In the first half of 2025, Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) are navigating the complexities of a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment. How is this impacting their priorities this year?
Gartner C-level Communities recently surveyed over 100 CFO community members to identify their key priorities and investment areas for the upcoming year. Here’s what they reported in our annual CFO Leadership Perspective Survey.
CFOs’ Top Priority for 2025: Finance Transformation
In 2025, CFOs have once again identified finance transformation as their most critical priority. Enterprise growth strategy has surged to the second spot, climbing fifteen places since the 2024 survey. Leading through change ranks third, followed by planning, budgeting, and forecasting. AI and automation secures the fifth position.
CFOs’ Top Enterprise Priority: Driving Growth
CFOs’ enterprise priorities largely remain consistent with last year’s. Driving growth has shifted up one spot to become the top enterprise priority, pushing increasing operational efficiencies and productivity to second place. Optimizing costs and increasing revenue maintain their positions at third and fourth, respectively. Improving customer experience has risen to fifth place, while driving business excellence has fallen out of the top five.
CFOs’ Planned Technology Spending: Increasing or Remaining Flat
In 2025, 44% of CFOs have reported an increase in their planned technology and services spending compared to last year, while 43% indicate it remains unchanged. Only 14% report a decrease from 2024.
CFOs are Investing in AI Tools and Data & Analytics
This year, planned spending on AI tools, automation, and data and analytics rose to 54% each. Nearly half of CFOs plan to invest in budgeting and FP&A, 35% in business intelligence, and 27% in financial reporting.
Each year, we conduct our proprietary CFO Leadership Perspective Survey to capture our community members’ top priorities, challenges, and investments for the coming year. These insights allow us to identify trends and tailor community programs and discussion topics to the real-time needs of CFOs.
If you are a finance leader looking to connect with peers on these mission critical priorities, apply now to join a local CFO community. If you are already a member, sign in to our app to register for an upcoming community event.
Based on 100 CFO responses to Gartner C-level Communities’ proprietary Leadership Perspective Survey, May 2025.
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