{"id":68761,"date":"2020-09-01T12:08:28","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T10:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/?p=68761"},"modified":"2026-01-29T15:51:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T13:51:54","slug":"cfo-digital-transformation-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/cfo-digital-transformation-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"[Research] CFO 3.0: Digital transformation beyond financial management"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/category\/technology-innovation\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Technology &amp; Innovation<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t[Research] CFO 3.0: Digital transformation beyond financial management\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2020-09-01T12:08:28+02:00\">Sep 1, 2020<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"[Research] CFO 3.0: Digital transformation beyond financial management\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/cfo-digital-transformation-guide\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/author\/mongezilupindo\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/12\/Mongezi-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Mongezi Lupindo<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The world of business is changing at a rapid pace. And for the finance department, that sentiment couldn\u2019t be clearer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As we move to a digitised world, financial descison-makers in South African businesses are leveraging innovative technologies like AI and automation to enhance their role and increase productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the next step is to become a visionary within their businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what does that mean for you as a CFO and how can you make that a reality for your role and your company?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>CFO 3.0: Digital transformation beyond financial management<\/strong> is a new guide that looks at the evolution of the chief financial officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It will show you how technology such as artificial intelligence and automation can help you take your finance team and your role to the next level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CFO 3.0: Digital transformation beyond financial management covers the following topics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Driving digitalisation \u2013 from historian to visionary<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Managing uncertainty \u2013 the evolution of finance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Riding the technology wave<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"#gate-bcb43290-85e2-4b23-9648-e17e2459b1e3\">Download your free copy of CFO 3.0: Digital transformation beyond financial management<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-an-excerpt-from-cfo-3-0-digital-transformation-beyond-financial-management\"><strong>An excerpt from CFO 3.0: Digital transformation beyond financial management<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The intersection between technology and human interaction has created an opportunity for leaders to re-imagine business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fundamentally, the nature of business is evolving in all manner of ways: end users are changing, employees are changing, and the availability of tools is changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All impact the way work happens and how we construct, organise and operate companies. Finance heads have, in the past, used their gut to interpret the figures and understand what it means for their business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They had no more to go on other than their intuition and experience. But data has changed that and altered the dynamics of decision making. If we look to startups, the impact of technology is clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Modern breakout businesses use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/glossary\/what-is-artificial-intelligence\/\">artificial intelligence<\/a> (AI) and automation to enhance connections with their customers and employees. Their \u2018new age\u2019 and tech-first approach looks very different to past business models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They have successfully fused human needs with technology, rethinking the way we conduct business from top to bottom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In mid-sized and larger companies, however, where technology wasn\u2019t birthed at inception, the tide is turning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All business leaders need to move with the times and digitisation is key to the transition. Knowing where to go, and how to get there, are two very different sides of the same coin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the burst of e-commerce has brought about many opportunities, its digital nature also brings about concerns of fraud, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/sa-businesses-showing-resilience-in-a-time-of-massive-disruption-a-cfos-view\/\">cybersecurity <\/a>and the changing landscape of job roles. But behind all these changes is one driver: the finance department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why? Because the very essence of finance is evolving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The finance professional now needs to be more closely aligned to individuals with the company\u2019s managing director or CEO. They are not just the right-hand person with their finger on the financial pulse of the business anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They are essential in providing up-to-date information, financial analysis and forecasting for rapid response decisions. It\u2019s a far cry from the traditional way of doing business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finance professionals used to look in their rear-view mirror to provide business information \u2013 always looking behind them while trying to steer in front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The introduction of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/glossary\/what-are-predictive-analytics\/\">predictive analytics<\/a> is all about understanding data and looking forward, rather than back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today\u2019s CFO is transforming into a real-time analyst. Tomorrow\u2019s CFO will be a visionary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Welcome to the era of CFO 3.0&nbsp;\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Preparing the finance function in the wake of COVID-19 <\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Discover how CFOs are playing a key role in leading the digitalisation of medium-sized businesses and learn how to move from a 'historian' to a 'visionary' within your business.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-bcb43290-85e2-4b23-9648-e17e2459b1e3\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download the ebook<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/08\/Fin24-Lifestyle-Image-2.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/08\/Fin24-Lifestyle-Image-2.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice enewsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get a roundup of our best business advice in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-84fe79b5-668d-41f8-a0cc-6229018c4ac9\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The world of business is changing at a rapid pace. And for the finance department, that sentiment couldn\u2019t be clearer. As we move to a digitised world, financial descison-makers in South African businesses are leveraging innovative technologies like AI and automation to enhance their role and increase productivity. However, the next step is to become [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":904,"featured_media":68739,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[356],"business_type":[3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[8],"imagine_tag":[355],"coauthors":[430],"class_list":["post-68761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology-innovation","tag-cfo-3-0","business_type-medium-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-za","author_name":"Mongezi Lupindo","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/08\/Fin24-Lifestyle-Image-5.jpg","imagine_tags":{"355":"CFO 3.0"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice South Africa","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/904"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68761\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/68739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68761"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=68761"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=68761"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=68761"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=68761"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=68761"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=68761"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=68761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}