Every critical choice a company makes — where to invest, how to price, when to hire — is only as sound as the financial data behind it. As AI accelerates the pace and stakes of those choices, someone must champion how that data is governed, explained, and used. That someone is the chief financial officer (CFO).
As the CFOs remit further expands into cross-functional leadership and value creation, this advocacy becomes core to the role.
Why the office of the CFO is uniquely positioned
Stewardship of trust
Boards and audit committees look to finance for accuracy, comparability, and decision-readiness. Yet access and quality issues are widespread: 99% of finance leaders report challenges accessing data across the business, and 99% have experienced negative consequences from decisions made on inaccurate information. This is not just an IT problem; it’s a leadership gap the office of the CFO is uniquely credible to close.
In a conversation with David McClelland on The CFO Playbook podcast, we emphasized how Anaplan has AI analyst agents trained on each domain, but the data must be structured and carry the same context end to end. Without that discipline, it becomes impossible to trust the insights or the decisions they drive. A unified financial data strategy ensures context, quality, and lineage stay intact from the moment data enters the business to the moment a decision is made.
Finance’s seat at the intersection of every major function gives the office of the CFO unmatched visibility into the operational drivers that move revenue and profitability.
Enterprise vantage point
Finance sees the full picture: revenue, cost, cash, and capital across products, regions, and functions. That remit is expanding — 95% of finance leaders say their responsibilities now extend beyond traditional boundaries. A financial data strategy anchored in the office of the CFO connects information to outcomes and keeps strategy, risk, and performance grounded in the same truth set across all departments.
Decision quality and speed
Forecasts that arrive late or can’t withstand scrutiny undermine confidence. 87% of finance leaders say forecasts are often out of date by the time stakeholders see them, and 100% report personal consequences when accuracy slips. Advocacy for a coherent financial data strategy shortens the path from signal to decision and makes the “why” behind the numbers transparent. That is why agility starts with finance — when planning is continuous and scenario-led, the business can pivot with confidence instead of reacting late.
Why advocacy must include AI — and guardrails
AI can compress analysis cycles and surface drivers that humans miss, but only if the underlying data is reliable and the models are explainable. Most organizations aren’t there yet: just 7% have the right technology to forecast at speed, and 59% lack the data and analytics infrastructure to realize AI’s value. This isn’t only about analytics — it is a broader shift from financial stewardship to value creation that asks CFOs to pair AI technology with explainability and control. Finance defines value at stake and risk tolerance; technology teams design the architecture. Together, they align AI-driven analysis with fiduciary expectations.
In comments shared on The CFO Playbook, the point was made that CFOs are looking to make a better decision faster, and they we can do that, the business will grow faster. That mindset reframes the role of AI. It isn’t about replacing people — it’s about elevating decision-quality and accelerating how quickly your finance can help the business pivot with confidence.
The cost of staying on the sidelines
Despite the urgency, only 35% of organizations are actively improving their forecasting capabilities. The personal and organizational costs of inaccuracy are real: increased workload (47%), department hiring freezes (41%), and stakeholder criticism (41%) all contribute to burnout and stalled initiatives. Standing back from the financial data strategy means slower choices, muted growth, and credibility at risk.
The mandate
Financial outcomes are data outcomes. If the office of the CFO does not advocate for — and partner on — the financial data strategy, no one will connect accuracy, explainability, and speed to the decisions that create value. That is the mandate: steward the data, clarify the trade-offs, and accelerate the choices that matter. The evolution from CFO to ‘chief value officer’ underscores the point; financial stewardship now includes the data, skills, and partnerships that unlock enterprise value.
