Your Go-To Digital Tools for Remote Working

With face-to-face meetings no longer an option (currently), working from home requires the use of different tools to maintain productivity and effectiveness. Thankfully, there are plenty of options that you can take advantage of, so if you’re not quite sure where to start, check out my suggested go-to digital tools below. For online 1-2-1s, team … Continued

3 Top Tips for Working from Home

Tip 1: Get organised! The #1 success factor for working from home is planning. Preparing a structure for the day is the best way to drive output, particularly as you adjust to working in a different environment from the office. Start the week as you mean to go on and set out your most important … Continued

2020 – the year in which CFOs must focus on relationships

For the past decade, the finance function has been singularly focused on turning itself into a strategic powerhouse, but in a zero-sum game, it has also been fighting for a share of investment in new systems and resources. Indeed, FSN’s research finds that only 12% of investment in innovation is finance inspired and many CFOs … Continued

Why ‘Collaborative Enterprise Planning’ points the way forward

Collaborative enterprise planning is the process of connecting and aligning plans from all departments and business units across an organisation. It breaks down silos and brings teams together to collaborate on plans and drive better business outcomes. The case for involving more stakeholders, from across the enterprise couldn’t be stronger.  For example, FSN’s research, The … Continued

How can CFOs increase ‘speed to insight’ in financial forecasting?

In today’s turbulent markets, ‘speed to insight’ is incredibly important, yet combining speed and insight has proved elusive for many enterprises. In the face of uncertainty many companies are reforecasting more frequently (71% reforecast more than twice a year) but FSN’s research, The Future of Planning, Budgeting and Forecasting, finds that such an approach is … Continued

Is it time to make Artificial Intelligence less artificial?

Thousands of column inches of press coverage are dedicated to the ‘miracle’ of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how this technology is transforming many industry sectors, from medical diagnostics, through to autonomous vehicles and smart homes.  Few doubt the impact that AI could bring, but many CFOs are only starting to grapple with its potential. Automation … Continued

 3 reasons why the cloud points the way forward for finance systems

It’s official – CFOs are now putting their full weight behind the cloud. The findings of FSN’s “Future of Finance Systems” research, released this month, finds that a resounding 80% of senior finance professionals expect to have all or the majority of their finance systems in the cloud within the next 5 years. Only 8% … Continued

Why CFOs must overhaul legacy finance systems

The current state of finance systems in many organisations is significantly undervaluing the finance function and the expanding role of the CFO. According the FSN’s latest research the Future of Finance Systems, most finance systems are able to deliver the basic functions like financial stewardship, regulatory compliance and control, but only half manage to provide … Continued

Can CFOs feel their way to success?

Much has been written about the customer journey and the customer experience along the way. The thinking goes that if we can empathise more closely with what the customer is experiencing, then we can better serve them with product and services. Indeed, FSN’s research, The Future of Budgeting, Planning and Forecasting shows that 70% of … Continued

Are CFOs going ‘soft’

The era of the bean-counting finance silo is disappearing. In organisations across the world today, there’s a groundswell of change around the CFOs role. Instead, Chief finance officers are being asked to provide more strategic support, and step into the role of business partner to other departments and operational executives. But the new role comes … Continued