Publish Date
Feb 04, 2025
Supercharging the Finance Function: When CFOs Should Consider Finance Function Assessments and Why
Service / Industry: CFO Services, Process Industry
The role of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) has evolved significantly, driven by advancements in cloud-based finance ERP systems, data analytics, and artificial intelligence, along with rising investor expectations.
Modern CFOs are now key strategic leaders and decision-makers, partnering with CEOs and executive teams to drive value creation and transformation plans.
This expanded role demands a finance function that excels in business insight, speed, and accuracy, and is closely integrated with operations and key business data.
Leading CFOs are addressing these challenges by investing in talent, automation, and process improvements.
A finance function assessment can further accelerate transformation by providing an independent review of current performance and a prioritised roadmap for improvements.
How A&M can help:
By working closely with the finance team, our rapid diagnostic method reduces the time required to identify and validate opportunities. We can then help operationalise these opportunities quickly to deliver fast results. Additionally, our finance function assessment helps clients enhance their finance functions, enabling CFOs to drive broader strategic or transformation initiatives, including P&L and cash improvements.
Authors
Christina Barakett
Is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal’s Private Equity Services in London. She brings 20 years of experience in finance and transformation roles. Ms. Barakett leads finance functions as interim CFO and develops transformation programmes to deliver EBITDA and cash improvements.
Craig Cavin
With over 18 years of experience in interim management and operational transformation, Mr. Cavin has worked closely with management teams to drive sustainable and significant improvements in performance. His primary areas of concentration are operating model, finance function and cost base transformation. Mr. Cavin has worked with clients across a range of industries, including manufacturing, retail, healthcare, business services, logistics, construction, engineering, technology and automotive.