CFOs and AI: What Employers Should Look For in Finance Leaders

Apr 26, 2026 By Byron Thomas Recruitment

For years, CFOs have been asked to be more strategic. AI is accelerating that shift. The finance leaders who stand out now are not only strong operators and stewards of control; they are also translators between data, technology, risk and business value.

The CFO’s AI moment is really a leadership moment

Generative AI is already moving into forecasting, reporting, transaction processing, financial planning and decision support. Deloitte has argued that “CFOs and Finance leaders should start to develop strategies today for how generative AI will affect both their functions and their businesses tomorrow” in its finance-focused generative AI guidance.

"CFOs and Finance leaders should start to develop strategies today for how generative AI will affect both their functions and their businesses tomorrow."

Deloitte, The implications of generative AI in Finance

That is an important distinction. AI is not just another software implementation. It changes the way finance teams produce insight, test assumptions and allocate capital. For employers, it also changes what to look for in a senior finance hire.

The opportunity is efficiency, but the value is better judgement

PwC’s finance transformation work points to the scale of the opportunity, citing potential near-term value from AI agents including up to 90% time savings in key processes, up to 60% of team time redirected to insight work and up to 40% improvement in forecasting accuracy and speed.

90% Potential time savings in key finance processes, cited by PwC.

60% Potential team time redirected toward insight work, cited by PwC.

40% Potential improvement in forecasting accuracy and speed, cited by PwC.

The hiring implication is clear: if routine work becomes more automated, the premium moves to finance leaders who can ask better questions, interpret imperfect data and guide the business through ambiguity.

AI-literate CFOs still need strong controls

McKinsey’s guidance for CFOs is deliberately pragmatic: the CFO’s job is still to allocate capital to the highest-value opportunities, not chase every project with an AI label attached. McKinsey says CFOs should identify the largest opportunities for value creation and make sure those opportunities receive the funding and resources they need.

This matters because finance leaders are often the executives who must turn excitement into disciplined investment decisions. They need to understand where AI can improve the business, but also where the assumptions are weak, the data is poor, the governance is unclear or the return on investment is overstated.

The finance team will need different skills

EY’s finance transformation commentary makes the talent challenge explicit. Steven Krueger, EY Global Finance Technology Services Leader, says the adoption of technologies such as RPA, AI and machine learning can boost finance efficiency and effectiveness through automation and improved analytical insight. EY also quotes Krueger saying finance leaders cannot “just retool” finance functions; they have to “reimagine the role” finance professionals play.

"Technology is our ally, freeing our teams from the grind of routine tasks to focus on strategic initiatives that truly move the needle. Now is the time for CFOs to lead a skills revolution."

Steven Krueger, EY Global Finance Technology Services Leader, in EY's CFO technology transformation article

That means future-ready finance teams will need more than technical reporting capability. They will need people who can work with data, challenge AI outputs, understand risk, communicate insight and collaborate closely with operations, technology and the executive team.

What this means when hiring a CFO or senior finance leader

For organisations hiring a CFO, Finance Director, Head of Finance or senior commercial finance leader, AI should not become a buzzword on the job description. It should sharpen the interview process.

Useful interview areas

How has the candidate used technology to improve reporting, forecasting or decision-making?
Can they explain AI opportunities in plain commercial language, not just technical language?
How do they think about data quality, controls, privacy and model risk?
Have they led finance teams through process change, automation or new-system adoption?
Can they balance efficiency gains with the need for human judgement and accountability?

The best candidates will not pretend AI solves everything. They will know where it can help, where it can mislead and where finance leadership still requires judgement, courage and commercial discipline.

AI is changing finance, but it is not replacing leadership

IBM notes that CFOs are not expected to be technology experts, but they do need to understand how to measure the business value created from generative AI across the organisation. IBM also reports that, on average, AI adopters attribute 40% of finance function FTE redeployment to AI.

"CFOs are not expected to be technology experts. That said, they do need to understand how to measure the business value created from generative AI across the organization."

IBM, The CFO's role in the age of generative AI

That is the balanced view employers should take. The next generation of CFOs will need to be AI-literate, but the best finance leaders will still be judged by their ability to allocate capital, protect the business, build teams and support better decisions.

Hiring a CFO or senior finance leader?

Byron Thomas Recruitment supports employers with accounting, finance and executive search assignments across Sydney, Parramatta and Australia. If your next finance leader needs to combine technical strength, commercial judgement and change leadership, we can help you shape the brief and reach the right market.

Discuss a finance leadership search

Sources

CFO recruitmentfinance leadershipAI in financeexecutive searchsenior finance recruitment Sydney