CFO Insights: AI, Investors & the Future of Finance
Pearse Professionals recently hosted an intimate CFO Roundtable at The Wolseley in Mayfair, bringing together CFOs and senior finance leaders from across private equity and venture capital backed businesses.
The session provided a space for open conversation around some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing our finance leaders.
The Progression of the CFO Role
The role of the CFO today is constantly changing and progressing. The discussion around the table opened with a shared recognition: CFOs are no longer just responsible for finance - they are key drivers of business strategy, culture, and transformation.
Our attendees noted the increasing demand for CFOs who can not only manage numbers, but also decode data, implement systems, shape investor relations, and lead high performing teams. This shift is reshaping both how companies hire CFOs, and how CFOs view their own growth.
AI in Finance
Artificial intelligence dominated the agenda, led by Maya Bankovich, a strategic board advisor and AI expert. While there was universal agreement on its transformative potential, the group was focused on practical implementation.
Rather than viewing AI as a threat, the CFOs discussed how AI can enhance, but not replace, the finance function. Key opportunities included:
Automating manual processes to free up time
Improving accuracy in reporting and forecasting
Surfacing predictive insights for smarter decisions
The consensus? AI will redefine the CFO role by making space for more strategic thinking and real time decision making.
The Investor Playbook
Most of the CFOs in the room had extensive experience working under venture capital or private equity “playbooks,” with a mixed review around the table on how effective they are to help businesses scale. Many attendees agreed they’re not one size fits all.
There was clear agreement on one thing: effective CFOs must know when to challenge the playbook, especially when short term targets conflict with long term strategy.
Building Scalable Infrastructure
As businesses grow, their systems often become a bottleneck and struggle to keep pace. ERP implementations, finance transformation programs, and data centralisation were all hot topics around the table. Several CFOs shared war stories from tech rollouts and finance transformation projects, while also trying to uncover ways to keep all data sources in one place.
The takeaway? Strong data foundations are no longer just a nice to have - they’re critical to long term success. When implemented early and with the right strategy, they result in better reporting, faster decision making, and more efficient performance tracking.
The Progressive CFO Role
The CFO role is no longer just about finance. Today, CFOs are expected to be strategic operators, data translators, and tech enablers. This shift is influencing recruitment, with companies increasingly looking for CFOs who:
Inspire the next generation and build high performance teams
Communicate effectively across the boardroom and the back office
Commercial mindset with systems fluency
Lead during uncertainty and change
The demand for multi-skilled finance leaders, particularly in high growth, investor backed settings continues to grow.
Final Takeaway
AI and automation may be changing how finance operates, but the fundamentals remain. Good judgment, strategic alignment, and the ability to lead through complexity.
The roundtable highlighted how modern CFOs are balancing these forces with a blend of data, tech and investor alignment to drive efficiency, value creation, and long term growth.
There were plenty of ideas shared, including useful websites and tools - please feel free to reach out to our Technology Consultant, Will Dodds or Interim Consultant, Will Sharples if you would like access to these.
Want to Join the Conversation?
Pearse Professionals will be hosting future CFO events to continue building dialogue across the finance leadership space. If you're a CFO looking to connect with like minded leaders, or a business looking to hire senior finance talent, please get in touch with: