It was a real pleasure to be part of this year’s CFO Symposium 2025 in New Zealand, both as a sponsor through LEAD Executive Search and Consult Recruitment, and personally as a keynote speaker and panelist. Events like these are always energising, but this year felt particularly timely and important.
This year’s NZ CFO Symposium was themed “CFO Horizons: Future Focussed Leadership 2025 > 2030” and it delivered exactly that, with big conversations about where the finance function is going next.
We’re at a pivotal moment in the finance profession. Business will change more in the next 10 years than it has in the last 1000. In this rapidly changing era, finance leaders face a critical challenge: creating teams that deliver strategic value far beyond traditional finance and accounting competencies.
Change is already happening and I was grateful for the opportunity to speak to a room full of CFOs, finance leaders, economists, and futurists who are thinking not just about what’s happening now, but about where we go next.
Our keynote session topic
The title of our keynote session: “Beyond the balance sheet: Building the finance team you need now to be around tomorrow” came from a question I’ve been thinking about a lot lately:
What kind of finance team will still be relevant in five years? Ten? And beyond.
The reality is: the traditional model isn’t going to cut it anymore. Our presentation shared exclusive market research on the rapidly evolving finance function, sharing critical talent gaps affecting New Zealand businesses today. We explored innovative retention and development strategies essential for building future-proofed finance teams, ones with the strategic acumen and commercial mindset required to navigate unprecedented change and drive sustainable competitive advantage in tomorrow’s business landscape.
The big finance function shift: From scorekeeper to strategist
Right now, most NZ businesses we surveyed are focused on growing revenue, improving processes, and cutting costs – and rightly so. But those goals can’t be achieved if finance is stuck in the back office, bogged down in spreadsheets and legacy thinking.
Today’s finance leaders and teams need to be embedded in strategy. That means being in the room where decisions are made not just reporting on them after the fact.
If you’d like to have your say on the future of leadership in New Zealand, you can take part in our latest LEAD Forward NZ Impact Leadership Survey.
5 key shifts to build a finance team that is “future ready”
We talked through five critical shifts we believe every finance leader needs to drive:
1. Shift the identity of finance
Move finance from being seen as “controllers” or “scorekeepers” to strategic business enablers. Finance should be a commercial enabler, influencing product decisions, operations, and long-term direction, not just tracking performance.
2. Redesign the team around capabilities, not just roles
We shared our DISH framework, which helps finance leaders assess what skills they really need:
- Digital skills: AI tools, cloud platforms, automation, machine learning
- Industry-specific skills: Regulatory knowledge, specialised software
- Soft skills: Communication, leadership, problem-solving
- Hard skills: Technical abilities like coding, data analysis, financial modeling
This kind of capability-first approach makes it much easier to plan, hire, and develop intentionally.
3. Strategic interim solutions for finance talent shortages
Interim, fractional & contract finance executives offer an immediate solution to critical talent gaps, providing specialised expertise without the commitment and timeline of permanent recruitment.
These seasoned professionals can rapidly implement advanced skills in areas like insights, AI implementation, or digital transformation (often within weeks rather than the months required for traditional hiring) while simultaneously mentoring existing teams and building internal capabilities that outlast their engagement.
4. Shift talent development from fixed to fluid
We need to rethink career paths. We shared ideas like rotations and strategic exposure, and shadow boards and reverse mentoring opportunities that give emerging leaders exposure across the business.
5. Hardwire digital and tech fluency
This one is big and very relevant. We talked about Finance Innovation Labs, AI-driven KPIs, and embedding tech capability into performance metrics, because if your team isn’t learning digital skills, they’re falling behind!
Today’s leaders now require the ability to lead a team through change, in stakeholder management, in AI understanding and application. The most transformational leaders we meet are the ones who never stop learning.
Reflections from the New Zealand 2025 CFO Symposium
There were great sessions and panel chats at the NZ CFO Symposium and it was really great to see the future of finance top of mind for so many NZ businesses. It’s a privilege to work alongside so many future-focused leaders in this space. I’m excited about where the finance sector is heading, and even more excited to help build the teams who will lead the way.
Big thanks to CFO Magazine A/NZ for putting on a brilliant day and thanks to the organisers, fellow sponsors, and all the CFOs and finance leaders who made the event such a success. And a special thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hi to our team on the day. We look forward to supporting future events like this in New Zealand.
If you are interested in learning more about what we presented during the event, please feel free to reach out to us at: [email protected] or follow us on LinkedIn to stay updated on future news and events.
From Consult Recruitment, we launched our latest edition of What the Buck? at the event – this is a proprietary research tool we run every year which shares the latest trends and insights that businesses are facing as well as an up to date snapshot of roles and salaries in New Zealand. To receive an exclusive copy of What the Buck?, you can register for a copy here.
About LEAD
LEAD is a newly launched executive search venture built on the success of one of New Zealand’s most awarded recruitment firms, Consult Recruitment. LEAD connects transformative and impactful leaders with opportunities across New Zealand and beyond. With a belief that the best leaders are rarely on the market, LEAD builds deep talent networks to support succession planning, business growth, and organisational change.
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