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Last updated on September 29, 2025
What are the new and emerging responsibilities for today’s tech CFOs? Discover the insights from top tech finance leaders.
We surveyed more than 200 CFOs and finance leaders working in UK tech as part of our Tech CFO Survey, published in partnership with Harmonic Finance last year. Looking at the results, it’s clear that CFO responsibilities have evolved far beyond traditional finance management.
In fact, three in four CFOs are responsible for functions well beyond finance, from HR and legal to strategy and operations. The modern CFO has high stakes in company culture as well as growth, requiring diverse CFO qualifications and skills that extend beyond traditional accounting – and that’s just one key shift in modern CFO responsibility.
We caught up with two top UK tech CFOs – Koa Health’s Caroline Bailes and Bark.com’s Adrian Evans – who shared how they take on this balancing act, outlining the four most important priorities for finance leaders in scaling tech companies.
Are you the CFO or finance lead of a high-growth tech company? Click here to share your insights for this year’s Tech CFO Survey!
CFO Responsibility 1. Culture & Talent
“We employ the whole person”, says Caroline, CFO of Koa Health. “Loyalty and engagement are much higher if people feel valued”. For her, and so many other finance directors, a focus on culture is becoming just as important as the numbers.
Adrian from Bark.com agrees that the job is no longer about sticking to the spreadsheets. “CFOs are in a unique position,” he says. “You need a detailed understanding of the business in order to operate effectively. This isn’t just about interpreting the numbers – it’s about forming strategic partnerships with the CEO and the wider business.” Understanding the distinction between CEO vs CFO roles has never been more crucial, as CFOs increasingly take on strategic responsibilities traditionally reserved for chief executives.
Part of that shift means rethinking how businesses attract and retain talent – a core CFO responsibility in modern organisations. “Flexible working is a key element of our retention”, Caroline explains, demonstrating what skills a CFO should have beyond financial acumen. For Adrian, equity is important, and at Bark.com, every team member has the ability to become a shareholder.
Our survey data shows just how widespread these priorities have become: 91% of CFOs plan to raise salaries this year, and three in four are using flexible working as a retention tool.
CFO Responsibility 2. Navigating Growth
70% of CFOs are targeting growth this year, and maintaining talent and culture brings a whole new series of demands as companies scale internationally. This expansion of CFO responsibilities requires continuous leadership development to navigate complex global markets.
“Recruitment at a distance can often take longer than expected,” Adrian says. “It’s worth building in time for a new country manager to join you at head office for as long as possible to absorb your culture and ways of working.”
With the potential challenges of regulation, currency risk, cultural adaptation, and so on, people and culture remain central to scaling success – essential CFO skills for international expansion. “It’s worth considering whether there is an existing high performing team member ready for a new challenge,” Adrian advises.
CFO Responsibility 3. AI Innovation
Along with building culture, it’s crucial to keep up with new tech in order to stay ahead – another evolving aspect of what a CFO does in the digital age. At Koa Health, the finance team is always looking at ways to automate and improve their processes. “We’re constantly reviewing solutions off the shelf but also looking to build our own,” Caroline says. “Invoicing will be the highest priority area for automation, because our offerings are relatively complex.”
While half of CFOs plan to increase spend on tech infrastructure this year, only 22% are significantly tapping into AI, according to our survey.
Many finance leaders see the promise of automation, but are still working out where, and how, to deploy it effectively – highlighting the need for ongoing CFO leadership development in emerging technologies.
CFO Responsibility 4. Holistic Leadership
The insights from our CFO Survey suggest that today’s CFOs are holistic business leaders as well as finance specialists. 75% of CFOs say leadership and strategic planning are now the most important CFO skills for the role, underscoring how CFO qualifications and skills have evolved beyond traditional finance expertise.
As Adrian suggests, “the depth of understanding a CFO has of the business means that increasingly CFOs are the go-to to lead teams outside of Finance”. The role is an opportunity to “put yourself in the shoes of other executives around the table”, he says, highlighting how the CEO vs CFO dynamic has become more collaborative and less hierarchical.
In a sector defined by growth, competition for talent, and the rise of automation, the modern CFO has become the architect of both culture and scale. Understanding what skills a CFO should have today means recognising that CFO responsibilities now encompass everything from strategic leadership to cultural transformation.
Click here to complete the CFO Survey 2025 and you’ll have the chance to win a 13″ iPad Air.
