prices. Having complete and current data on
minimum tariff on imports would significantly hinder costs, inventory, and sales trends will be essential for
their company’s growth.14 One US shoemaker recently these critical decisions.
announced it would reduce production in China in
20. Prepare for potential corporate tax changes
response to the proposed tariffs. Some companies
In 2025, US lawmakers will confront major tax policy
are stocking up on imported goods and inputs.
expirations, the majority of which stem from the Tax
Many CFOs already work closely with their company’s Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017. In his tax plan,
supply chain and procurement teams or even manage President-elect Donald Trump proposed:

Likely expiration of TCJA tax provision could impact organizations on multiple fronts
Percentage of respondents answering the question, “As you may know, there is likely to be federal legislative activity in 2025 due to the
upcoming expiration of certain provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). Which tax policy provisions are of greatest signi�cance to
your organization? Please select up to three.”

Bonus depreciation 50%

Section 199A (deduction for quali�ed business income) 47%

Carried interest 40%

Expensing of R&D expenditures 38%

Corporate tax rate 37%

Interest deductability 34%

International tax provisions (i.e., GILTI, FDII, BEAT) 29%

Individual tax rate 22%

0 10 20 30 40 50
Source: Deloitte CFO Signals survey results 3Q 2024
Source: CFO Signals survey results 3Q 2024

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• Extending section 199A of the TCJA, which allows
many owners of sole proprietorships, partnerships,
S corporations, and some trusts and estates to deduct
up to 20% of their qualified business income (QBI).

• Restoring the TCJA business tax provisions

(effective January 1, 2026), including the 100% bonus
depreciation provision, section 174 deduction for R&D
expenditures, and EBITDA-based interest limitation.

• Lowering the corporate income tax rate from 21%

to 20% and then further reducing it to 15% for
companies that make their product in the US.

• Repealing tax credits enacted as a part of the

Inflation Reduction Act that provide incentives
for the production and use of green energy.

Whether these corporate tax changes are enacted

remains to be seen—both parties have indicated
wanting to use 2025 as a broader opportunity to
reshape tax policy. Consequently, finance chiefs need
to be nimble around a possible “Taxmageddon,” where
recent policies or assumptions dramatically change,
and model how potential changes might affect them
and plan for those impacts. For example, if section 199A
looks likely to expire, affected businesses may want
to consider strategies to accelerate income and defer
deductions to take advantage of lower tax rates in 2025
and consider restructuring their business tax structure.

21. Keep track of carbon accounting proposals

More companies face carbon accounting mandates
globally to quantify the amount of greenhouse gasses
they produce directly and indirectly.

Europe has enacted carbon disclosure rules that apply

to many US companies operating there. The European
Union rules require carbon disclosures by companies
that have revenue of at least €150 million ($168 million)
in the EU.

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A pending rule by the SEC would require companies • Annually report their Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse
traded on US stock exchanges to disclose climate- gas emissions beginning in 2026 (for reporting
related risks that may materially affect their business. year 2025).
While less strict than first proposed, the rule prompted
• Annually report their Scope 3 emissions, which
lawsuits from state officials and business groups,
are indirect emissions produced by customers or
causing the SEC to issue a stay order until the litigation
suppliers, starting in 2027.
is complete. Many are now doubtful the rules will take
effect under a new administration, but it’s hard to There are numerous other location-specific reporting
predict how this will play out. requirements, including in Australia, Japan, and South
Africa. Even if current regulations don’t apply to your
Aside from that proposed regulation, similar regulations
business, the risk is there—so start preparing now with
in California are inching forward despite opposition and
at least a plan for compliance, knowing your company’s
would require public and privately held entities with over
capabilities and limitations in carbon tracking, even if
$1 billion in revenue to:
you don’t think the time is right for your company to
implement a carbon tracking and disclosure plan yet.

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%
% companies
that reported
emissions in 50%
the respective
indices
40%
73%
30%
54%
45%
20%
29%
10%

0%
Scope 1 + 2 emissions reported Some scope 3 emissions reported

MSCI World ex USA IMI constituents n=3,254 MSCI USA IMI constituents n=2,393

Source: MSCI Sustainability Institute research

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CHAPTER 7

Reshape Your Finance

Team’s Future

22. Work across the business CFOs can set up recurring meetings with department
CFOs establish themselves as a strategic partner to the heads to discuss each team’s strategic priorities,
rest of the organization by sharing their understanding financial implications, and mutual support
of financial data and showing how the related analytics opportunities. To get the most out of each touchpoint,
and forecasts can help business unit leaders execute. consider building reports tailored to each department
to help frame financial information in terms of business
“We started meeting one-on-one with some of the impact. Ideally, this would provide a dashboard for
members of leadership on a regular basis to just go over ongoing monitoring and discussion.
some of the data and financials. It’s been really good for
us to have those connections,” says Hogeland, CFO of 23. Balance short-term gains with long-term
Packer Fastener. “It gives us the opportunity to not vision in ROI measurement
only go over what the numbers are at today but have Nearly two-thirds of CFOs said they were feeling
a good dialogue to set a plan, monitor against it, and pressure to accelerate ROI across the company’s
take action.”

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technology portfolio, according to IBM’s 2024 CFO “Typically, large global companies have 15 to 20 main
Study. As a result, 57% of surveyed finance leaders said enterprise risks, and those are the things you spend
that they were prioritizing short-term targets over long- a lot of time on and drill down on,” former Pfizer CFO
term investments when building their tech stacks. Frank D’Amelio told The Wall Street Journal in a July
2024 article.
The risk, IBM notes, is they often increase technical debt
by sacrificing long-term maintainability for short-term “We would then build a who, what, and when action
functionality. In contrast, “leading CFOs”—or roughly plan for each of those areas. That kind of ownership and
9% of the dataset that IBM identified as outperforming clarity is very helpful in developing an enterprise-wide
their competition—are much more likely to balance risk program.”15
investments focused on efficiency with those focused
When looking for a risk management solution, prioritize
on growth opportunities.3
features such as user roles and permissions, automated
To strike that balance, CFOs should select a mix of controls, customized workflows to process and enforce
KPIs that bridge both the long and the short term, as approvals, and continuous security and vulnerability
well as both the tangible and intangible benefits. scans. These capabilities help shift risk management
By tracking—and quantifying—areas such as revenue from a reactive, siloed approach to a proactive,
growth, productivity, customer satisfaction, and brand company-wide culture of risk awareness.
impact, CFOs can demonstrate short-term returns while
showing how these metrics align with the broader vision 25. Keep up with the pace of transformation
Transformation initiatives have been on the CFO’s
of innovation, sustainable growth, and business agility.
agenda for years, and 2025 marks a noticeable sense of
24. Make the switch to enterprise urgency from their bosses. In IBM’s 2024 CEO Survey,
risk management 43% of respondents said they’ll increase the tempo of
Businesses face a wide range of interconnected risks— their organization’s transformational change over the
financial, operational, strategic, cyber, regulatory, and next 12 months.16
reputational, to name a few. For instance, a data breach
As transformation efforts accelerate, here are two
could lead to regulatory fines, loss of customers, and
best practices to keep in mind. First, as we noted in
significant reputational damage, all of which affect
the beginning, collaboration between the finance
financial performance.
and technology departments is crucial as technology
For CFOs, the evolving risk landscape means the strategy and financial outcomes become increasingly
traditional approach to risk management won’t cut it interconnected. CFOs should engage with technology
anymore. Instead, enterprise risk management (ERM) leaders early and often to help ensure that technology
methods and processes can provide a better way for investments are aligned with financial goals and overall
CFOs to monitor and manage risks that may affect business strategy.
financial stability and organizational success. This
Secondly, barriers in the transformation process
approach to risk management takes a comprehensive
are often centered around people, not necessarily
view of company risks and how they may interact,
technology. 64% of CEO respondents said succeeding
instead of addressing risks in silos.
with AI will depend more on people’s adoption than
The CFO plays an integral role in an enterprise- the technology itself. For executives, getting people
wide approach to risk management by working onboard requires transparency and an enthusiasm that
with department heads across the organization trickles down from the top.16
to understand risks and how they may impact the
organization’s financial position, profitability, and
long-term sustainability.

© Oracle | Terms of Use and Privacy Page 18

With a single, integrated suite of applications for managing accounting, order
processing, inventory management, production, supply chain, and warehouse
operations, NetSuite ERP gives CFOs clear visibility into their data and tighter
control over their businesses so they can react quickly to whatever comes
their way.

“I think transformation takes its tone from the top and With AI capabilities embedded across the suite,
having the board, the C-suite, and your investors excited NetSuite offers CFOs the opportunity to incorporate
and ready to embrace change is where it starts from,” the technology into their workflows—without the
says Wijesekera of Vytalize Health. “Because it will all extra expense or clunky integration associated with
trickle down and help everyone else get on board.” bolt-on solutions. AI-powered assistant features, such
as NetSuite Bill Capture and NetSuite Text Enhance, use
The Bottom Line data and automation from the suite to handle repetitive
As CFOs navigate the 2025, having a well-defined tasks. AI advisor capabilities, including predictive
agenda that balances growth and stability will be critical. planning in NetSuite Planning and Budgeting and data
CFOs will need to address issues such as maturing discovery in NetSuite Analytics Warehouse, deliver
debt, increasing regulatory demands, and geopolitical faster, better insights and analysis to leaders. And, as a
uncertainty while continuing to drive transformation cloud-based system, NetSuite receives regular updates
efforts, collaboration, and innovation. to help ensure customers always have the latest AI
To handle complex internal and external demands, capabilities as a part of their software.
CFOs need visibility into the entire organization.
NetSuite ERP helps organizations operate more
effectively by automating core processes and Ready to learn more about how your
providing real-time visibility into operational and finance team can level up in 2025?
financial performance. Get in touch.

1
“CFO Signals 3Q 2024,” Deloitte, September 18, 2024
2
“Europe CFO Survey Fall 2024,” Deloitte, October 7, 2024
3
“6 Power Moves CFOs Must Make,” IBM Institute for Business Value, September 9, 2024
4
“PwC June 2024 Pulse Survey,” PwC, accessed November 4, 2024
5
“Grant Thornton Q2 2024 CFO Survey,” Grant Thornton, July 8, 2024
6
“What Leaders are Saying About Costs and Growth in 2024,” BCG, February 8, 2024
7
“2024 EY Tax and Finance Operations Survey,” EY, October 9, 2024
8
“Dykema’s 20th Annual M&A Outlook Survey,” Dykema, October 15, 2024
9
“Q3 2024 IPO Market Trends,” EY, October 17, 2024
10
“Inside the Minds of CFOs,” PNC, September 13, 2024
11
“The 2024 Economic Outlook: A View from CFOs,” Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the Federal
Reserve Banks of Richmond and Atlanta, December 20, 2023
12
“Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024,” IBM and Ponemon Institute, July 30, 2024
13
“Securing Generative AI,” IBM Institute for Business Value, May 6, 2024
14
“PwC October 2024 Pulse Survey,” PwC, accessed November 6, 2024
15
“Frank D’Amelio, CFO-in-Residence, on Managing Enterprise Risk,” The Wall Street Journal, July 26, 2024
16
“6 Hard Truths CEOs Must Face,” IBM Institute for Business Value, May 15, 2024

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