The role of the CFO is quickly evolving, as highlighted in a number of reports over the last few years. Technology issues in particular are taking up more and more of the CFO’s time and attention.

Earlier this year, Gartner released research showing that most finance chiefs are now leading or co-leading the data and analytics strategy for the enterprise. The study also found that while AI is quickly becoming table stakes within the office of the CFO, finance teams remain under-equipped for a digital future.

There’s no question that AI is already here. That’s obvious. It tags your expenses, generates reports and drafts board decks. But those surface tasks are only the first ripple. Something deeper is also happening.

Every past wave — from spreadsheets to the Internet — made businesses faster and more efficient. But AI is different. It doesn’t just help us to work faster — it’s also helping us to think better. Over time, it will change how decisions get made, how forecasts get analyzed, and how value gets created.

And finance — with its deep understanding of inputs, trade-offs, and timing — sits directly at the center of that change. If AI is a force multiplier, then finance becomes the lever.

Birth of the next-gen CFO

The AI revolution is rapidly giving rise to a new world for CFOs in which they will need to be far more strategic and tech-savvy. Being a next-generation CFO isn’t necessarily about when you were born; it’s about being forward-thinking and willing to embrace change, regardless of age. Here’s a short check-list to gauge if you’re ready:

1. Data fluency

We now have more data than ever, but most companies don’t know how to use it because a lot of it is messy, inconsistent or siloed. And that makes data fluency an important emerging skill for CFOs.

Next-generation CFOs don’t just clean data — they align definitions across departments and break down silos. That’s how they build models the entire company can trust.

Because, even with AI, garbage in still means garbage out — only faster, and with more confidence.

2. Cross-functional insight

Every department has its own model, including sales, product and engineering. These models don’t speak to each other, yet every decision they power eventually hits the bottom line. And only finance sees how they all connect.

CFOs who understand the mental models of each function — and the trade-offs behind them — become indispensable. Someone has to build the business simulation that sees the whole chessboard, and finance is best positioned to do it.

3. Storytelling

Finance sees the risks first — the churn spike, the margin dip or the unsustainable bet. But often, the message doesn’t land. The slide gets skimmed, the risk goes unnoticed, and the company makes a mistake finance already saw coming. That’s why storytelling isn’t a soft skill — it’s actually a survival skill.

In a world where everyone has access to data, belief is the real differentiator. Next-generation CFOs don’t just share numbers — they create clarity, drive conviction and move the business toward the right decision.

The CFO’s moment

AI is automating the low-leverage parts of the job. But that’s not a threat — it’s a gift. Because what’s left is the actual work, like strategy and storytelling.

This is how finance stops being a cost center and becomes the growth engine — not with more dashboards that people find hard to understand, but with sharper insight, deeper context and stronger influence.

Next-generation CFOs don’t just close the books. They open up the model, run the scenario in real-time and make the trade-off clear to every department. They make the right decision seem obvious. There’s never been a better time to be in finance.