AI, Cyber Risk and the Talent Challenge CFOs Cannot Ignore
If you were building your finance function today, would it look the same?
It's a question more CFOs should be asking.
Everywhere we look, organisations are talking about AI, automation, data and transformation. Finance leaders are being challenged to think differently about forecasting, reporting, decision making and risk management. At the same time, cyber threats continue to evolve, regulation is changing and businesses are under constant pressure to do more with less.
Yet whilst many organisations are investing heavily in technology, there is a risk that they are overlooking the people needed to make it successful.
Our recent Workplace Insights survey revealed that 65.9% of professionals say AI has already impacted their role. However, only 14.8% have received structured AI training from their employer. Even more concerning, almost a third of finance professionals reported receiving no AI training or guidance at all.
That gap matters.
The conversation in leadership meetings is often centred around opportunity. Increased efficiency. Better data. Faster decision making. However, the experience further down the organisation can look very different.
Almost one third of junior finance professionals believe AI will have a negative impact on their career, while more than half identify job security as a key concern. In contrast, over 80% of Finance Directors believe AI will positively impact their future.
Neither side is necessarily wrong.
Senior leaders tend to see AI as a tool that removes administration and creates capacity for higher value work. Junior professionals are often looking at tasks that could be automated and wondering where they fit into the future of the profession.
This is why AI is not simply a technology challenge. It is a leadership challenge.
The organisations that gain the most from AI over the coming years are unlikely to be those that invest the most money in software. They will be the organisations that invest in helping their people understand, adopt and use these tools effectively.
Alongside AI, cyber risk continues to rise up the boardroom agenda. As finance teams gain access to more data and increasingly sophisticated technology, they also become a more attractive target. The combination of AI driven threats, phishing attacks and increasingly complex fraud attempts means that cyber resilience is no longer solely an IT issue. It is a business issue.
Strong data, robust governance and clear accountability are becoming essential foundations for future growth.
Perhaps the biggest challenge of all is talent.
Demand is growing for finance professionals who can combine technical expertise with commercial thinking, data literacy and an understanding of emerging technologies. Yet the talent pool remains relatively shallow. Many professionals are still experimenting with AI tools, but relatively few have had the opportunity to apply them in a meaningful finance environment.
That will change, and probably faster than many expect.
The finance leaders who will be best positioned for the future are those who view AI, cyber security and business transformation through a people lens as well as a technology lens. Building capability, developing skills and bringing employees on the journey will be just as important as selecting the right systems.
Technology may be changing the profession, but people will still determine who succeeds.