This is How Finance Leaders are Reimagining 2025

We’ve officially entered Q4, perhaps the most critical period for finance leaders to redefine their financial blueprints and company objectives for the new year.  

That was the hot topic of discussion at the Vena Excelerate Finance 2024 Summit, a premier annual conference for FP&A leaders in Nashville, Tennessee. The CFO Show team sat down with a diverse group of finance and accounting professionals at the event to talk about the current state of their operations — and how they’re approaching strategy in 2025. 

Our latest episode of The CFO Show features a highlight reel of its conversation with today’s innovative FP&A and accounting leaders. 

Despite leading finance teams from various industries, these leaders share two similar focuses for the year ahead: Their own workforce and tech enhancements.

The high-impact ROI of investing in your people

Working in finance requires far more than hands-on data and numbers skills. 

In reality, curiosity and a multifaceted set of soft skills fuel problem-solving in finance. These soft skills are becoming even more necessary as data processing, accounting, and auditing tasks are being automated. 

Our guests recommend that finance leaders work to foster a culture of continuous learning and curiosity among all employees — from entry-level beginners to top executives. You want people who are eager to be at the forefront of problem-solving and solution-finding. 

Using and Thinking about Data Differently

Maximizing results should always be a finance professional’s focus. But it’s important to maximize sustainably. Striking a balance between enhancing workplace efficiency and setting employees up for success is easier said than done. Not sure where to start? We’ve got some ideas: 

Adopting Corporate Performance Management Software: Finance professionals are increasingly turning to cloud-based technologies such as Corporate Performance Management (CPM) software solutions instead of relying solely on traditional, locally managed systems. This shift allows finance teams to access critical financial data and performance metrics from anywhere, at any time, significantly enhancing efficiency and productivity.

Emphasis on Storytelling: The ability to turn complex financial data into a compelling narrative has become a critical skill. CFOs are rethinking the visualization, reporting, and imprinting of numbers in their presentations, paying special attention to their audience and how they interpret information. 

Enhancing Excel: Excel serves as the foundation for many finance processes across a multitude of organizations — and it’s getting smarter and more efficient with new automation capabilities and AI. Exploring new capabilities and technologies in partnership with your existing Excel applications can vastly improve efficiency and productivity. 

CFOs and finance leaders across industries, chime in on how metrics and KPIs can be used to forecast performance. Check out our latest episode of The CFO Show to learn more.

Contribute to the Research: The State of Strategic Finance 2025…

The State of Strategic Finance 2025 survey takes the pulse of finance teams to gauge how they can optimize their people, processes, and technology in the face of tight budgets and challenging market conditions. The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete. By contributing to the research, you'll get early access to the report.

In case you missed it…

What is the difference between productivity and efficiency at work — and do CFOs really need both to succeed? Brian Krause, a three-time CFO and current finance executive at Community First Solutions, spoke with us about the importance of fostering an efficient culture. He advised leaders to maintain a growth mindset and build a habit of asking questions.

What’s next…

Next week’s episode hones in on how General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and data privacy laws transformed data handling practices and regulatory compliance. Greet Gemels, Chief Financial and Operating Officer at Advantage Group International shares her take on navigating the current and upcoming GDPR requirements.