CFOs RISE TO LEAD

Today's CFOs are no longer number-crunchers but strategic co-pilots driving growth, governance, and resilience. Here's how they are reshaping corporate India's boardrooms and business models

- By ASHISH SINHA

IN THE BOARDROOMS OF INDIA'S TOP LISTED COMPANIES, there's a quiet yet powerful transformation underway. No longer confined to spreadsheets and statutory audits, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) has evolved into a central architect of strategy, risk management, digital transformation, and sustainable growth. Today's CFOs are sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with CEOs—decoding market trends, steering business models, and building organisations that are not just financially sound but future-ready.

“The CFO is the copilot to the CEO,” says Sanjeev Bansal, CFO of NIIT. “They bring immense strategic value, balancing compliance and agility while sustaining investor confidence.” And if the past few years have taught anything, it's this: agility, foresight, and clarity are no longer “good to have” but absolutely essential in a world marked by economic swings, tech shifts, and stakeholder activism.

So what are the new rules of engagement? How are CFOs adapting? And what defines success in today's finance function? We asked some of India's most respected CFOs across industries to weigh in.

Beyond the Numbers

The days of the CFO being a behind-the-scenes controller are firmly behind us. Today's finance chiefs are out front—guiding vision, challenging assumptions, and co-creating business strategy. Their chairs in the boardroom are not symbolic; they are central to almost every meaningful decision being made.

"While the integrity of the balance sheet remains our foundation, our most critical contribution begins in the boardroom," says Raman Chopra, CFO of GHCL Ltd. "We're helping shape not just numbers, but governance itself—how boards are built, what kinds of diversity and expertise we need, and how to ensure constructive challenge."