Chartered Accountants Worldwide Network USA, the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA), and Fordham University brought finance leaders together in New York to explore how the CFO role is changing in practice. The discussion was moderated by Jon Reid CAANZ member, Director IESBA, and Carla Vijian, CAANZ member, Principal IESBA, and featured David Wray, ICAEW member, IESBA Board Advisor; Nikita Klassen, CPA Canada member, CFO The Westaim Corporation; Bambo Bamgbose, US CPA, fractional CFO and Head of Executive Services at British-American Consulting Advocacy; and Matthew Williams, ICAEW member, Divisional CFO at Everest Insurance.

The Panelists, with broad experience across different organization models and sectors, returned to the same tenet, CFOs are expected to move faster and influence more areas of the enterprise, yet they remain accountable for the reliability, transparency, and ethical quality of the decisions that follow. The panel also observed that, the source and extent of a CFO’s accountability vary by jurisdiction, organizational role and professional status. The IESBA Code applies directly to CFOs who are professional accountants; other CFOs may be accountable under law, governance arrangements or organizational codes.