Today's
Chief Financial Officers are no longer just expert number crunchers, their mandate is far more complex, writes
Sanjiv Sachar, a consultant at Egon Zehnder International, Dehli, in the
Business Standard. A primary success factor for finance executives is a sharp business mindset, notes Sachar. Indeed, CFOs need to proactively gather information about all aspects of a business, and how they interact with the industry, to build an effective strategic partnership with a company's executive team. Sachar believes that soft skills like the ability to promote collaboration and team work are also becoming increasingly important for finance executives. As strategic partners to the CEO, today's CFOs are now expected to improve business processes, serve on the board and act as a key link to investors, regulators and policy-makers. But despite growing demand for CFOs with a big picture outlook and excellent all-round leadership skills, such finance chiefs remain hard to find, Sachar concludes.
