Who is a Modern-day CFO?
Gunnar Wiedenfels, the Chief Financial Officer of Warner Bros Discovery, recently made an interesting comment at the Bank of America Securities Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference: “For a decade in streaming, an enormously valuable amount of quality content has been given away well below fair market value, and I think that's in the process of being corrected”. His words clearly indicate how the business of CFOs has transformed over the years. Modern-day CFOs are direct growth contributors.
It’s no secret that investors will continue to demand both growth and profitability at the same time. Hence, CFOs, while comprehending that they are perceived as direct growth hackers, must find ways to ensure shorter timelines and intact quality with lower costs. That means coordinating with other C-suite executives, reimagining work, and tech-enabling the organization. They need to build business strategies that deliver sustainable outcomes quickly reflected in profit and loss (P&L) statements.
Well, while digitalization is a way of doing business rather than a one-time investment, CFOs must ensure that they find tangible benefits and monetize investments in digital technology. Indeed, many of these technologies, some of them in early development, are already creating significant impacts. The mantra for the automotive CFOs is taking that leap of faith. However, they need team members who are not only skilled in accounting, auditing, and compliance but also understand data visualization, are flexible thinkers, possess good communication skills, and, most importantly, have a lot of business sense.
We dedicate this special issue to the excellent CFOs in Indonesia.