Trend Finance leaders move from stewardship to leading enterprise strategy

Summary

Deloitte's second trend argues that finance leaders are becoming strategy leaders rather than mere stewards of financial management. For many, the era of spending most of their time on core accounting foundations is over. The report says their influence over enterprise strategy is growing in step with the widening scope of their role. Many now carry more accountability for business outcomes wherever they can coordinate collaboration and push transformative growth. In the survey, 57% say they play a leading role in shaping strategy, and these leaders handle about 20% more responsibilities across nine categories. They are also further ahead in using cloud, AI and agents, which the report ties to their ability to act as proactive business partners.