Day Two of the Gartner CFO & Finance Executive Conference revealed a finance function in transition. Sessions and interviews underscored why CFOs must evolve from guardians to catalysts, balancing AI, digital talent, and compliance to drive competitiveness and strategic growth.
The second day of the Gartner CFO & Finance Executive Conference in London underscored both the weight of transformation facing finance leaders and the practical steps required to seize it.
If Day One was about identity — moving from guardian to catalyst — Day Two was about execution: prioritizing technology investments, preparing new leaders, securing digital talent, and reframing once-back-office functions as strategic levers.
Across keynote sessions and hallway conversations, CFOs were reminded that transformation is not only about AI pilots or ERP migrations. It is about sequencing investments, aligning people with technology, and confronting the hard realities of leadership, data, and compliance.
Marcus Marion, Sr. Director Analyst at Gartner, opened with a blunt warning: the finance technology market is now defined by a “choice paradox.” With so many tools on offer, many organizations are slowing down, unable to decide which investments truly matter.
Gartner’s global survey of 383 organizations showed five areas poised to dominate CFO spending in 2025–26:
Marion noted a decline in Source-to-Pay suite investment, a rise in anomaly detection and AI governance, and a renewed focus on speed.
Leadership transitions are increasingly a defining feature of the CFO role. Dennis Gannon, VP Analyst at Gartner, reported that average tenure fell to 5.6 years in Q4 2024. Yet only 18% of new CFOs had a formal transition plan — and those who did were more than twice as likely to succeed.
He urged CFOs to prioritize four focus areas: establish priorities quickly, clarify the scope of the role, build relationships across the enterprise, and deliver tangible wins in year one.
Most of a CFO’s work now lies outside traditional finance. Gartner data shows heavy involvement in risk, corporate strategy, procurement, AI, IT, and ESG. On average, only 21% of a CFO’s time is spent on core finance.
Gannon’s closing message was stark: too many transformations fail due to poor governance and overreach. “Do fewer things, and do them well,” he said.
Mallory Bulman, Sr. Director Analyst at Gartner, addressed what she called the most underestimated challenge in finance: digital talent. By 2030, at least half of finance teams will need to be digitally skilled. Today, that number sits below a quarter.
To close the gap, finance leaders must redefine roles. Transactional tasks will be automated; what remains demands skills in analytics, AI, and process design. But retention is already proving difficult: digital talent is 63% more likely to be job-hunting and 69% more expensive to replace than core finance staff.
Her recommendations: create belonging, ensure digital employees are using their skills, and invest in continuous development. Traditional role-based career paths will not work; finance must design nonlinear, experience-based trajectories.
“AI doesn’t replace people. People who use AI replace people who don’t,” one Gartner analyst said, summing up the mood.
For Stephan Glismann-Bringmann, Director of Digital Transformation at Billtrust, the conference’s opening keynote — urging CFOs to shift identity from guardians to catalysts — struck a personal chord.
“This will be a real challenge, particularly for CFOs who’ve been in the role a decade or more,” he said. “For newer leaders, especially with a technology background, it may be easier. But it is essential.”
Glismann-Bringmann identified two barriers that cut across nearly every finance team: poor data quality and fragmented processes.
“Weak foundations are the reason for inefficiency, non-compliance, and strained relationships,” he argued. “AI is only as good as the data it works with. You don’t need perfection, but you need consistency and access.”
The talent shortage was another recurring theme. But here, he suggested a reframing.
“Yes, there is a shortage, but often we’re still recruiting for roles that won’t matter tomorrow. What’s needed are profiles with a technology mindset, even if they only have basic finance knowledge. Transactional work will be automated. What remains requires different skills.”
Billtrust itself is applying AI in cash application and collections. Machine learning has long been used in reconciliation, but large language models now make it possible to process even unstructured data. In collections, AI segments customers, automates two-way communication, and drafts responses, allowing staff to resolve queries in minutes rather than hours.
Forecasting, too, is top of mind. “From a CFO perspective, forecasting is key. You can manage everything if you can think ahead,” he said.
His advice to CFOs was blunt: stop chasing efficiency for its own sake. “Start with objectives, not technology. If your aim is to cut DSO by five days, translate that into AI-enabled customer segmentation. Be brave. Test, learn, move forward. And invest in process excellence. That’s how you build resilience.”
For Tiffany Ma and Trevor Walker of OneStream Software, the event echoed their own research: CFOs are expected to move from number-keepers to strategic leaders.
Walker cited OneStream’s 2035 CFO Study, which surveyed over 2,000 executives and investors. “The message was clear: boards and markets want CFOs as strategic leaders, not just data stewards,” he said. “Automation of today’s manual tasks is the only way to free capacity for that role.”
Ma pointed to the keynote’s call for identity change. “Finance professionals used to say, ‘I’m not a technologist.’ That no longer holds,” she said. “You have to understand AI, you have to be digitally fluent. The line between IT and finance is disappearing.”
Speed was a recurring theme. Too many finance teams, they argued, are still trying to accelerate legacy processes instead of rethinking them. “The goal isn’t just shaving days off the close,” Walker said. “It’s about freeing people from the close so they can drive innovation.”
That requires trust and transparency in AI. “If leaders don’t understand the model or can’t validate the results, they won’t use it,” Walker noted. OneStream’s approach is “purpose-built for finance,” embedding financial intelligence into AI rather than offering a black box.
Ma added: “Our auto-machine learning is guided and no-code. A finance user can build forecasts end-to-end without a data science degree. But the foundation is unified data. Point solutions create spaghetti architecture. Finance needs clarity, not more silos.”
On talent, both predicted a sharp pivot. “We’re already hiring more data science graduates,” Ma said. Universities, they argued, must evolve curricula that merge accounting with analytics and coding. “Accounting is rules-based, structured. If you understand coding, you can adapt. That’s where job specs will shift,” Walker said.
They foresee more rotational training for finance graduates, exposing them to IT, ERP projects, and business units. “Context breeds communication,” Walker argued. “And communication accelerates transformation.”
The data problem, however, looms largest. “We’ve said ‘garbage in, garbage out’ for decades. With AI, it’s even more true,” Ma said. “Unified, trusted data is non-negotiable.”
Despite the pressure, Walker rejected the idea of fatigue. “There will be peaks and valleys, but accountants are planners. They prepare and adapt,” he said.
For Ma, the event was validation. “It confirmed we’re on the right track: purpose-built AI, unified platforms, and helping CFOs lead the identity shift. That’s the future.”
For João Paulo da Silva, Regional President for EMEA and APAC at Coupa, the identity shift discussed on stage is already shaping how CFOs need to behave.
“CFOs today must be curious, not just cautious,” he told The CFO. “They already sit on the company’s information. The differentiator is how they orchestrate it to drive growth and manage risk.”
Da Silva described finance as the pivot for competitive advantage: deciding when to enter new markets, when to acquire, and how to manage risk better than rivals. “It’s not only about saving costs,” he argued. “It’s about using information to outperform the competition.”
Talent and technology are inseparable in this evolution. He cited Barclays, where staff were redeployed from routine procurement into negotiating early payments — a shift enabled by digital tools. “Technology should not replace people, but augment them,” he said.
Geoff Kelly, SVP of Growth Marketing at Coupa, stressed the data problem. “Forty-six percent of CFOs say they don’t have the data they need to make decisions,” he said. “AI is only as strong as the data foundation. Coupa’s advantage is scale: $8 trillion in anonymized spend data, 10 million buyers and suppliers. That enables benchmarking and trusted recommendations.”
A recent case study with Suez showed how digitizing procurement and supply chains accelerated execution while reducing exposure. “It’s about speed and control,” da Silva said.
Looking ahead, he argued, CFOs need three things: real-time intelligence, scenario simulation, and sharper questioning. “Think of it like Google Maps for finance. You need live information, the ability to simulate detours, and the discipline to ask the right questions. Without that, AI can amplify mistakes.”
He also highlighted the expanding CFO remit. ESG, once championed across the boardroom, now sits firmly under finance. “As areas mature, they move under the CFO, because finance guarantees continuity and compliance,” he said.
Both executives closed with the same lesson: curiosity must become a defining trait. “Being a catalyst is not only for finance,” da Silva said. “It applies to every function.”
Jonathan Ward, Sales Specialist for EMEA Indirect Tax & Accounting at Thomson Reuters, argued that finance transformation and compliance can no longer be treated separately. “Everyone is looking for competitive advantage through efficiency and automation,” he told The CFO. “But multinational organizations must also remain compliant in every market they operate in. The two are now inseparable.”
Ward said many companies still depend on spreadsheets and manual portals for invoicing and tax reporting. “We speak to clients every day who are importing and exporting invoice data manually. It’s resource-intensive and unsustainable given the pace of regulatory change,” he noted.
That pace is accelerating. Belgium, Poland, France, and Spain will introduce e-invoicing mandates in 2026, with the EU’s VIDA framework creating bloc-wide requirements by 2029. “Without automated e-invoicing capabilities, companies simply won’t be compliant,” Ward warned.
Technology, he added, is the only path forward. “Automation is the key. The question is who can deliver robust, integrated solutions at scale.”
Ward urged CFOs to push tax beyond its operational stereotype. “The value comes from using tax data analytically — to predict the impact of entering new markets or jurisdictions. That’s where tax becomes strategic.”
His priority for the next 12–18 months was clear: e-invoicing and digital reporting must be firmly on the CFO’s agenda.
Fred Portal, Senior Product Marketing Director for EMEA Financials at Workday, described a finance function stretched thin. “Since COVID — and arguably before — CFOs have faced disruption from tax regimes, mandatory e-invoicing, supply chain shocks, and market volatility. Teams haven’t grown, so the only option is to automate further,” he told The CFO.
For Portal, the real shift is not whether finance automates, but how AI can move the function from reactive reporting to proactive leadership. “Machines can do things no human can. The question is trust — trusting the data, trusting AI outputs, and knowing how humans and AI work together,” he said.
Talent sits at the center. “Fewer CPAs are qualifying, while retirements rise. CFOs don’t need ‘super accountants’ anymore. They need people who understand finance and are comfortable with technology,” Portal noted. Workday’s systems are designed so non-IT staff can adapt them directly, delivering contextual, real-time insights across functions.
He pointed to Workday’s CLM acquisition as an example of AI’s broader role: reading and normalizing contracts to flag tariff risks, renewal triggers, or renegotiation opportunities. “That moves finance from back-office to proactive partner,” he said.
Electronic invoicing mandates across Europe, he argued, make automation unavoidable. “It makes no sense for highly trained accountants to key invoices. Automating compliance frees people for higher-value work,” he added.
Portal urged CFOs to scale AI thoughtfully: start with business priorities, leverage ERP capabilities, and avoid costly bespoke projects. “Finance leaders don’t need to code, but they must be technology-savvy. They are the compass for the business, guiding direction and performance insight,” he said.
For Eric Zhou, Chief Accounting Officer at Brex, the event spotlighted how finance roles have evolved.
“The finance function is no longer just the back office,” he said. “It now partners with sales, R&D, and marketing to provide insights and shape decisions.”
Zhou described how the CAO role, once indistinguishable from controllership, has expanded to cover technical accounting, SEC reporting, and financial operations. At Brex, his work complements CFO Ben’s investment banking background. “I produce the accurate materials; he interprets performance and tells the story to investors. That’s the partnership,” Zhou explained.
As Brex scales internationally, that partnership is tested further. The firm recently secured a license in EMEA. For Zhou, that means establishing books, records, funds flows, and capitalization. For the CFO, it means setting investor expectations and defining growth timelines.
The licensing process itself was a challenge. “Patience was required,” Zhou said. Looking ahead, he expects cultural differences in card usage and compliance to present further tests. Yet the fundamentals remain the same: accurate books, compliance, and giving teams time back to focus on higher-value work.
His advice for finance leaders: “Don’t just input numbers. Understand where they come from. That context is what makes finance valuable.”
For Gunjan Tripathi, Solutions Marketing Director at Vertex, indirect taxes are no longer niche. They are front and center for CFOs.
“Invoices are the heart of both risk management and cash flow,” she said. In Europe, where VAT rates reach 27%, the stakes are high.
Tax authorities themselves are digitizing rapidly, demanding unprecedented invoice detail even before returns are due. “That puts pressure squarely on CFOs,” Tripathi said.
Tax technology, she argued, is shifting from cost center to strategic lever. Deployed smartly, it creates controlled frameworks that enable forecasting, supply chain optimization, and cash management. Yet too often, tax is left out of ERP transformations — a costly oversight.
The regulatory tide will not slow. HMRC’s digital-first agenda, EU reforms, OECD initiatives, and sweeping changes in Brazil and India all point in one direction: more data, more scrutiny. “Manual compliance is no longer feasible,” Tripathi said. “Technology has to augment the team.”
She compared the moment to SOX compliance two decades ago: what feels onerous today will soon be non-negotiable.
Carlos Mercuriali, General Manager at Avalara, echoed the same point: compliance has become a strategic priority.
“VAT in Europe is not just back-office. It’s tied directly to cash flow,” he said. Governments are moving fast on real-time reporting and e-invoicing mandates, creating unprecedented complexity.
Avalara integrates with over 1,000 ERP and procurement systems, ensuring consistent data flows across tax calculation, validation, and reporting. “If data is inconsistent, CFOs face penalties and inefficiencies. Integration is essential,” Mercuriali said.
Tariffs and cross-border trade were another hot issue. Avalara now offers real-time visibility into duties, supported by AI that classifies products correctly. “If you’re a global distributor or e-commerce firm, you can’t afford errors. The costs are too high,” he explained.
Feedback from CFOs centered on two themes: demand for AI and the need for platforms that scale globally. Avalara’s roadmap reflects both, with AI tools for tariff classification, compliance chatbots, and predictive reporting engines.
“Tax contributes directly to pricing, supply chains, and cash flow,” Mercuriali said. “Handled strategically, it creates competitive advantage.”
By the close of Day Two, several themes had crystallized:
The future of finance is not only about AI or automation. It is about precision, identity, and the courage to prioritize. From Billtrust’s call to move beyond efficiency, to Coupa’s insistence on curiosity, to OneStream’s demand for unified platforms, the tone was pragmatic but ambitious.
The CFO’s role is expanding into talent, tax, technology, and beyond. Success will not depend on choosing every new tool but on orchestrating people, data, and processes to build trust and accelerate action.
For finance leaders, the question is no longer whether to change. It is how fast — and how well.