Be the CFO Who Drives Outcomes, Not Just Reports Numbers 🧭

Treat Data as a Means to the Strategic End

Author

Vanessa Carter
September 30, 2025

In partnership with

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Hey there, CFOs! 💼

In this issue, we look at what defines a “first-tier” CFO through InvoiceCloud CFO Chris Sands, who argues that data is only a means to an end. He believes the real work is to tell the business what must happen, then ensure it happens.

He explains how new technology is pushing finance beyond reporting, why storytelling and relationship skills now matter as much as technical accounting, and how a flat “no” erodes trust. By contrast, translating complex data into a clear, shared plan builds influence across the leadership team.

📰 Upcoming in this issue

  • 🗣️Sharpen Your Storytelling Skills as a Strategic CFO

  • 🤖 HPE CFO: AI Is a Massive Opportunity for Finance

  • 🧮 New Rules Tighten How Companies Account for Software Costs

🗣️ Sharpen Your Storytelling Skills as a Strategic CFO

InvoiceCloud’s finance chief says storytelling now sits at the core of the role, turning numbers into narratives that align teams and investors.

Key Takeaways:

  • 🎯 One Story Strategy. Anchor each report to a single narrative that links key metrics to customer outcomes and long-term strategy.

  • 📊 Show, Not Tell. Use clear words and simple visuals to explain drivers, risks, and trade-offs so non-financial audiences can follow easily.

  • 🧪 Rehearse and Pressure-Test. Practice delivery, anticipate tough questions, and verify claims with solid data before meeting with boards or investors.

  • 🤝 Partner Across Functions. Collaborate with product, sales, and success teams to gather proof points and anecdotes that make numbers more relatable.

🤖 HPE CFO: AI Is a Massive Opportunity for Finance

HPE’s Marie Myers describes how new tools move finance from reporting to real-time decision support. She shares practical steps to modernize data, controls, and skills.

Key Takeaways:

  • 🧱 Data Foundations. Standardize definitions and pipelines to ensure models run on reconciled data, providing reliable insights at close and mid-month.

  • 🔒 Governed Automation. Build in permissions, testing, and audit trails so automated workflows remain compliant and explainable.

  • 📈 Decision Intelligence. Apply predictive models for forecasting, variance analysis, and scenario testing, shifting finance toward proactive guidance.

  • 🧠 Talent Shift. Upskill finance in analytics and product thinking, hiring hybrid operators who can translate business questions into new workflows.

🧮 New Rules Tighten How Companies Account for Software Costs

The FASB’s update clarifies when internal-use software can be capitalized, potentially resulting in more expenses being expensed. The goal is to align accounting with agile development.

Key Takeaways:

  • 🧱 Clear Capitalization Bar. Capitalization begins only after funding is authorized, completion is probable, and significant uncertainties have been resolved.

  • 🔁 Built for Agile. Stage-based references are removed, improving consistency for iterative methods and likely reducing capitalization for cloud-delivered builds.

  • 📘 Expanded Disclosures. Companies must provide PP&E-style details for capitalized software, including balances, amortization, and methods used.

  • ⏳ Timing and Transition. Effective for fiscal years beginning after late 2027, with early adoption permitted and several transition options available.

Why It Matters

Treating numbers as narrative changes outcomes in time, money, and risk. When CFOs frame trade-offs and next steps in plain language, they expedite decisions, minimize rework, and reduce the likelihood of misalignment with peers and boards.

The shift from steward to strategist strengthens credibility because influence is earned through clarity and collaboration, rather than just a title. Organizations that embrace this change move faster and waste less, which is reflected in cleaner execution and stronger reputations when choices are most challenging.

Wishing you continued success,

Vanessa Carter
Editor-in-Chief
CFO Executive Insights

P.S. Interested in sponsoring a future issue? Just reply to this email and I’ll send packages!

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