The finance function is no longer full of “bean counters” keeping the score by producing historical accounts three weeks after the end of each month. The department now works in partnership with the business to set strategy and objectives and then help to make sure they are met.

“The world of the chief financial officer (CFO) in leading organisations has changed dramatically,” says Steven Culp, European lead for the finance consulting practice at Accenture, the professional services firm. “They have changed from being a back-office keeper and provider of numbers and analyst, to having their feet under the table with the chief executive and chief marketing offers to actually take business decisions.”