How the CFO Role is Adapting to the Growth of Digital Remits

Executive roles within major corporations are adapting to meet the demands of technological advancement and expanding C-suite capabilities at an unprecedented pace.

Organisations are adding new positions to their leadership teams to align with shifts in the economic and technological environment.

As these responsibilities evolve, the key performance indicators and expectations for department leaders are being recalibrated, with certain functions being reassigned across the executive structure.

Digital leadership restructuring at Coca-Cola

The Coca-Cola Company provides a clear example of this trend. The multinational beverage corporation has reassigned digital strategy responsibilities previously held by Chief Financial Officer John Murphy.

In January, the firm announced the appointment of Sedef Salinghan Sahin as its first Chief Digital Officer. The role has been created to accelerate technology adoption across the enterprise and strengthen consumer connections.

According to Coca-Cola's announcement, Sahin is responsible for "integrating the company's digital network and connecting work across related functions".

Digital responsibilities and finance leadership

The evolution of CFO responsibilities has been documented in recent years. According to RSM's 2019 Digital Transformation Survey, nearly two-thirds of CFOs either owned or shared responsibility for digital transformation initiatives.

The survey identified a transition in the role from managing organisational financial health to assuming more strategic functions within companies.

The restructuring at Coca-Cola reflects a repositioning of digital strategy as a dedicated growth function rather than a financial decision-making area.

Finance departments retain involvement in digital transformations, but the creation of a distinct Chief Digital Officer role signals that digital strategy requires focused leadership.

Derek Perry, Chief Technology Officer at AI firm Sparq, tells Reconteur: "When these capabilities move outside the CFO's remit, questions of governance and oversight become sharper. Auditability and explainability matter more than ever once data and AI no longer roll up through finance."

Coca-Cola CEO Henrique Braun said at the time of the appointment: "The Chief Digital Officer position is a pivotal role for our future.

"Sedef's proven leadership will help shape how we digitalise the enterprise end-to-end, and over the next several months she will assess how to organise the teams responsible for digital across the enterprise to help strengthen the execution, simplify how we work and enable us to deliver for consumers with greater precision and speed."

Restructuring technology leadership across industries

Similar organisational changes are occurring beyond Coca-Cola. In December 2025, Nike eliminated the CTO role and transferred technology leadership to the Chief Operating Officer position.

The company framed this decision as an integration rather than a closure, positioning technology as a core operational function rather than a separate entity.

By consolidating technology under operations with Venkatesh Alagirisamy, who was appointed Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Nike has embedded technological innovation within its operational priorities.

This restructuring supports CEO Elliott Hill's "Win Now" strategy, which focuses on brand momentum, growth through core sports categories and expansion through a streamlined marketplace and revitalised leadership structure.

Hill says Venkatesh's remit was established to "better connect our operations to integrate technology more seamlessly into our sport offense".

As executive roles continue to adapt, Coca-Cola's appointment of a Chief Digital Officer and Nike's integration of technology under operations demonstrate a trend in corporate leadership where digital capability is being embedded across business functions rather than confined to individual departments.