INTHEBLACK April 2026 - Magazine - Page 49
HOW TO
of supervision, Gorton says, interpersonal
effectiveness will have enormous influence
on which finance professionals rise to the top,
and which do not.
“CFOs are hired based on behaviours and
interpersonal effectiveness,” she adds. “The
difference between a finance director and a
CFO is usually the interpersonal gravitas that
a particular individual has.”
PROFIT F
RO
FINA
NCE
IN TH
ADVANC
E MO
DER
N
ED ACCO
ADVICE FOR ACCOUNTANTS
What should today’s accountants — the potential CFOs
of tomorrow — do to prepare for this new world?
Selvaratnam believes continuous learning is
essential. “Our body of knowledge needs to change
or grow almost exponentially,” he says. “Love
learning and constantly seek to build your emotional
intelligence.”
Ryan agrees and says that adaptability and
mindset will be critical. “To survive and thrive in
uncertainty, you have to love learning, be curious
and accept every single challenge thrown your way.”
Gorton recommends younger finance professionals
choose workplaces that embrace modern platforms
and a culture of learning, but that are also populated
by people they want to learn from.
Khoury says the finance leaders of tomorrow must
be able to tell a compelling business story. “You
have all this technical knowledge, and now you have
to home in on your soft skills, your ability to build
relationships, build alliances and tell stories.”
What will never change is the need for human
judgement, ethical courage, clear communication
and the ability to lead through change.
Those deeply human abilities are the most important
next-generation CFO skills of all. ●
READ
an article featuring career
advice from three
C-suite leaders
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UPSKILL
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