• Pages
01 2022 CFO Insights Report: Leading through uncertainty I U.S. Bank
02 New priorities
03 Managing risks
04 Digital transformation
05 Accelerating ESG
06 Download report

Leading through uncertainty

Finance leaders pivot from recovery to resilience

Navigating unexpected change

Today, finance leaders find themselves navigating a new wave of unexpected changes, including rampant inflation, talent shortages and supply chain bottlenecks.

That’s in addition to some long established but evolving risks – such as cyberattacks and regulatory changes – that have not gone away.

Are finance leaders rising to the challenge?

Amid the turbulence, finance leaders have a vital role to play in steadying the course. But are they confident in their ability to manage these new risks? Are they clear about what mitigation measures they can pursue and how they should work with the wider business? And have they actually taken action? To answer these questions, we surveyed 750 finance professionals in businesses across the U.S.

Where there’s risk, there’s also opportunity. And finance leaders have a role to play in seizing those opportunities. We therefore examined how they are pursuing opportunities related to ESG (environmental, social and governance) issues and digital transformation.

Here are some of the key findings:

%

Finance leaders have pivoted their efforts from revenue growth and improving cash flow to risk management, cost optimization and technology deployment. Yet 49% struggle to balance the need to mitigate risk and drive growth.

%

Survey participants identify talent shortages, digital disruption and high inflation as their top three risks, but less than 15% are ‘very confident’ in their ability to manage any of these.

A clear digital strategy is needed: the lack of an enterprise-wide digital transformation strategy has risen to become the number one challenge to successfully executing digital initiatives within finance.

%

The majority (69%) believe they have a strong role to play in ESG, but action lags intent.

Explore further

Woman holding a cell phone in her right hand while looking to the left.

New priorities

In the past 12 months, the priorities of finance leaders have shifted from revenue growth and improving cash flow to risk management, cost optimization and technology deployment.

Find out how they plan to deliver >

Two men and a woman looking at documents on a table.

Managing risk

Finance professionals identify talent shortages, the pace of technology change and high inflation as their top three business risks, yet fewer than 15% are highly confident in their ability to manage them.

Find out how finance leaders can manage risk >

Man talking to two women seated at a high-top table with laptops.

Digital transformation

Finance leaders are focused on digital transformation, but are challenged by the lack of an enterprise-wide digital transformation strategy and reluctance and resistance to change within the workforce.

Find out how they can transform with success >

Man talking on cell phone while standing in a shipyard.

Accelerating ESG

The majority of finance leaders believe they have a strong role to play on ESG issues, but action lags behind intent. For example, just 21% are involved in ESG reporting.

Find out how finance leaders can contribute >

About the research

The results of this research are based on a survey of 750 senior finance leaders who work in U.S. businesses across multiple sectors. Half of the survey participants are group, regional or divisional CFOs. The remainder are senior managers within the Finance function. Every surveyed finance leader works for a business that generates at least $100 million in annual revenue, and 45% generate more than $1 billion. In addition, interviews were conducted with the following individuals:

  • Chris Lynch, CFO, Living Spaces Furniture
  • Jamie Cohen, CFO, Vacasa
  • Michael Stitt, Head of Trade and Supply Chain Finance Sales and Origination, U.S. Bank
  • Dominic Venturo, Chief Digital Officer and Senior Executive Vice President, U.S. Bank
  • Marcus Martin, Managing Director, Head of ESG for Commercial Products, U.S. Bank

This report follows Leading the recovery, a U.S. Bank survey of 300 finance professionals released in 2021. Several questions in the research are repeated this year to show how sentiment has changed.

Explore our latest thinking

Two men in hardhats reviewing information on top of a truck's hood.

Article

Supply chain finance: Turning risk into opportunity

Finance leaders need innovative new solutions to the problems raised by a deteriorating economic outlook. Fast-evolving supply chain finance products and services could help them navigate this uncertainty.

Group of seven office workers seated in a circle, talking in an open office.

Article

Digital transformation: Improving the probability of success

Finance leaders can play a big role in making digital transformation work; they can start by looking at payments innovation.

Two men and a woman collaborating around a table in a conference room.

Article

Financing the future: Businesses look to sustainable sources of funding

The past decade has seen enormous growth in sustainable finance. An increasing number of finance executives are starting to consider how it could benefit their businesses.

Learn more >

Learn more >

Learn more >

Listen to our webinar replay

On November 15, 2022, an exclusive U.S. Bank executive roundtable discussion focused on our 2022 CFO Insights Report. Listen as U.S. Bank executives Stephen Philipson, head of commercial products and Terry Dolan, CFO, welcome Jon Segner, CFO of BI Worldwide, Janet Lewell, CFO of Deloitte, and Phil Donaldson, CFO of Andersen Corporation, to this executive roundtable.

View the replay

Download our report

Download our report, Leading through uncertainty: Finance leaders pivot from recovery to resiliency, to find out how finance professionals are helping their businesses to navigate new risks and seize opportunities presented by digital transformation and ESG.

Download report

Contact us

Get in touch

Leading through uncertainty

Finance leaders pivot from recovery to resilience

Navigating unexpected change

Today, finance leaders find themselves navigating a new wave of unexpected changes, including rampant inflation, talent shortages and supply chain bottlenecks.

That’s in addition to some long established but evolving risks – such as cyberattacks and regulatory changes – that have not gone away.

Navigating unexpected change

Today, finance leaders find themselves navigating a new wave of unexpected changes, including rampant inflation, talent shortages and supply chain bottlenecks.

That’s in addition to some long established but evolving risks – such as cyberattacks and regulatory changes – that have not gone away.

Are finance leaders rising to the challenge?

Amid the turbulence, finance leaders have a vital role to play in steadying the course. But are they confident in their ability to manage these new risks? Are they clear about what mitigation measures they can pursue and how they should work with the wider business? And have they actually taken action? To answer these questions, we surveyed 750 finance professionals in businesses across the U.S.

Where there’s risk, there’s also opportunity. And finance leaders have a role to play in seizing those opportunities. We therefore examined how they are pursuing opportunities related to ESG (environmental, social and governance) issues and digital transformation.

Here are some of the key findings:

%

Finance leaders have pivoted their efforts from revenue growth and improving cash flow to risk management, cost optimization and technology deployment. Yet 49% struggle to balance the need to mitigate risk and drive growth.

%

Survey participants identify talent shortages, digital disruption and high inflation as their top three risks, but less than 15% are ‘very confident’ in their ability to manage any of these.

%

The majority (69%) believe they have a strong role to play in ESG, but action lags intent.

A clear digital strategy is needed: the lack of an enterprise-wide digital transformation strategy has risen to become the number one challenge to successfully executing digital initiatives within finance.

Explore further

Woman holding a cell phone in her right hand while looking to the left.

New priorities

In the past 12 months, the priorities of finance leaders have shifted from revenue growth and improving cash flow to risk management, cost optimization and technology deployment.

Find out how they plan to deliver >

Two men and a woman looking at documents on a table.

Managing risk

Finance professionals identify talent shortages, the pace of technology change and high inflation as their top three business risks, yet fewer than 15% are highly confident in their ability to manage them.

Find out how finance leaders can manage risk >

Man talking to two women seated at a high-top table with laptops.

Digital transformation

Finance leaders are focused on digital transformation, but are challenged by the lack of an enterprise-wide digital transformation strategy and reluctance and resistance to change within the workforce.

Find out how they can transform with success >

Man talking on cell phone while standing in a shipyard.

Accelerating ESG

The majority of finance leaders believe they have a strong role to play on ESG issues, but action lags behind intent. For example, just 21% are involved in ESG reporting.

Find out how finance leaders can contribute >

About the research

The results of this research are based on a survey of 750 senior finance leaders who work in U.S. businesses across multiple sectors. Half of the survey participants are group, regional or divisional CFOs. The remainder are senior managers within the Finance function. Every surveyed finance leader works for a business that generates at least $100 million in annual revenue, and 45% generate more than $1 billion. In addition, interviews were conducted with the following individuals:

  • Chris Lynch, CFO, Living Spaces Furniture
  • Jamie Cohen, CFO, Vacasa
  • Michael Stitt, Head of Trade and Supply Chain Finance Sales and Origination, U.S. Bank
  • Dominic Venturo, Chief Digital Officer and Senior Executive Vice President, U.S. Bank
  • Marcus Martin, Managing Director, Head of ESG for Commercial Products, U.S. Bank

This report follows Leading the recovery, a U.S. Bank survey of 300 finance professionals released in 2021. Several questions in the research are repeated this year to show how sentiment has changed.

About the research

The results of this research are based on a survey of 750 senior finance leaders who work in U.S. businesses across multiple sectors. Half of the survey participants are group, regional or divisional CFOs. The remainder are senior managers within the Finance function. Every surveyed finance leader works for a business that generates at least $100 million in annual revenue, and 45% generate more than $1 billion. In addition, interviews were conducted with the following individuals:

  • Chris Lynch, CFO, Living Spaces Furniture
  • Jamie Cohen, CFO, Vacasa
  • Michael Stitt, Head of Trade and Supply Chain Finance Sales and Origination, U.S. Bank
  • Dominic Venturo, Chief Digital Officer and Senior Executive Vice President, U.S. Bank
  • Marcus Martin, Managing Director, Head of ESG for Commercial Products, U.S. Bank

This report follows Leading the recovery, a U.S. Bank survey of 300 finance professionals released in 2021. Several questions in the research are repeated this year to show how sentiment has changed.

Explore our latest thinking

Two men in hardhats reviewing information on top of a truck's hood.

Article

Supply chain finance: Turning risk into opportunity

Finance leaders need innovative new solutions to the problems raised by a deteriorating economic outlook. Fast-evolving supply chain finance products and services could help them navigate this uncertainty.

Learn more >

Group of seven office workers seated in a circle, talking in an open office.

Article

Digital transformation: Improving the probability of success

Finance leaders can play a big role in making digital transformation work; they can start by looking at payments innovation.

Learn more >

Two men and a woman collaborating around a table in a conference room.

Article

Financing the future: Businesses look to sustainable sources of funding

The past decade has seen enormous growth in sustainable finance. An increasing number of finance executives are starting to consider how it could benefit their businesses.

Learn more >

Listen to our webinar replay

On November 15, 2022, an exclusive U.S. Bank executive roundtable discussion focused on our 2022 CFO Insights Report. Listen as U.S. Bank executives Stephen Philipson, head of commercial products and Terry Dolan, CFO, welcome Jon Segner, CFO of BI Worldwide, Janet Lewell, CFO of Deloitte, and Phil Donaldson, CFO of Andersen Corporation, to this executive roundtable.

View the replay

Download our report

Download our report, Leading through uncertainty: Finance leaders pivot from recovery to resiliency, to find out how finance professionals are helping their businesses to navigate new risks and seize opportunities presented by digital transformation and ESG.

Download report

Contact us

Get in touch

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