Not one singular path

One of the key takeaways from this series is that there is no one single route to Chief Financial Officer. Each guest’s journey has been distinct, some carefully planned, others full of unexpected turns.

Take Colleen Healy, Board Director at Enerpac Tool Group. A love of numbers sparked early by her father set her on a finance path, but it was her decision to veer away from the expected that truly shaped her career. “While my investment banking analysts at the end of our two-year programme pursued MBAs, I decided to pursue Microsoft,” Colleen recalls, calling her on-the-job learning there “an incredible education”.

For Rajendra Shreemal, CFO at Quest Global, his childhood experiences played a vital role in shaping his adaptability as frequent relocations across India taught him to thrive in unfamiliar environments. “Because I grew up in a situation where every two-to-three years I was moving, I was very comfortable with unknowns.” This experience served him well moving into a senior finance role. “I think as you move corporate roles you have to embrace the same uncertainty,” he says.

Several of our guests started their professional careers in audit. Terhi Sipilä, CFO for Nestlé Professional Zone LATAM, credits her start in audit with giving her a broad perspective on how companies function. “Audit was definitely an excellent starting point,” she says. Others built their careers in treasury, like Eric Ball, now Co-Founder of Impact Venture Capital, who spent 27 years in various finance roles, with two-thirds of that time focused primarily on treasury.

The variety of these journeys underscores what Yang Xu, CFO, Straumann Group neatly observed: “So many paths can lead to CFO, I don’t necessarily think there is one defined model.”

Expert advice

Across every conversation, a set of core lessons and shared values begin to surface, forming something of a modern CFO playbook.

First among them is a spirit of curiosity. “I would encourage curiosity and open-mindedness to try new things,” says Chad Wellman, CFO for Africa & Middle East at General Motors. His message to aspiring leaders is to bring your authentic self, be willing to take risks, and “help others bring their true selves and align their passions to work.”

Adaptability runs alongside curiosity. Terhi, who left her native Finland for a role in Mexico, went on to spend over a decade working across Latin America. “Plan your career, but then again be ready for good opportunities, different ones if they come by,” she advises. Emphasising the importance of adaptability Eric says, “The ability to react is at least as important as the ability to plan because you will get unexpected, good opportunities as well as unexpected challenges regardless of your level of planning.”

For some, moving abroad proved pivotal. “Go international if you can,” urges Terhi. Reflecting on the roles that pushed her out of her comfort zone and into growth, Yang says, “Put yourself out there, learn as much as you can, take as much risk as you can.” Her approach to career planning is guided by a simple principle: “When an opportunity presents itself, I always say if it will present me with a new challenge, whether a new country or a new role, I always go for it.”

A pattern of embracing discomfort by making frequent moves and taking new challenges is also visible in Chad’s journey. “As soon as I start feeling myself get comfortable, I start seeking out the next thing that’s going to put me in that uncomfortable space,” he says.

Building relationships and finding mentors are other consistent threads. Yang speaks movingly of the global treasurer who saw her potential and moved her to a bigger role early in her career: “I didn’t know I could do that, but someone saw and took a risk on me.” Similarly, Chad shares the trust he had in his mentors and colleagues early in his career to guide him in the right direction. “I had such a strong, powerful network of people around me that truly had my best interests at heart,” he says. Colleen takes this further, emphasising how important it is to mentor others as well: “Forming great relationships, identifying mentors and identifying who you can be helpful to mentor. We always have someone ahead of us, we always have someone coming up behind us and what a great opportunity to form those relationships through team wins and teamwork, but also through mentorship.”

A broad base of experience also stands out as essential. “Knowing how the entire system works is important,” states Rajendra, emphasising how taking up roles in other departments can help with this. “Without that diversity of experiences, I’m not sure that I would have had the tools to become the strategic CFO I wanted to be,” says Colleen. Eric also encourages future CFOs to deliberately broaden their remit: “Even if you are a great treasury professional, it is really helpful to take that stint in accounting or FP&A… broaden yourself out.” Yang echoes this, having moved between roles in treasury, sales and marketing across continents, all driven by a desire to connect the dots. “Don’t be afraid of having different experiences,” says Yang. “You learn a lot of different things in different departments.”

Looking to the future

The role of Chief Financial Officer is evolving, whilst the core principals may stay the same the role today demands much more. As Colleen puts it, “The CFO role today is broader and more strategic than ever. It requires this ability to go deeper, but it also requires CFOs to be more generalists as well.”

Today’s CFO is a partner to the CEO and board, a strategist with a long-term view and a champion of change. “As CFO, you are the trusted thinking partner for the CEO and the board to achieve the financial goals and strategic vision of the company,” says Rajendra.

Looking ahead, the majority believe technology will continue to transform the role, and that technological advancements should be used to free up space for creativity and curiosity. CFOs who can help their teams embrace technology are in high demand, notes Yang.

And it’s not just about digital skills. As the role continues to evolve, CFOs will need to spend more time planning for the future. “It’s going to be more about seeing what the new trends are and starting to get on to those trends quicker, being early adopters,” says Chad, emphasising that the start-up mentality will be useful in this role.

Ultimately, as the Ask A CFO series reveals, today’s CFO must be part analyst, part strategist, part coach and, above all, a lifelong learner. Whether you’re a young person seeking inspiration, are at the beginning of your finance career or eyeing the C-suite, these insights offer a rare, candid glimpse into one of the most vital roles in business.