According to a survey by Robert Half Management Resources of Stamford, finance and technology go hand-in-hand within companies today.
Half the chief financial officers interviewed said other than knowledge of accounting and finance, information technology experience is most useful in their careers, nearly double that of 2003.Operations experience also ranked high, cited in 45 percent responses.
The survey was based on telephone interviews with more than 1,400 CFOs across the U.S.
“Today”™s CFOs need expertise in many areas other than accounting and finance, but particularly in technology,” said Paul McDonald, executive director of Robert Half Management Resources. “Companies increasingly expect their CFOs to provide insight into the value of new systems, evaluate the outcome of potential upgrades and make recommendations on technology-related investments.”
McDonald also commented on the value of operations experience.
“Finance chiefs are directly involved in all aspects of strategy and operations, providing direction on pricing, cost cutting and the restructuring of business units,” said McDonald.
CFOs were asked, “In your opinion, other than knowledge of accounting and finance, which of the following types of experience are most beneficial for CFOs to possess?”
Consecutively following information technology and operations in import were knowledge in legal, and sales and marketing                                                                 Â
