In the face of volatility, CFOs—and their organizations—adapt

As inflation and economic volatility pose mounting threats to company growth, CFOs report high volatility in their own business’s performance—and little expectation that performance will stabilize in the near term. Yet in our latest CFO pulse survey,¹ The survey, conducted online and by telephone, was in the field from April 1 to May 4, 2023, and garnered responses from 137 financial leaders of companies in 36 countries; 68 are CFOs of companies, 68 are CFOs of business units or regions, and one is a direct report of the CFO. For the purposes of the article, we will refer to all respondents as CFOs. To adjust for differences in response rates, the data are weighted by the contribution of each respondent’s nation to global GDP. respondents say they’re adapting, not hunkering down. The results suggest that finance leaders are taking proactive steps in the face of economic headwinds and enterprise risk. Since our previous survey on the topic, CFOs say they have adjusted their own priorities with performance and productivity in mind. And in the months ahead, they plan to refocus the finance organization on managing operational value drivers and key performance indicators (KPIs).

The past year has been fraught with volatility, and the overwhelming majority of CFOs we surveyed believe the next 12 months will be just as challenging—or even more so. Yet these leaders are adapting, not retreating. Even in the face of volatility, CFOs are staying positive on investment and growth.