CFO Leadership

A couple of months ago I was training a RoboCFO client’s finance team on the advanced end of what Claude can do, and we got to the segment on vibe coding, where everyone learns to build and deploy their own apps. We’d just walked through the NetSuite MCP server, the role-based access and the guardrails Oracle already built into it. These are the kinds of rails that let you hand the tool to a controller and sleep fine. Then I said the part that’s been rattling around my head ever since.

Workforces are going global by default, pay expectations are shifting and new technologies are reshaping how companies hire and manage talent. CFOs who understand the financial side of these changes will be better prepared to guide their companies through what comes next. James Loftus, CFO of Pebl, an employer-of-record provider based in Palo Alto, California, has plenty best practices when it comes to multi-country hiring.

Especially in the age of AI, transformation is coming for every company. Rachita Sundar, CFO of the cloud-based experience management platform Qualtrics, has seen this firsthand, having worked for SaaS giants like HubSpot and Microsoft amid rapid change. “One of the lessons I took is that a company is always transforming,” she says. “As a CFO, what it means for you and what’s most important for you to understand is capital allocation.

More than 175 million Americans, roughly half the U.S. population, get their health insurance through an employer. That single fact carries enormous weight. For employers, the affordability and sustainability of healthcare benefits is no longer a back-office concern. It is a frontline strategy for attracting and retaining talent. And the workforce itself is telling us what it values.

The corporate appetite for making acquisition deals is on the upswing. From shifting global dynamics to the rise of AI, it is a unique climate for dealmaking. J. Neely, Accenture’s global transaction advisory practice lead and senior managing director, gives his take on what’s driving M&A activity these days, and how the C-Suite can prepare. “The space is fast-moving, and AI can have significant impact in shaping and driving deal value,” says Neely.

The transition to quantum computing is no longer a distant theoretical shift but a pressing strategic, commercial reality. The Boston Consulting Group indicates that quantum technology represents a potential $2 trillion market opportunity, with an estimated 90 percent of that value accruing to early adopters. Similarly, IBM’s 2025 Readiness Report highlights that quantum-ready organizations already outperform their peers in innovation.

In the past, being a CFO was largely a behind-the-scenes role. More recently, CFOs have become a strategic partner to CEOs and operational leaders preparing for the future. And now, many finance leaders may be headed toward what Joel Campbell has dubbed “CFO Plus.” Campbell is CFO of TreviPay, a fintech that provides a B2B payments platform.

Cyber resilience is no longer optional—it’s mission-critical for every modern organization. As CFO of Commvault, Jennifer DiRico is helping shape the future of how companies protect, rebuild and grow after cyber threats. In this episode, DiRico opens up about her journey from working in her family’s car wash to leading finance at one of the world’s top data security and AI firms.

When a startup moves beyond the seed stage to raise significant venture capital to scale operations and accelerate growth, devoting resources toward the finance function often take a backseat to sales and marketing. Jon Anderson, CFO of Payouts Network, a B2C payment and disbursements provider based in Bozeman, Montana, shares how he’s been able to elevate the finance function as his Series A company rapidly scales, and what other startup CFOs can learn from his experience.

It’s no surprise to say finance and accounting functions are undergoing rapid transformation. But just what are the biggest shifts to look out for—and how can finance leaders respond? John Raffaele, global head of finance and accounting operations at Emapta, a Philippines-based outsourcing and offshore staffing provider with offices in major U.S. cities, has some thoughts. Burnout in finance and accounting is rising.