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2025 Global Finance Leaders Survey results revealed! Make a bigger impact as a finance leader
Our 2025 Global Finance Leaders Survey has top tips from 751 CFOs, so you can think big about the impact you can make in your role as a finance leader.
March 5, 2025Did you know that 78% of finance leaders feel their position is more challenging than when they first entered a leadership role?
As the role of CFO becomes more complex, learning from your peers becomes even more valuable. What are their challenges? Where are they allocating their resources? What technology are they investing in? And how does this compare to your own efforts? Gaining insight into the experiences of others in similar roles can offer invaluable perspectives and inspire smarter strategies.
Our 2025 Global Finance Leaders Survey has top tips from 751 CFOs, so you can think big about the impact you can make in your role as a finance leader.
Let’s dive into key highlights from our survey, including the three leadership approaches that finance leaders are using to address everything from strategy to tech investments.
Three leadership approaches for FP&A in 2025
CFOs are juggling a lot of responsibilities in 2025—balancing their day-to-day tasks while also managing organizational risk.
As a result, technology is beginning to play a bigger role in finance, and CFOs have been tasked with proving a return on their investment, while also enabling digital transformation.
And while many CFOs are facing similar struggles, how they approach them differs.
Our 2025 Global Finance Leaders Survey uncovered three distinct leadership approaches that finance leaders are using to lead their teams and meet the unique needs of their business:
- The Expander (31%): Seeks growth by investing in big opportunities and crafting an optimistic narrative for investors.
- The Catalyst (35%): Prioritizes efficiency, scalability, and resilience to quickly adapt to opportunities and threats.
- The Protector (32%): Focuses on managing risk, preserving assets, and maintaining stability during disruption.

One leadership approach is not preferrable to another; finance leaders may change their approach based on the goals of their business. However, these leadership approaches can serve as a lens through which you can view your decisions, strategies, and risk tolerance.
With these leadership approaches in mind, let’s look at the top challenges faced by finance leaders.
Top challenges faced by finance leaders
Regardless of your role in the finance function, our survey revealed several shared challenges:
- 32% - Data reliability, timeliness, and accuracy
- 30% - Scaling processes with growing business needs
- 29% - Effective strategic planning that drives business performance
- 29% - Navigating economic uncertainty and market changes with agility
These challenges underscore a need for resilient and adaptable finance leadership that uses technology to streamline processes, mitigate risks, and unlock new opportunities.

But how can you overcome these challenges to achieve success—for youand your team, in 2025?
To help you on your journey, we’ll next outline the short- and long-term strategies finance leaders are using to deliver on their mandate for digital transformation.
Short-and long-term strategies for finance success
Despite facing challenges like data reliability, scaling processes, and navigating uncertainty, 9 in 10 finance leaders remain optimistic about their business’s financial prospects in 2025.
This optimism is driving finance leaders short- and long-term strategies, such as increased investment in technology and digital transformation.
Although Expanders are the most optimistic leadership approach, Catalysts and Protectors are also open to new opportunities for value creation with finance technology, including an interest in adopting and using artificial intelligence (AI).
This is reflected in finance leaders’ shift from ‘number crunchers’ to strategic advisors, as they need to balance foundational goals with more ambitious short-term projects.
Despite the push for digital transformation, finance leaders are focusing on cost control and eliminating inefficiencies (14%), and asset preservation and liquidity focus (12%) in the next 6-18 months.
Get the insights you need to build your own 2025 finance strategy in our survey.
Digital transformation and its impact on finance teams
Digital transformation is already underway for 75% of finance leaders. Yet, 15% of teams continue to struggle with finding the right technology to invest in.
For many organizations, finding the right technology is a recurring obstacle, despite its high priority for finance leaders.
To accelerate digital transformation, finance leaders have already invested in or are currently investing in:
- Cybersecurity and risk management solutions (76%)
- Cloud-based solutions (74%)
- Corporate/financial management (74%) (i.e., budgeting, forecasting, cash flow, reporting software)

The payoff of getting your technology investment and your digital transformation right is clear. Your organization will be better positioned to thrive in 2025, and you can make a bigger impact in your role as a finance leader by automating and improving processes.
How the right technology helps solve finance challenges
Digital transformation is now a major part of finance leaders’ role in 2025. In fact, 96% of finance leaders surveyed recognize that investing in a wide range of solutions will ensure they can maintain and grow their business’s competitive advantage.

Finance leaders are looking to technology to help them:
- Strengthen data reliability, reducing errors and enhancing accuracy across systems.
- Enable real-time responses to market changes.
- Minimize errors and delays, ensuring strategic planning remains precise and effective.
- Accelerate scaling processes by freeing up teams to focus on growth initiatives.
Conclusion: Make a bigger impact in 2025
The insights shared here are just the beginning!
The 2025 Global Finance Leaders Survey is packed with actionable strategies, comparative data, and expert guidance to help you lead with confidence.
Don’t miss the full report—download it now to access everything you need to make a bigger impact in your role as a finance leader.
Ready to make a bigger impact as a finance leader in 2025?