When CFOs are more than number crunchers

THERE is a revolution brewing in finance departments. Activist investors are pressuring companies on costs just as digital disruption and mounting complexity take their toll. These forces are causing companies to rely even more heavily on their finance teams.

And with artificial intelligence and other advances enabling them to make speedier, better-informed decisions, the stage is set for chief financial officers (CFOs) to step up their game as proactive internal challengers and identifiers of new opportunities.

But this is not happening often enough.