The CFO Alliance http://thecfoalliance.org held its inaugural Charlotte meeting yesterday at Carmel Country Club.
The meeting was attended by CFOs from leading companies and organizations across the greater Charlotte area including National Gypsum, EnPro Industries, Comporium Communications, United Way of Central Carolinas and more.
The event featured an interactive breakfast roundtable that was effectively facilitated by Professor Tom Canace of Wake Forest University.
The topic?
“The Strategic Role of the CFO: Becoming a Business Partner”.
Tom focused on two central themes for consideration by the CFOs:
- Rethink your processes (“frees you up to ________”).
- See yourself (and your team) as “partner”.
Tom cited the following value in the CFO transforming into the role of “Strategic Business Partner” including:
- Fosters ability to lead change
- Enables the organization to speak with one voice
- Allows the CFO to become a “business integrator”
- Aligns accountability
- Fosters healthy tension in the business
Team DARTON suggests the following resources that address the role of CFO as “Strategic Business Partner”:
- The CFO as Business Integrator http://www.amazon.com/CFO-Business-Integrator-Cedric-Read/dp/047085149X
- Deloitte’s “Four Faces of the CFO” http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_US/us/Insights/browse-by-role/Chief-Financial-Officer-CFO/index.htm
- CFO: Architect of the Corporation’s Future http://www.amazon.com/PricewaterhouseCoopers-Financial-Cost-Management-Team/dp/0471975990
- The CFO as Analyst and Advisor http://harvardbusiness.org/product/the-cfo-as-analyst-and-adviser/an/4095BC-HCB-ENG?Ntt=finance+and+accounting
