Strategic Focus: The CFO's Influence On ESG Reporting
23 May, 2025
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Executive Summary
Sustainability-related issues are becoming a core concern for corporate leadership, prompting broader cross-functional engagement, especially from CFOs. As the financial stewards of the organization, CFOs are increasingly tasked with integrating sustainability into traditional areas such as financial planning, reporting, compliance and risk management. This shift reflects growing stakeholder expectations and the need to futureproof business operations. This report explores how CFOs are evolving into key enablers of sustainable initiatives and reporting.
The role of the CFO is evolving to incorporate sustainability
Several forces drive the CFO’s involvement in sustainability initiatives
CFOs are essential to ensuring investor-grade data for ESG reporting
Steps that CFOs should take to overcome sustainability challenges
Several forces drive the CFO’s involvement in sustainability initiatives
CFOs are essential to ensuring investor-grade data for ESG reporting
Steps that CFOs should take to overcome sustainability challenges
Figure 1. CFOs contribute to multiple aspects of firms’ sustainability reporting programmes
Figure 2. Challenges CFOs need to overcome
Figure 2. Challenges CFOs need to overcome
Accounting for Sustainability (A4S), Avery Dennison, BDO, Chanel, Dow, General Mills, International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), Kearney, LucaNet, Novo Nordisk, OneStream, Philips, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), UN Global Compact, US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), We Don’t Have Time, Wolters Kluwer, Workiva
About the Authors
Jessica Pransky
Principal Analyst
Jessica is a Principal Analyst at Verdantix, specializing in providing insights to sustainability leaders and analysing ESG and sustainability reporting software. She advises ...
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Kim Knickle
Research Director
Kim Knickle is a Research Director at Verdantix, bringing more than two decades of analyst experience to the evolving world of sustainability. Her current research spans ESG a...
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