Dive Brief:

• Finance software provider Sage is rebranding itself with the launch of a new campaign focused on helping CFOs keep pace with evolving demands and pressures, according to an announcement last week.
• As part of the effort, the company unveiled an online-based continuing professional education program for finance leaders. The training is intended to complement the use of software tools such as Sage Copilot, an accounting-trained, generative AI assistant introduced last year, the company said. 
• “We’re giving them not only high-performance software, including Copilot, but also training to enable them to deliver against what the market is really requiring of CFOs today,” Cathy Powell, senior director of campaign and customer strategy at Sage, said in an interview.

Dive Insight:

The finance, human resources and payroll software maker, which is based in the U.K. and serves millions of small and mid-sized businesses worldwide, is seeing “a real shift” in the CFO profession, Powell said.

“I think from our research, we’ve been able to identify where the real differences are between high-performing CFOs and general finance leaders,” she said.

Nine in 10 CFOs say their role has expanded significantly, with many of them now setting their sights on the CEO seat, according to survey findings released by Sage as part of the announcement.

“In an era defined by tighter margins, speed of business, faster tech shifts and higher expectations, the role of the CFO is evolving,” the company said in a press release. “No longer just financial stewards, CFOs are now expected to shape strategy, fuel growth and lead transformation.”

Sage’s new training program, which is being rolled out this summer, will help CFOs with developing both technical expertise and “soft skills,” such as being a strategic business partner, an effective communicator and a visionary leader, according to Powell.

“We’ll be launching an assessment that will allow finance leaders to self-determine where they are and give them a personalized view of how they can up their game,” she said.