en

Services

Canada's leading employers trust us to deliver fast, efficient hiring solutions that are tailored to their exact requirements. Browse our range of bespoke services and resources.

Read more
Jobs

Our industry specialists will listen to your aspirations and share your story with Canadas’s most prestigious organisations. Together, let’s write the next chapter of your career.

See all jobs
Services

Canada's leading employers trust us to deliver fast, efficient hiring solutions that are tailored to their exact requirements. Browse our range of bespoke services and resources.

Read more
About Robert Walters Canada

For us, recruitment is more than just a job. We understand that behind every opportunity is the chance to make a difference in people's lives.

Learn more

Work for us

Our people are the difference. Hear stories from our people to learn more about a career at Robert Walters Canada

Learn more

Top 7 CFO strategies to improve business partnering

The finance function is evolving to meet growing demands from the business and is increasingly expected to take on a value-added, ‘business partnering’ role, to help other parts of the business improve their analysis and decision-making.

According to a recent report from Deloitte – 83% of organisations want to increase the time spent on Finance Business Partnering over the next three years.

The digitalisation of the sector has moved finance professionals away from retrospective reporting at month or quarter-end, to providing real-time or prospective updates that help drive sales, profit and growth targets.

As a result, business departments are eager for the support of finance professionals who understand the objectives of the business and can analyse real-time statistics to support their decision-making.

In fact, our recent poll found that 20% of business leaders stated that it is critical that their entire finance team has a commercial understanding of the business – not just senior leaders.

Informing Business Leaders

Finance business partnering begins after standard reports and analysis has been produced. At this point the focus then shifts from accounting to management. This is when the disciplines of management accounting are applied in the business and insights developed to inform decisions and improve performance – whereby risk assessment & analysis (36%), research & reporting (24%), and communication skills (23%) are the most sought-after skills to enable true business partnering.

Providing effective finance business partnering is still proving to be a challenge for many businesses – where 48% of business leaders state that the key skill is in having leadership & problem-solving skills.

To tackle this gap, CFO’s and hiring managers need to look beyond the core skills expected of a finance professional and consider general experience at a decision-making level and ability to communicate complex information succinctly.

Top 7 strategies to improve finance business partnering*:

  1. Improving the quality and availability of data and business information
  2. Identifying value drivers & KPI’s to better focus activity
  3. Improving the efficiency & functionality of performance management systems
  4. Clearly defining roles, in line with the organisational structure
  5. Implementing shared services / outsourcing transaction processing
  6. Identifying skills gaps & implement training programmes
  7. Recruiting additional business partners / upskilling

 

Share this article

Related content

Submit a Vacancy
Salary Survey
Hiring Advice
Get in touch

Find out more by contacting one of our specialist recruitment consultants

Related content

View All

Robert Walters Featured by the TFSA

The Toronto Financial Services Alliance (TFSA) has included Robert Walters as a featured case study. For 16 years, the TFSA has worked in partnership with academics, government and the financial services industry to raise awareness of the advantages the Toronto region can offer and the opportunities

Read More

Toronto Global highlights Robert Walters

Toronto Global has highlighted Robert Walters Canada in a recent case study. Toronto Global seek international companies interested in expanding to the Toronto Region and help connect investors with the right opportunities that will facilitate the successful growth of their business. Robert Walters

Read More

Partner with a recruitment consultancy

As demand for highly skilled finance professionals increases, businesses are having to work harder to secure top talent. Finding the ideal candidates amid fierce competition can be challenging. Tapping into new sources of talent and ensuring you can deliver on the expectations of candidates is essen

Read More

I'm Robert Walters Are you?

Come join our global team of creative thinkers, problem solvers and game changers. We offer accelerated career progression, a dynamic culture and expert training.