The CFO role has shifted decisively from financial steward to strategic co-pilot of growth. Today’s finance leaders must deliver more with fewer resources, balance permanent uncertainty with long-term value creation, and lead teams through cultural and technological transformation. Drawing on perspectives from Advisory Board members, this panel explores how CFOs are building influence across the C-suite and beyond, developing the leadership skills that matter most, and preparing finance organisations for the next decade.

Discussion themes:

• CFO as co-pilot: Building trust and influence with the CEO, board, and executive peers

• Doing more with less: Leading with credibility under budget, talent, and technology constraints

• Always-on crisis mode: Balancing short-term performance with courageous long-term investments

• CFO as coach: Inspiring teams, modelling behaviours, and embedding growth mindset cultures

• Stakeholder management excellence: Leading across IT, operations, and business units

• Trust and values-driven leadership: Meeting ESG and regulatory expectations while maintaining investor and employee confidence

• Leadership development: Soft skills, resilience, and communication as differentiators for CFOs preparing for CEO-level roles

As ESG expectations evolve, finance leaders are shifting from compliance to value creation, turning sustainability into a driver of resilience, capital efficiency, and competitive advantage. This session examines how leading organisations are integrating ESG into core strategy, linking sustainability outcomes to measurable ROI, and aligning financial planning with long-term stakeholder value.

Updated Discussion Themes:

• Year one of CSRD: Lessons learned from reporting, assurance, and audit reviews

• Building the ROI case: Quantifying ESG-linked risk, opportunity, and capital allocation

• From compliance to performance: embedding ESG into budgeting, forecasting, and investment models

• Customer-driven sustainability: How demand across the value chain reshapes finance priorities

• Avoiding the credibility gap: managing greenwashing and greenhushing risks

• Integrating ESG data with financial and operational KPIs

• Investor and lender perspectives: how finance can lead credible, performance-linked ESG narratives

• What “good” looks like: peer insights on effective ESG governance and resource allocation