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The Role of the CFO 2022
Published by: BoardEx
Published on:

New BoardEx Report Reveals High Number of Female CFOs in Growing Economic Sectors

Published by: BoardEx
Published on:
The study explores the evolving role of CFOs across the globe and the common characteristics and backgrounds producing today’s financial leaders.

BoardEx, the leading provider of executive intelligence and relationship mapping, today released The Role of the CFO 2022This new report examines the characteristics and backgrounds of the chief financial officers (CFOs) of major publicly traded companies across 16 countries around the world, diving deeper into key North American and European markets. 

The report explores the experience, age and gender of today’s CFOs, notably finding above average female CFO representation within companies in expanding economic sectors in the US, such as IT, healthcare, leisure and hotels.  In the UK there is a higher proportion of female CFOs in financial services and general retail. Nonetheless, the proportion of female CFOs is still low, mirroring the gender imbalance among corporate executives in general.

The Role of the CFO 2022 explores theevolving requirements of the modern CFO and the significant impact these individuals have in shaping and driving an organization’s strategic direction

Key findings revealed in BoardEx’s The Role of the CFO 2022 include:

  • Most CFOs at corporations from major indices across 16 of the world’s leading economies are male, in their early to mid-fifties and have more than 20 years of experience
  • 83% of CFOs in the UK sit on the board of their company, compared to only 1% in the US – a reflection of the differences in corporate governance between countries
  • More than 93% of S&P 500 CFOs have overseen the acquisition of a target business, highlighting the importance of M&A experience
  • IPO experience is uncommon amongst sitting CFOs: only just above 10% of CFOs in the US have IPO experience, compared with under 10% in Canada, and less than 7% in the UK
  • Internal appointments and external hires are evenly split among current CFOs in the US, while external hires are predominantly brought in from a different sector
  • Many leading CFOs at US- and UK-listed companies have worked at the ‘Big Four’ professional-services firms, with PwC leading the list
  • The University of Chicago and Harvard have produced the highest number of current US CFOs , while the London Business School and University of Oxford have produced the most in the UK

The Role of the CFO 2022 leverages the data visualization of BoardEx Discovery, a newly released product which BoardEx clients use to analyze and report on ESG metrics and explore important skill set experiences of today’s executive leaders. 

The latest report from BoardEx offers unmatched insight into the backgrounds and characteristics of leading CFOs, making it an essential read for organizations looking to make the most of their leadership and executive talent.

Access the complete findings here.