Celebrating the work of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) – ACCA says “January is CFO Month”
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To highlight and champion the work of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) will be running a campaign throughout January 2013.
The aim of the campaign is to start 2013 with the spotlight shining on the vital role the CFO will play in the success of their companies as the year progresses.
Explaining the campaign further, Helen Brand, chief executive of ACCA added: “January, the beginning of the new year in many countries, is a good time to support the work of CFOs and the central role they play in business strategy. The campaign will also raise awareness of ACCA’s work on issues faced by the CFO, and to bring together a range of research and resources we have produced recently.”
To develop its resources, ACCA has been working with its global strategic partner, IMA, the US-based association of accountants and financial professionals in business, on a range of CFO publications.
Jeff Thomson CMA, President and CEO of IMA, commented: “This campaign links seamlessly with our joint work on the world of the CFO. Our latest report showed how the role of the CFO is changing, with CFOs surveyed for the report saying that cost reduction, financial control, and the emerging responsibility of forecasting are the top three priorities for today’s finance leaders.”
This thinking is bolstered by ACCA’s ‘CFO Month’ campaign interviews with Richard Moat, CFO Eircom Group and Alan Johnson, CFO Jeronimo Martins, who are both members of ACCA’s Accountants for Business Global Forum, a business focussed think tank. For the campaign, both have commented on the main trends shaping the role of the CFO in the future as being:
- Achieving sustainable growth in competitive markets
- Ensuring investment decisions are robust, and that a company’s Board is guided well to manage risk
- Dealing with regulation and increased scrutiny
- Communicating better with customers and especially investors
- Managing volatility in financial markets and coping with the Euro Crisis
- Managing competition in the business world, which is increasingly driven by the internet
And
- Surviving the demands of an increasingly globalised business world.
Helen Brand concludes: “Our expert interviewees say that the role of the CFO has become more complex than in the past. The CFO is being called upon to drive and improve business performance in a demanding business environment. We think it only right that as we start the New Year, we focus on what drives them, what their role is and the challenges they face.”
To support the campaign, ACCA has created two online pages where viewers can browse the range of research and support ACCA has developed for CFOs.
The video can be viewed here:
The campaign page with Alan Johnson’s and Richard Moat’s interviews is here:
The Global Forum for Business is here :
http://www.accaglobal.com/en/research-insights/global-forums/accountants-business2.html
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For more information, please contact:
Alana Sinnen, ACCA Newsroom
+ 44 (0) 207 059 5807
+44 (0) 7715 812120
Helen Thompson, ACCA Newsroom
+44 (0)20 7059 5759
+44 (0)7725 498654
Notes to Editors
1. About ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants)
ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the global body for professional accountants with 154,000 members and 432,000 students in 170 countries worldwide. We aim to offer business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management. We work through a network of over 80 offices and centres and more than 8,400 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide high standards of employee learning and development. www.accaglobal.com
2. About IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants)
IMA®, the association of accountants and financial professionals in business, is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) program, continuing education, networking, and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 65,000 members in 120 countries and 200 local chapter communities. IMA provides localized services through its offices in Montvale, N.J., USA; Zurich, Switzerland; Dubai, UAE; and Beijing, China. For more information about IMA, please visit www.imanet.org.