The role of the CFO has evolved from accountant to forward-thinking business partner. Today, they are the CEO’s most trusted advisor, steering companies towards sustainable growth.

1. GET FUTURE-
READY WITH
INTELLIGENT
FINANCE

2. Digital disruption, a surge in available data
and heightened customer expectations:
The stakes are higher
than ever to deliver top
and bottom-line
results.

3. ENTER
TODAY’S CFO
The role of the CFO has
evolved from accountant
to forward-thinking
business partner. Today,
they are the CEO’s most
trusted advisor, steering
companies towards
sustainable growth.

4. HERE’S WHY:
Whenintelligent
operations,
powered by
data, new
technologies
and talent,
are at the heart of the
enterprise, a company can
generate value more quickly.

5. 77%
of CFOs believe it is
within their purview
to drive business-
wide operational
transformation.
The finance
function is at the
beginning andend
ofeverythingand is
best equipped
to spearhead the
transformation.

6. CFOs can create an intelligent
finance and accounting (F&A)
operating model by taking these
three actions:
Harnessing the
power of data
Leading with new
digital technologies
Attracting future
finance talent
1
2
3

7. CFOsexcelat
capturing,structuring
andmakingbetteruse
ofdata.Yetmuchof
theirorganization’s
dataisunreachable.
Nearly 80% of C-suite
respondents say that
50%-
90%
of their data is
unstructured
and inaccessible.
ACTION #1: HARNESSING
THE POWER OF DATA

8. With an intelligent finance function, data is more
accessible and actionable, enabling CFOs to:
THE GOOD NEWS?
Make faster,
more responsive
decisions with
rapid reporting and
real-time analytics
Master the
enormous
reserves of
data
Properly connect
and analyze data
across internal
and external
ecosystems

9. Threedigital
technologiesare
shaping the
finance function:
Robotic
process
automation
(RPA)
Advanced
analytics
Applied
Intelligence
ACTION #2: LEADING WITH
NEW TECHNOLOGIES

10. Forward-thinking
CFOsareachieving
growthobjectives
byinvestingin
digitaltechnologies
thatfree up their
team’s time.
Now the focus can be on delivering
better customer experiences.

11. Astheresponsibilities
oftheCFOevolve,so
toowilltheprofilesof
prospectivetalent.
Traditional roles will
transform as CFOs
seek out employees
with a range of
capabilities, from data
visualization to
flexible thinking.
ACTION #3: ATTRACTING
FUTURE FINANCE TALENT

12. In a virtuous cycle, innovative
opportunities will attract a mix of
future finance talent. CFOs can be
critical leaders to champion
conditions for this cultural workplace
shift.
Anintelligentfinance
function will attract
a new generation
of finance leaders
who thrive on
rapid innovation.

13. The CFO has never
been better positioned
to be the CEO’s chief
business partner.
The key to elevating their role and that
of the finance function is moving to an
intelligent F&A operating model that
harnesses the power of data, leads
with new technologies and attracts
future finance talent.

14. Follow us
www.twitter.com/AccentureOps
www.linkedin.com/company/accenture-operations
www.accenture.com/us-en/blogs/blogs-intelligent-business-operations
Now is the time for CFOs to digitize the
finance function and lead the enterprise
through digital transformation.
Learn more at: www.accenture.com/IntelligentFinance