What Does the Future Look Like for the Modern CFO?

The modern CFO stands as a badge of honour to wear as AI has crept its way from back-end office administration to the forefront of financial operations. 

Results are not only being seen in the output from global businesses but also in the research. Recent findings from Spendesk indicate that 91% of CFOs are saving time every week through the use of AI. 

The research comes in the form of the 2026 Finance Professionals Salary Benchmark, which dives into the UK’s finance sector.

AI adoption has been encouraged in the boardroom, as the report reveals that the technology is far from being used sparingly. 

CFOs ranked their opinions on AI, with 48% saying they are “enthusiastic” about its impact. Following closely behind, only 44% of CFOs have “mixed feelings”. 

Of the 91% surveyed who stated they are saving time with AI, 4% say they save up to two days’ worth of work, equivalent to 16 hours.

We have the technology, but where do we go with it? 

Consultancy leader Gartner shares its recommendations for CFOs to adopt an AI strategy in three steps. 

“Organisations that succeed with AI are not necessarily smarter, luckier or better funded, says Ash Mehta, Sr Director Analyst in the Gartner Finance. 

“Rather, they follow a structured and disciplined roadmap that connects finance AI initiatives to business outcomes.”

Gartner's advice starts with CFOs needing to “set the vision and identify maturity” before moving on to “build the roadmap”.

Once these foundations are established, leaders can “execute and scale use cases”.

“If everything is a priority, nothing gets funded. CFOs should identify 3-5 use cases to pilot at a time,” Ash notes. 

“The strongest roadmaps are living plans, not static documents. Finance leaders should customise the roadmap to their organisation, review it as AI capabilities and business priorities evolve and aggressively scale the use cases that succeed.”

The company notes that a finance AI vision should answer three questions: 

• What is the desired end state for an AI-enabled finance function?
• How will finance use AI to achieve enterprise objectives
• What value will AI in finance deliver to the enterprise?

Some companies have already begun to embed AI into their strategy – however some research suggests that this is a hasty move. 

Bottomline’s The Office of the CFO report notes that 90% of CFOs surveyed are under pressure from the Board to adopt AI – counteracting with the 76% surveyed who say they are being pushed to move faster than can be supported by their data, system and controls. 

It also notes that 78% of CFOs say that their business expects controls, speed and visibility provided by the finance office that fragmented finance systems are slowing down. 

“Finance leaders are being asked to move faster, manage risk more tightly, and show where AI can create value, but they are often doing that with disconnected systems and delayed data,” explains Craig Saks, CEO at Bottomline. 

How much does a CFO get paid? 

The 2026 Finance Professionals Salary Benchmark also highlights the growing trend in the professionals looking to leave – despite a rise in salary. 

In the US and Europe, the survey found that 55% of finance professionals are fully prepared to search for new employment in 2026. This is the second year the report has seen a rise in this number. 

Diving deeper into the world of finance professionals, with 51% of CFOs in particular expressing that they would consider looking for a new opportunity – a rise from 42% in 2025. 

Pauline Babel, CFO of Spendesk, says: “The findings of this 2026 survey serve as a warning to companies: the finance function is undergoing a genuine crisis of purpose. 

“Faced with growing pressure and, in some countries, stagnant wages, CFOs are no longer content to simply manage the numbers – they want to be at the heart of strategy. 

“To retain these key talents, companies must rethink the function, value their role as business partners and offer them challenges that match their expertise.”

Out of the 59% of CFOs looking to change roles, the report states that the main reason for this was the search for a “new professional challenge”. 

This could tie in with the salary of a CFO dropping by 4% in 2025 to an average of £131,000 (US$175,500).

Despite up to 64% of finance leaders in the UK and Germany considering a new role in the next six to 12 months, the UK has emerged as a challenger to the dropping average prices. 

The report notes that instead of dropping in average salary, the UK has the strongest growth in the market with a huge 12% increase, bringing the average to £172,000 (US$230,400).

In just one year however, the gender pay gap has widened on a global scale to 22%, up from 19% in 2025. 

Again emerging as a leader, the UK’s gender gap was a modest £39,000-£29,000 (US$52,200 - US$38,800), whereas the largest year-on-year increases were seen in the US and Germany.