INTHEBLACK April 2026 - Magazine - Page 47
“We know AI is now beginning to play an
increased role in terms of the workplace and
how we do things, but emotional intelligence
in the leadership and management of people
will become increasingly important.”
ROHIT SELVARATNAM FCPA, MINDHIVE GLOBAL
AN ESG ARCHITECT
In many organisations, CFOs already play a significant
or ownership role in environmental, social and
governance (ESG) responsibilities.
The difference in 2050, Selvaratnam explains,
is that the role will be deeper and felt across
the organisation.
“If you are taking ESG to be a compliance matter,
that is different,” he says. “But if you are taking ESG
to be a part of the firm’s culture, which it absolutely
should be, then it is a shared responsibility.”
Khoury agrees, noting that stewardship,
governance and sustainability are all set to intensify
as CFO priorities, but also become priorities for all
organisational leaders. “AI is not going to help you
with that. You are going to have to ask, ‘What do we
want to do when it comes to these targets?’, whether
it is the use of fuel, your carbon footprint, how you
are treating the environment or your people, and so
on. Ethics will stand above all of this.”
Corporate culture suffered a great deal during
the various recent economic and social crises,
Khoury says, and it is still something a lot of
organisations are struggling with. As ESG
becomes a deeper focus for the CFO function,
culture will be another long-term challenge for
finance leaders.
For Kerri Ryan FCPA, executive general manager
of corporate services and CFO at RSL Queensland,
ESG responsibility intersects with generational
change, and will continue to do so over the next
several decades.
“As the younger generation starts to vote and
enter the workplace, they are going to want
to see an organisation’s impact and make sure
it is meaningful,” she says.
BOLD SIGNALS intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au 47
