FTI Consulting’s annual CFO Survey offers insights from business leaders on the challenges they face and their expectations for 2022. The CFO Survey includes organizations across all major industries. Respondents include chief financial officers, financial planning and analysis leaders, finance vice presidents as well as directors, controllers, treasurers and others with financial decision-making roles.

FTI Consulting’s 2020-21 survey, Leading the Way Through Critical Times, highlighted the tremendous resolve and strategic leadership that CFOs and finance leaders demonstrated as they navigated through the COVID-19 pandemic. The exceptional performance by finance to take on a more enterprise-wide view of their organizations has led to greater responsibilities and expectations. This year, CFOs and finance leaders will find themselves confronting greater challenges, with their soft skills put to the test.

One notable aspect of this new environment is the evolving finance talent landscape. Last year, our survey revealed that most CFOs were experiencing personnel setbacks in their finance functions. At the time, CFOs may have presumed that downsizing and/or avoiding hiring new talent was an appropriate response during a period of uncertainty. However, the impact of hiring freezes or downsizing that occurred in 2020 may have been exacerbated by significant employee turnover this year, often referred to as the “Great Resignation.” In response, CFOs and finance leaders will need to focus more on team culture, employee retention and recognition and training and development. But talent is only one challenge that has evolved for CFOs. In this new world, CFOs will need to prioritize and allocate their time and resources effectively to make the most impact in both their finance organizations and across the enterprise, including in the areas below.

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