Finance leaders gathered at the 2025 Finance Indaba for ACCA and McGerald’s Entrepreneurship Centre session to explore how the CFO role is transforming into that of a CVO, with a focus on purpose, sustainability and strategic value creation.
International CFO Alistair Roman opened the session by exploring how the CFO role is evolving into a CVO role. His presentation outlined how finance is shifting from being reactive and transactional to proactive, strategic and value-creating.
The session, hosted by ACCA and McGerald’s Entrepreneurship Centre, moved into an engaging panel discussion featuring leading finance professionals including Innocent Gumbochuma, CFO of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), Jo-Ann Pohl, senior advisor at Kearney and Alistair.
“The traditional role of the CFO has moved beyond short-term profit optimisation and maximising shareholder return. As the function evolves into a CVO role, the focus is now on balancing profit, purpose and people, while integrating ESG and sustainability goals,” Alistair said.
With ongoing disruptions across people, data, processes and technology, the finance profession is facing growing skills gaps. “We are seeing a worrying trend of institutions producing qualifications that will soon be irrelevant. Large volumes of data need to be analysed, yet we face a shortage of data scientists. The skills gap is widening as technology and regulation continue to advance,” Innocent explained.
The role of technology and AI in finance
The panellists agreed that AI and automation will continue to reshape finance, but that humans remain central to the process. “Trust is our currency in finance. Our role is to take noisy data and turn it into meaningful tools for decision-making,” Innocent added.
Alistair highlighted the need to distinguish between automated finance, which focuses on tasks such as RPA and dashboards, and autonomous finance, which anticipates needs and provides foresight. “Finance must engineer systems that deliver truth, transparency and security, ensuring insights are reliable and ethical. The key enablers will be data governance, cybersecurity, ethical AI and trust,” he said.
On leadership and organisational design, the panel noted that CFOs moving into CVO roles must adapt to flatter structures that encourage innovation and collaboration. “Hierarchies in finance are flattening, and this is driving inclusion and creativity. However, accountability and governance remain non-negotiable. Leaders must empower teams while maintaining stewardship and regulatory responsibility,” said Jo-Ann.
In her closing remarks, Jo-Ann urged finance leaders to design, lead and measure value creation for the future. “Value is no longer only in the hands of the beholder. It is in the hands of the creator,” she concluded.
