Controllers Council Research Studies
2025 CFO/Controller Outlook & Sentiment Study
The 2025 CFO/Controller Sentiment Study reveals significant shifts in sentiments and outlooks, reflecting confidence amidst evolving challenges and uncertainties. This year’s study provides insights into evolving priorities, including financial outlooks and sentiments, work environment dynamics, and technology adoption, offering a benchmark for organizations navigating 2025’s complexities.
Corporate Finance & Accounting Talent Study (2024)
In 2024, CFOs and Controllers continued to adapt their finance and accounting (F&A) professional talent acquisition strategies to improve retention, find quality employees, and ensure that the needs of their organizations were being met. This year’s study delves into how your CFO and Controller peers are managing ongoing talent challenges, including retention and recruitment. The survey results reveal a mix of progress and persistent hurdles, offering insights and trends that are critical for planning your organization’s future F&A talent strategies.
Board Effectiveness: A Survey of the C-Suite
Driven largely by market forces, business is in a third great wave of corporate governance evolution. This follows significant changes brought about over the last twenty years by the Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank Acts. This current wave is driving the modernization of long-standing governance practices, impacting how boards fulfill their decision making and oversight responsibilities. But the changes are also surfacing conflicts and discontent.
The Digital Controller/CFO – 2022
Controllers and CFOs have shifted from the traditional roles of financial reporting and compliance, to take on greater responsibilities in many aspects of accounting/finance and corporate technology. We conducted The Digital Controller/CFO: Benchmark Study 2022 to identify the current trends in duties, roles, and responsibilities for Controllers, CFOs, and other accounting professionals.
Corporate Finance Upskilling/Reskilling
With this backdrop, the objective of the Corporate Finance Upskill/Reskill Study is to identify how Controllers, CFOs, and their respective counterparts have adapted to the Great Resignation staff shortages, along with remote and hybrid workplaces.
The Contemporary Controller—Changing Roles and Responsibilities
In the Fall of 2020, the Controllers Council surveyed more than 300 Controllers, CFOs, and related professionals in accounting and corporate finance roles. The objective of this study: to identify how the roles and responsibilities of these important executives have changed, adapted and evolved. The conclusions, carefully documented and analyzed in this Benchmark Study Report.
2024 CFO/Controller Sentiment Study
The annual sentiment study identifies the CFO/Controller Financial Performance Index (FPI), and CFO/Controller Spending/Budget Index (SBI) which can be compared to prior indexes to identify trends. The study also uncovers what CFOs and Controllers will do differently in 2024? Adopting AI is one major priority, which may assist with the ongoing talent shortage. Managing a Hybrid work environment will dominate. And carefully watching spend even with improved financial performance, all amidst extremely challenging economic, political and business environments. The study captures extraordinary insights into corporate finance with executive respondents from all company sizes, and industries.
2023 Controller/CFO Sentiment Study
What will Controllers and CFOs do differently in 2023? This inaugural study seeks to understand how current business and economic environments are impacting corporate financial planning, strategy, priorities, and outlooks. The 2023 indexes represent a “bullish” outlook for individual company financial performance, along with a “cautious” plan for spending. The new indexes will serve as benchmarks for future data, while identifying trends in financial performance and organizational spending.
Corporate Finance & Accounting Talent Study (2023)
In 2023, CFOs and Controllers across the globe revamped their accounting and finance professional talent acquisition strategies to improve retention, find quality employees, and ensure that the needs of their organizations were being met. In this year’s study, Controllers Council researchers thoroughly explored how your CFO and Controller peers are dealing with ongoing talent challenges, including retention and recruitment.
