CFO Strategies for 2025: Leading Through Complexity with Confidence
Tejas Parikh (FCMA / ACMA, MBA)
Transforming FP&A for Accuracy & Agility 📊 |🔹Finance Digitalization & Automation ⚙️ | Strategic Reporting & Optimizing Budgeting & Forecasting for Smarter Decisions 📈 | 🚀 Enabling Data-Driven Decisions for Growth 💡
In my last newsletter, “Why CFOs Rely on FP&A in Finance,” I discussed how the CFO role has changed. Companies no longer expect finance leaders to simply manage budgets and reports; they now need CFOs who can anticipate challenges, drive performance, and fuel business growth. This transformation has made FP&A in Finance more important than ever.
Many of you reached out asking:
Let’s take the conversation forward with three strategic priorities every CFO must embrace in 2025 to stay relevant, agile, and impactful.
1. From Back Office to Boardroom: Redefine the CFO's Role as a Strategic Architect
📌 In 2025, CFOs must go beyond financial reporting to become value architects deeply involved in shaping strategy, leading performance conversations, and driving business outcomes.
➡️ This starts by embedding finance into cross-functional teams, strengthening commercial finance capabilities, and using real-time insights to guide executive decisions. Finance must move from reactive scorekeeping to proactive leadership.
2. Double Down on Data: Build a Finance-First Digital Foundation
📊 AI and automation promise speed and scale, but their effectiveness hinges on data quality. A reliable, well-governed data foundation is non-negotiable.
➡️ CFOs should lead on data governance, establish a single source of truth, and enable self-service analytics within finance. Equip teams with tools like Power BI, Anaplan, and predictive analytics not for buzzwords, but to accelerate business decisions with confidence.
3. Rethink Planning: From Annual Budgets to Always-On Forecasting
📅 The annual budgeting process is becoming obsolete. Today’s businesses need continuous, adaptive planning to thrive in constant change.
➡️ Embrace rolling forecasts, driver-based models, and scenario analysis to give your organization the agility it needs. This requires close collaboration between FP&A, commercial, and operational teams supported by planning systems that allow for real-time pivots.
✅ The future won’t wait and neither should finance.
Here’s where to focus in 2025:
🔹 Step into Strategy: Position finance as a business partner, not just a scorekeeper. 🔹 Fix the Data Before the Dashboard: Good decisions come from good data. 🔹 Plan to Pivot: Build agility into every layer of your planning process.
Each of these priorities demands more than intent; they require smart frameworks, digital tools, and cultural evolution. That’s exactly what we support at Akshar Business Consulting.
🚀 Whether you’re building a finance-first digital roadmap, overhauling your planning process, or redefining the CFO’s strategic role we’re here to help.
🎧 PS: Want even more insight from top finance leaders?
Check out the very first episode of my new podcast: 𝐅𝐏&𝐀 𝐔𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐱 where we dive into the real stories, strategies, and experiences of today’s top FP&A leaders.
Episode 1 features Steve Rosvold, Founder of CFO.University.
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Such a forward-thinking approach to redefining the CFO role! 🌟 The shift towards #strategy, data-driven insights, and agile forecasting is truly the future. Excited to dive into the podcast for more transformational ideas! 🎙️💡
I launch your B2B Podcast, you build a brand & get leads $$$.
2wI'd be curious to see a data point on CFO's "readiness" Tejas Parikh (FCMA / ACMA, MBA) Like: this is the current landscape in... (AI, geopolitical, etc...)
Founder and CEO: Analytics-Based Performance Management LLC; Expert in ABC, EPM/CPM, Profit Analysis, Budget, Analytics
2wThank you Tejas Parikh (FCMA / ACMA, MBA) for your LinkedIn post above. Very informative.