Thought Leadership Series
In many organisations, finance is still viewed primarily as the “back office”: a team that records, reconciles, and reports essential functions, but rarely seen as a driver of strategic value. In today’s complex and volatile business environment, that paradigm is no longer sufficient.
To stay relevant and to justify continued investment, finance teams must evolve from transaction processors into strategic value partners. They must move upstream: into shaping decisions, modelling scenarios, assessing risk, and driving growth. In short, finance must stop being a scoreboard and become a co-pilot.
This article outlines how finance leaders can orchestrate that shift, what the barriers tend to be, and how a partner like Accario can support the transformation in execution.
The case for transformation
A. Changing expectations
Modern business leaders increasingly expect finance to do more than allocate costs and ensure compliance. Today, they expect:
· Real-time insight rather than hindsight.
· Scenario planning and what-if modelling.
· Strategic input in investment, pricing, capital allocation.
· Risk forecasting across operations, regulatory, and macro dimensions.
A recent GrowCFO article notes that finance teams “empower data-driven decisions, support growth, and manage risk” beyond traditional reporting functions. (GrowCFO)
CIMA research also emphasises that finance teams that align with productivity and strategy functions can deliver more value as collaborators, not just controllers. (FM Magazine)
In essence: the mandate is shifting.
B. The leverage opportunity
The transformation is not just aspirational. Once the transactional burden is lifted, finance resources can be redeployed to higher-leverage tasks: business partnering, profitability analysis, acquisition evaluation, and performance forecasting. The result: better decisions, sharper execution, and a more resilient enterprise.
Some outsourcing and transformation consultants observe that when operational tasks are removed, “your CFO and finance team evolve into true strategic partners.” (upsource.com.sa)
Key obstacles (and how to overcome them)
Moving from a transactional focus to strategic influence is a journey fraught with challenges. Below are common barriers and mitigation approaches.
| Barrier | Root cause | Mitigation approach |
| Time lost to operations | The team is overloaded with reconciliations, month-end close, AR/AP, etc. | Identify top-volume, low-value tasks; automate or outsource them. Create “white space” in your team’s schedule for analysis. |
| Skill gap | Team is strong in accounting but less experienced in business modelling, communication, stakeholder influence | Invest in training, business immersion, mentoring, and cross-functional rotational roles. |
| Lack of visibility/data access | Finance lacks access to up-to-date operational or commercial data (e.g. sales, operations, customer metrics) | Ensure integrated data architecture or dashboards; embed financial metrics in business systems; co-design data flows with other functions. |
| Cultural resistance | Business units may resist finance engagement; finance may default to being reactive | Shift mindsets by embedding finance in key initiatives. Encourage finance to proactively seek involvement, not wait for requests. |
| Control vs. trust tension | Leaders worry that strategic finance means less oversight or weaker controls | Use frameworks, tiered guardrails, and clear accountability. Show quality through consistency, transparency, and validation. |
A three-phase transformation roadmap
Below is a high-level roadmap for elevating your finance team:
Phase 1: Liberate capacity
* Audit all finance tasks.
* Prioritise top 20% of tasks by effort that deliver only 5–10% of strategic value.
* Outsource or automate those tasks (e.g. reconciliations, routine reporting, journal entry).
* Introduce dashboards or real-time reporting to reduce manual consolidation.
Phase 2: Build strategic muscle
* Train high-potential finance professionals in business modelling, scenario planning, data interpretation, communication.
* Assign them as “finance business partners” to specific divisions or initiatives.
* Embed finance early in strategic initiatives (e.g. product launches, pricing reviews).
* Co-develop cross-functional analytical templates (e.g. profit levers, driver trees, sensitivity analysis).
Phase 3: Institutionalise the new role
* Establish governance and structure: formal FP&A/business partner team, regular strategic finance review forums.
* Provide visibility at board/C-suite level — show how finance is contributing to value creation, not just cost control.
* Iterate continuously: refine models, approach, structure, and extend into new domains (capital, risk, M&A).
Over time, the finance function increasingly becomes an instrument of strategy, not a constraint.
Where Axelo comes in
Moving from plan to execution is often where organisations stall—or where investments exceed returns. That’s where Axelo and Accario can play a pivotal role.
· Outsourcing of transactional work — freeing internal capacity
· VCFO / fractional CFO services — placing skilled finance leadership for scale-ups or organisations lacking depth
· Performance reporting & analytics — designing dashboards, predictive models, and scenario tools
· Compliance & trust accounting — handling governance-intensive functions with control frameworks
· Embedding finance-business partnering capability — through training, mentoring, and co-design of finance process and structure
Call to leadership (closing thoughts)
The shift from transaction to transformation is neither fast nor frictionless. But the rewards are substantial: finance ceases to be a cost centre, and becomes an engine of growth, insight, and strategic risk management.
Leaders in CFO, operations, and the C-suite must champion this evolution. They must give finance time, credibility, and access and hold them accountable for strategic contribution, not just ledger fidelity.
If you’re ready to begin this journey or looking for a partner to help turn plan into practice — the Accario team stands ready to support. Talk to us about how you can elevate your finance team from being the world’s best scorekeeper to your most effective co-pilot.