As CFOs look to 2025, their plan of action might be best described as taking measured risks for growth while building stability—all with a hefty emphasis on technology initiatives. While executives understandably have concerns about continuing economic and geopolitical uncertainty, a key part of their strategy will be focusing on what they can control.
With that in mind, we identified seven key areas drawn from interviews with finance leaders that they are focusing on for growth and resilience in their organizations.
1. Use Data Visibility to Push Financial Goals
The rapidly changing prices, shifts in customer demand, and economic volatility of the last several years have left companies with added cost and complexity, driving CFOs to zero in on data to improve business performance. In PwC’s June 2024 Pulse Survey, CFOs show they’re focusing on business fundamentals with 58% of respondents saying they’re dedicating more time to business performance management compared to a year ago. CFOs have always loved their key performance indicators (KPIs), but now the leaders want to track a wider range of KPIs, in finance and also in operations areas. And they want to share those metrics more easily with operational leaders, to make metrics the foundation of performance conversations with sales, production, human resources, and similar groups. Look for software that centralizes data from across the business and includes built-in capabilities for automatically tracking KPIs, so the finance team can easily view and share up-to-date metrics via dashboards and status reports.
2. Drive AI Initiatives Forward
Most financial leaders at this point understand the potential of AI and generative AI. However, where to apply AI in their finance organization may be less clear cut. Stumped on where to start? Consider asking your employees. Many times, they’ll have a process they hate that they want to automate, or think could be more efficient. Potential areas could include bill capture or account reconciliations. As teams identify tasks on which they would like to apply AI, they should look at whether AI capabilities are available within their existing software tools. The majority of companies don’t have the resources to develop or train AI models on their own. Instead, using AI-powered features embedded within their platform can provide an easier, lower-cost point of entry.
3. Give Finance Staff Normal Hours and Fewer Fire Drills
Having finance teams working until 1 a.m. every quarter just to close the books or working weekends scrambling to find the numbers to update a forecast for a board meeting isn’t great for morale. 53% of CFOs say retaining and attracting talent is either an “extensive” or “significant” struggle, according to EY’s 2024 Tax and Finance Operations Survey. Further, 89% say talent-related barriers are preventing their finance functions from delivering on their purpose and vision. While compensation plays a big role in talent attraction and retention, work-life balance, burnout, and low-value, repetitive work are also top-ranked reasons for finance professionals leaving a company—or the industry entirely. To increase attraction and retention, finance leaders need to focus on initiatives that will improve their teams’ work-life balance and experience, including technology that automates tedious, manual tasks and brings higher-value work earlier in the career path.
4. Explore Growth Opportunities
Despite headwinds, CFOs are still eyeing measured risks for growth, particularly as the M&A landscape shows signs of optimism. In Dykema’s 20th Annual M&A Outlook Survey of senior executives and dealmaking advisors, 70% of respondents expect a stronger US M&A landscape in the next 12 months. Private equity is a significant driver behind the anticipated M&A resurgence, with nearly seven in 10 surveyed dealmakers believing private equity investors will drive M&A growth in 2025, as firms look to deploy $2.5 trillion in available capital. CFOs should review their portfolios to prepare for strategic deals. They should evaluate current assets’ financial performance, growth potential, risk profile, and alignment with the company’s strategic objectives.
5. Bolster Cybersecurity Amid Increasing Stakes
The stakes around cybersecurity are increasing—and CFOs are taking note. The average cost of a data breach in 2024 was $4.88 million—a 10% increase over 2023 and the highest total ever, according to research from IBM and the Ponemon Institute. CFOs are experts in risk management, making them natural allies of the CISO or CIO in their cybersecurity plans. Technology executives should consult CFOs on cybersecurity plans, making sure they reflect the company’s overall financial risk. Important areas for both executives to consider as they create plans around cybersecurity are the impact of new AI initiatives, any applicable reporting obligations, and coverage from the company’s cyber insurance policy.
6. Stay Ahead of Regulations and Policy Changes
2025 marks a major year for potential regulatory and policy changes. As a candidate, President-elect Donald Trump said he would impose 10%-20% tariffs across the board on imports and 60% on imports from China. Time will tell how that plays out, and businesses are preparing for different scenarios. In 2025, US lawmakers will confront major tax policy expirations, the majority of which stem from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Consequently, finance chiefs need to be nimble around a possible “Taxmageddon,” where recent policies or assumptions dramatically change, and model how potential changes might affect them and plan for those impacts.
7. Reshape Your Finance Team’s Future
Transformation initiatives have been on the CFO’s agenda for years, and 2025 marks a noticeable sense of urgency from their bosses. In IBM’s 2024 CEO Survey, 43% of respondents said they’ll increase the tempo of their organization’s transformational change over the next 12 months. For CFOs, that emphasis brings their technology partnerships to the forefront. In IBM’s 2024 CFO Survey, leading CFOs said CTOs are their most important relationship, with 72% identifying them as highly important or critical. And 65% of CEOs said their organization’s success is directly tied to the quality of collaboration between finance and technology functions. As technology strategy and financial outcomes become increasingly interconnected. CFOs should engage with technology leaders early and often to help ensure that technology investments are aligned with financial goals and overall business strategy.
Want to learn more? Check out the full business guide, The CFO Agenda: 25 Business-Building Ideas for 2025, for 25 actionable steps in these areas to help chart a strong course for 2025.

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