Editor's note:This article is written by Siqi Chen, CEO of the San Francisco-based financial software company Runway . The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.

In recent years, multiple research reports have pointed out that the role of the CFO (Chief Financial Officer) is rapidly evolving, with technology issues increasingly occupying CFOs' time and energy.

Earlier this year, research published by Gartner showed that most finance leaders nowlead or co-lead enterprise data and analytics strategy. The research also found that although AI is rapidly becoming a standard feature of the CFO's office, finance teams remain underprepared for a digital future.

There is no doubt that AI has arrived—it automatically flags expenses, generates reports, and drafts board presentations. But these surface-level tasks are just the first ripple; deeper changes are underway.

From spreadsheets to the internet, every wave of technology has made businesses faster and more efficient. But AI is different: it not only helps us work faster, but also helps usthinkbetter. Over time, it will change how decisions are made, how forecasts are analyzed, and how value is created.

And finance—with its deep understanding of inputs, trade-offs, and timing—is at the center of this transformation. If AI is a force multiplier, then finance is the lever.

The Rise of the New-Generation CFO

The AI revolution is rapidly shaping a new world for CFOs, demanding that they become more strategic and tech-savvy. Becoming a new-generation CFO is not about birth year, but about having forward-thinking and embracing change, regardless of age. Here is a brief self-assessment checklist to help you evaluate your readiness:

1. Data Fluency

We now have more data than ever before, but most companies don't know how to use it because much of it is messy, inconsistent, or siloed. This makes data fluency an important emerging skill for CFOs.

New-generation CFOs don't just clean up data—they unify definitions across departments and break down data silos. Only then can they build models that the entire company trusts.

Because even with AI, the law of garbage in, garbage out still holds—only faster and with more confidence.

2. Cross-Functional Insight

Every department has its own model—sales, product, and engineering each have their own logic. These models don't communicate with each other, but every decision they drive ultimately affects the bottom line. And only finance can see all the connections between them.

CFOs who can understand the mental models of various functions and the trade-offs behind them will become indispensable. Someone has to build the business simulator that sees the entire chessboard, and finance is best positioned to take on that role.

3. Narrative Ability

Finance is always the first to see risks—spiking customer churn, shrinking margins, or unsustainable bets. But often, this information fails to be communicated effectively: slides are skimmed over, risks are ignored, and companies end up making mistakes that finance had already foreseen. Therefore, narrative is not a soft skill, but a survival skill.

In an era where everyone has access to data,convictionis the true differentiator. New-generation CFOs don't just share numbers—they create clarity, drive conviction, and push the company to make the right decisions.

The CFO's Moment

AI is automating the low-leverage parts of the job, but this is not a threat—it's a gift—because what remains is the truly core work, such as strategy and narrative.

This is the opportunity for finance to transform from a cost center into a growth engine—not through more confusing dashboards, but through sharper insights, deeper context, and greater influence.

New-generation CFOs don't just close the books. They open up models, run scenario analyses in real time, and make trade-offs visible to every department. They make the right decisions look obvious.

Now is the best time to be in finance.