Roadmap to the modern CFO office

Newly designated CPAs have a wide range of options ahead of them, but for many, the CFO office remains the ultimate goal. However, today’s CFO looks very different from decades past. Advanced technical skills are now just table stakes. CEOs are looking for CFOs to be strategic partners focused on growth and increasing shareholder value. According to our first guest, this means aspiring CFOs need to accumulate a wide range of experiences beyond finance. Ross Woledge is Partner at Odgers Berndtson, an international executive search firm. He is head of the firm's CFO practice. Ross says CEOs are looking for CFOs who have experience running business lines, managing a wide range of employees and building value for shareholders. “The technical is absolutely table stakes, and you need that. You can't get to the strategic without that, but having that strategic acumen, CEOs are absolutely adamant that that's what they want,” says Ross Woledge. Geoff Lowe agrees with this. He is CFO for Enercare, one of North A