The Top 5 Biggest Worries for CFOs in 2025

** Chief Financial Officers** entering 2025 face a complex landscape marked by economic uncertainty, rapid technological change, and mounting regulatory demands. A recent CFO survey underscores these challenges: slower top-line growth, talent retention, executive team misalignment, rising costs, and data quality were all cited among the biggest performance concerns heading into 2025 futurecfo.net. CFOs in technology-driven enterprises must not only safeguard financial health but also steer innovation and ensure compliance in a volatile environment. The following are the top five worries keeping CFOs up at night in 2025 – and how finance leaders and NetSuite administrators can work together to address them.

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Figure: Gartner’s survey of CFOs reveals slower revenue growth (19% of respondents) and talent retention (18%) as the top challenges to enterprise performance in 2025 futurecfo.net. Other concerns include strategic alignment gaps (17%), rising costs (15%), and poor enterprise data quality (14%) – all areas CFOs must navigate carefully.

1. Navigating Economic Uncertainty and Cost Pressures

After several tumultuous years, CFOs are warily watching the economic horizon. Inflation, interest rate fluctuations, and geopolitical instabilities have introduced significant volatility into financial planning. Despite an about-face shift to optimism – 72% of finance chiefs believe the economy will improve in 2025 x.com – uncertainty remains high. CFOs worry about the possibility of recession, slower revenue growth, and pressure on margins. In Gartner’s late-2024 survey, slower top-line growth was the #1 challenge CFOs cited for 2025 futurecfo.net. Likewise, Protiviti’s global risk survey shows CFOs rank economic conditions and inflationary pressures as their top near-term concern protiviti.com. These concerns reflect fears that shaky market demand or rising costs could derail strategic plans.

Impact on Strategy & Operations: Economic uncertainty forces CFOs to become more agile in strategy and cost management. Many are more focused on downside risks and cost containment when budgeting for 2025 futurecfo.net. CFOs must balance protecting profitability with funding growth initiatives. For example, companies are adopting “efficient growth” practices – cutting operating costs during good times and investing boldly during downturns – to weather all phases of the business cycle futurecfo.net. CFOs are also revisiting supply chains and pricing strategies to mitigate the impact of inflation. Internally, financial teams are running frequent scenario analyses and forecasts to model worst-case and best-case outcomes, so the company isn’t caught flat-footed by sudden economic shifts.

Compliance Considerations: Economic swings can have compliance implications too. Interest rate changes affect debt covenants and financial instrument accounting, while inflation impacts asset valuations and tax strategies. CFOs must ensure financial reports and forecasts reflect these factors accurately to remain compliant with accounting standards and provide transparency to investors. Moreover, if a downturn forces budget cuts or layoffs, CFOs need to manage disclosures and regulatory requirements (such as WARN Act notices or impairments) carefully.

Collaboration and Solutions: CFOs and NetSuite administrators can collaborate to build resilience against economic volatility:

• Real-Time Financial Visibility: Use NetSuite’s cloud ERP dashboards and reporting to monitor cash flow, expenses, and revenue in real time. A unified system helps flag cost overruns or sales dips early so the leadership can respond quickly mossadams.commossadams.com. For instance, configuring KPI alerts in NetSuite can notify the CFO of declining gross margins or liquidity ratios, prompting timely action.

• Scenario Planning & Budgeting: Leverage NetSuite’s planning and budgeting tools (or integration with planning software) to run multiple what-if scenarios. CFOs can model the financial impact of an economic downturn versus growth scenario – e.g. forecasting revenue under various market conditions – to inform strategic decisions. Automated planning modules reduce the reliance on error-prone spreadsheets, enabling more accurate scenario analysis mossadams.com.

• Cost Management Initiatives: Work together to identify cost-saving opportunities through the ERP. A NetSuite admin can help the CFO analyze spend data across departments to find inefficiencies or negotiate better vendor terms. Some companies set up custom NetSuite reports on operational spend to support cost-reduction programs. By having granular cost data at their fingertips, CFOs can enact targeted cuts that protect critical growth investments while trimming waste futurecfo.net.

By staying financially agile and leveraging data, CFOs can turn economic uncertainty into an opportunity – reallocating resources dynamically and maintaining investor confidence even in choppy markets.

2. Protecting Against Cybersecurity and Fraud Threats

In 2025, cybersecurity remains a top concern for CFOs as financial data becomes a prime target for attackers. Finance chiefs are acutely aware that a single cyber incident – such as a ransomware attack freezing the ERP system or a fraudulent wire transfer – can inflict huge financial and reputational damage. In one recent finance leader survey, 52% of respondents identified security threats (including fraud and phishing) as their foremost worry controllerscouncil.org. This concern even outranked economic uncertainty in the survey, highlighting how prevalent cyber risks have become. High-profile incidents abound: for example, fraudsters now use AI-driven “deepfake” audio to impersonate executives and trick finance staff into unauthorized payments – a nightmare scenario for CFOs. The expanding digital footprint of companies (cloud systems, remote access, digital payments) gives attackers more points of entry, forcing CFOs to invest in stronger defenses.

Impact on Operations & Compliance: A cyber breach can halt operations and undermine financial integrity. CFOs worry about being unable to close the books on time or having sensitive financials stolen. Operationally, a ransomware attack could disrupt payroll or accounts payable, grinding core finance processes to a stop linkedin.com. There are also direct financial costs – ransom payments, incident response, legal fees – and indirect costs like lost business or stock price hits. From a compliance perspective, CFOs must contend with data privacy laws and regulatory reporting if a breach occurs. Regulations like GDPR and state data breach laws impose duties to safeguard customer and employee data. Public companies in the US now face SEC cybersecurity disclosure requirements, meaning a material cyber incident must be reported to investors. CFOs, as stewards of corporate trust, carry the responsibility to ensure robust controls are in place to prevent fraud and maintain accurate financial reporting despite cyber threats.

Collaboration and Solutions: Addressing cybersecurity risks is a team effort that heavily involves the CFO, the IT/security team, and the ERP administrators. CFOs and NetSuite admins can take joint action in several ways:

• Strengthen ERP Security Settings: Ensure that NetSuite’s security features are fully utilized – for example, enforcing ** role-based access controls** so that employees only see the data relevant to their job teambluesky.com.auteambluesky.com.au. The NetSuite administrator can implement multi-factor authentication, strong password policies, and IP restrictions for accessing the financial system. Regular reviews of user permissions and audit logs help catch any unauthorized access attempts.

• Financial Fraud Prevention Measures: CFOs should work with admins to set up alerts in NetSuite for unusual transactions, such as sudden large payments or changes in vendor bank account details. Segregation of duties within the system (e.g. one person initiates a payment, another approves) can prevent internal fraud. NetSuite’s audit trail functionality provides an immutable record of changes, which is invaluable for investigating any suspicious activity roundtablesa.com.

• Disaster Recovery and Continuity: Collaborate on a robust backup and recovery plan for financial data. Storing backups off-site (with Oracle NetSuite’s cloud backups or external secure storage) ensures that if a cyber incident occurs, the finance team can restore critical data quickly. Drills can be conducted to test how the finance department would continue operations during a system outage – for instance, having contingency procedures for approving payments if the ERP is down.

• Employee Training & Awareness: Even the best systems can be undermined by human error, so CFOs are sponsoring regular cybersecurity training for finance staff. NetSuite administrators can contribute by educating users on safe system practices (like not exporting data to unsecured spreadsheets or falling for phishing emails that request login credentials). A culture of security awareness, championed by the CFO, is often the strongest defense against fraud.

By proactively shoring up financial systems and processes, CFOs aim to prevent cyber incidents before they happen. As one expert noted, cyber risk for CFOs spans operational disruptions (e.g. ransomware halting payroll), direct financial loss (fraudulent wire transfers), and even investor trust if breaches are not handled transparently linkedin.com. In 2025, the finance chief’s new mandate is to become a cyber guardian – ensuring the company’s money and data are safe in an age of digital threats.

3. Talent Shortage and Skills Gaps in the Finance Team

Even as technology plays a larger role in finance, people remain the most critical asset – and a scarce one at that. CFOs in 2025 are increasingly worried about talent: finding it, developing it, and keeping it. The finance and accounting profession is facing a pipeline challenge. In North America, the number of accounting graduates has been declining in recent years, and many seasoned professionals are reaching retirement age www2.deloitte.com. In Deloitte’s Q1 2025 CFO Signals survey, half of CFOs reported employee engagement as a major challenge, and 45% pointed to a lack of skilled talent on their teams www2.deloitte.com. The same survey found CFOs’ biggest worry about the accounting talent pipeline is the increased workload on their existing team (cited by 44% of respondents) if hiring doesn’t keep pace www2.deloitte.com. In other words, fewer qualified staff means burnout for those who remain, and potentially slower closes, more errors, and missed opportunities. Talent concerns don’t stop at technical accounting knowledge – CFOs are also anxious to find staff with data analytics, automation, and AI skills to support the finance function’s evolution.

Impact on Strategy & Operations: A talent crunch hits finance on multiple fronts. Operationally, it can jeopardize the basics like timely financial reporting and internal controls – if you don’t have enough accountants or analysts, even routine tasks become difficult to complete accurately. One alarming consequence CFOs cite is loss of credibility with investors and the board if the finance team is understaffed and cannot deliver quality insights www2.deloitte.com. Strategically, lacking the right talent hampers a CFO’s ability to act as a true business partner. Modern CFOs want to drive analytics, scenario modeling, and strategic planning, but they need analysts adept in these areas. If the team is bogged down in manual work (due to too few people or outdated skills), finance cannot play its full strategic role. There’s also a compliance angle – complex regulations (from revenue recognition to sustainability reporting) demand specialized knowledge. Not having experienced professionals in these domains could lead to compliance errors. Furthermore, the “finance workforce of the future” requires new skills (like programming RPA bots or interpreting AI forecasts), so CFOs worry about upskilling their current staff to stay relevant controllerscouncil.org.

Collaboration and Solutions: To combat talent shortages, CFOs and NetSuite admins (along with HR partners) are adopting creative strategies to do more with fewer people and make the finance workplace attractive:

• Automate Routine Work: A key relief for lean teams is automation. CFOs are investing in NetSuite’s automation capabilities – from automating journal entries and invoice processing to using workflow tools for approvals. By automating repetitive tasks, the finance team frees up time for higher-value analysis controllerscouncil.org. For example, a mid-size tech company used NetSuite to automate its multi-entity consolidation, cutting the manual work of their accountants by dozens of hours each month. This not only improves accuracy but also reduces burnout, addressing the issue of overworked staff.

• Enhance Data Visibility and Reporting: Nothing frustrates talented finance professionals more than spending hours consolidating data from siloed systems. By ensuring NetSuite is the single source of truth for financial data, CFOs give their teams modern tools (like self-service dashboards and real-time reports) instead of forcing them into spreadsheet drudgery. Better reporting tools empower a smaller team to generate the insights that management needs without heroic efforts every quarter-end mossadams.commossadams.com. This directly tackles the concern that finance departments endure too many “fire drills” and late nights, which CFOs know can drive staff out the door.

• Upskill and Cross-train Staff: CFOs are also prioritizing talent development. They might partner with NetSuite admins to hold internal training sessions on new system features or analytics modules. For instance, teaching an accounting team member some NetSuite saved search or SuiteAnalytics skills can elevate them into a quasi-analyst role, reducing dependency on hiring externally. CFOs are encouraging a culture of continuous learning – some even rotate team members through different roles (payables, receivables, FP&A, etc.) to broaden their skillsets and keep them engaged. This not only improves retention (people feel their careers are growing) but also builds resilience: when someone leaves, there’s another team member with overlapping knowledge.

• Flexible Work and Workforce Strategies: The post-pandemic shift to hybrid and remote work also plays into talent strategy. Many CFOs now offer more flexible arrangements to attract a wider talent pool and improve retention. However, supporting distributed finance teams comes with challenges – NetSuite’s cloud accessibility helps here, enabling secure remote access so finance staff can work from anywhere without missing a beat teambluesky.com.auteambluesky.com.au. By working with IT and NetSuite admins to implement strong remote collaboration tools (from cloud ERP to video conferencing and project management apps), CFOs ensure that even a geographically spread team can function cohesively. This flexibility can be a selling point to recruits and a factor that keeps valued employees from burning out.

Ultimately, CFOs know that investing in people is as important as investing in technology. The most forward-thinking finance chiefs are blending the two: using technology (automation, cloud systems, AI) to amplify what a smaller, skilled team can do, and creating an environment where top financial talent want to stay. This dual approach helps alleviate the talent crunch – and it positions the finance organization as a future-ready, attractive place to build a career.

4. Keeping Pace with Digital Transformation and AI Innovation

The year 2025 finds CFOs at the forefront of their companies’ digital transformation efforts. Finance leaders are no longer just passive users of technology – they are driving initiatives in automation, analytics, cloud migration, and even artificial intelligence (AI) to create a more agile and data-driven finance function. However, this presents a two-sided worry: on one hand, CFOs fear falling behind if they don’t adopt new technologies; on the other hand, they worry about adopting the wrong tech or failing to realize ROI on expensive systems. A host of surveys highlight this delicate balance. According to Gartner, data, metrics, and analytics emerged as the top CFO priority for 2025 – CFOs know they need better data insights to steer the business gartner.com. In a recent poll, 65% of finance departments said they are already using AI in some form finance.yahoo.com, from automating invoice processing to forecasting. Yet, CFOs remain cautious; nearly 78% of CFOs voiced major concerns about security and privacy with AI adoption, and almost half worry about AI making errors or introducing bias emburse.comcontrollerscouncil.org. The finance chief’s role is evolving into that of a “technology strategist”, and that comes with anxiety over major projects like ERP upgrades, system integrations, and the ever-expanding tech budget.

Impact on Strategy & Operations: Digital transformation is both an imperative and a disruption. Strategically, CFOs see technology as a key to efficient growth – 44% of CFOs say increasing the use of tech (like automation and AI) to reduce costs is very important in the near term pwc.com. This reflects the expectation that digital tools will streamline operations and yield savings. However, operationally, implementing new tech can be challenging. Cloud ERP migrations or AI projects can strain resources and face internal resistance. In fact, one top concern noted by CFOs is “resistance to change” in the organization, which can derail transformation efforts protiviti.com. CFOs must champion change management, ensuring that their teams adopt new systems rather than cling to familiar spreadsheets. There’s also the complexity of maintaining data integrity across various tools – if a company uses NetSuite for core ERP, plus other cloud apps for CRM, planning, etc., the CFO worries about integrating these into a cohesive tech stack. Silos and inconsistent data are the bane of a data-driven enterprise. As the finance tech stack grows, another worry emerges: technical debt (outdated legacy systems that haven’t been upgraded) can bog down performance. CFOs lose sleep over whether their current systems will scale with growth or suddenly become obsolete.

Collaboration and Solutions: CFOs and their NetSuite administrators (as well as CIOs and IT teams) must work hand-in-hand to ensure technology truly delivers value. Some best practices and collaborative steps include:

• Consolidate and Integrate Systems: Many companies are moving toward a unified, cloud-based architecture. CFOs are consolidating disparate financial systems onto platforms like NetSuite to eliminate data silos. “Tech stacks are consolidating and cloud adoption is expanding,” as one 2025 trends report noted – cloud ERP is now seen as a necessity for scalability and transparency, not a luxury controllerscouncil.org. A NetSuite admin plays a crucial role in integrating other business systems (CRM, e-commerce, HR software) with NetSuite via APIs or built-in connectors, ensuring data flows seamlessly across the enterprise. This gives CFOs a single version of the truth and alleviates the data quality concerns (the Gartner survey above showed 14% of CFOs flagged enterprise data quality as a top issue futurecfo.net).

• Leverage AI and Analytics (Carefully): Forward-looking CFOs are experimenting with AI and advanced analytics tools, often in collaboration with their finance systems team. For example, Oracle NetSuite has been rolling out AI/ML enhancements – at SuiteWorld 2025, NetSuite debuted AI-powered features to streamline expense processing and anomaly detection in financial records the-cfo.io. CFOs should pilot these AI capabilities in low-risk areas first (such as using AI to auto-categorize transactions or predict late payments) and closely monitor accuracy. The NetSuite admin can help by configuring these tools, providing quality data for training AI models, and setting up controls (like human review of AI-generated entries). Over time, as confidence in AI grows, CFOs can scale up its use – for instance, using predictive analytics for cash forecasting or scenario planning, which 28% of finance teams are already doing in forecasting pwc.com. The key is to align any tech initiative with clear ROI metrics (efficiency gains, error reduction, faster close, etc.) so the value is evident.

• Continuous Training and Change Management: A new system or tool is only as good as its users. CFOs are making sure their finance staff (and even themselves) get trained on the latest NetSuite modules and analytical tools. One practical approach is establishing “power users” or a Center of Excellence within the finance team – these are tech-savvy finance professionals who partner with the NetSuite admin to champion new features and coach others. This helps address the digital skills gap (which 48% of finance leaders cited as a major challenge controllerscouncil.org) by building tech skills internally. Additionally, CFOs should communicate the vision behind each tech change – for example, explaining that automating a manual process will free team members for more strategic work – to get buy-in and reduce resistance. Celebrating quick wins (such as a month-end close that finishes a day faster thanks to the new system) can also boost morale and adoption.

• Innovation with Governance: While pushing the envelope on tech, CFOs worry about governance – ensuring data security, proper use of algorithms, and aligning with IT policies. This is why many CFOs collaborate closely with the CIO and even create joint task forces for finance transformation. Establishing clear data governance (who owns which data, how often it’s reconciled) and involving the security team when implementing tools (especially cloud apps or any that handle sensitive financial info) is crucial. For example, if finance wants to use a third-party AI forecasting tool alongside NetSuite, the CFO and NetSuite admin should vet it for security and ensure it doesn’t conflict with data integrity. Having such guardrails allows innovation to proceed without compromising the control environment.

The upside of embracing digital transformation is significant: more efficient operations, deeper insights, and newfound agility. CFOs like to cite successes – for instance, companies that moved to cloud ERP and automated reporting often cut their close process from 10 days to 5, allowing more time for analysis. The downside risk (failed implementations, money wasted on shelfware software) is mitigated by strong CFO involvement and CFO–CIO collaboration. As PwC observes, today’s CFO must “lead the future of finance by turning AI into enterprise value”, not just react to tech change pwc.compwc.com. Those who get it right can turn technology from a source of worry into a source of competitive advantage.

5. Rising Regulatory Compliance Burdens (and the ESG Agenda)

Keeping abreast of ever-evolving regulations has always been part of a CFO’s job, but in 2025 the scope and complexity of compliance concerns are unprecedented. CFOs are not only grappling with changes in financial reporting standards and tax laws across multiple jurisdictions, but also a wave of new regulations around sustainability and ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) reporting. In a global survey, CFOs ranked “heightened regulatory change, uncertainty and scrutiny” as a top 10 risk concern for the coming years protiviti.com. This includes everything from new accounting rules (for example, revisions to lease accounting or revenue recognition), stricter audit and internal control standards, to broader policies like data privacy laws and industry-specific regulations. Perhaps the biggest new frontier is ESG: Governments and investors are pressuring companies to disclose their impacts on climate and society. The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), for instance, begins phasing in from 2024, requiring detailed sustainability metrics from companies doing business in Europe. Many CFOs worry about how to collect reliable ESG data and ensure compliance with such rules – in fact, sustainability’s “center of gravity” is shifting to the finance function, as finance teams are tasked with producing these reports and aligning them with financial disclosures pwc.com.

Impact on Strategy & Operations: The surge in compliance demands can strain finance departments and influence strategic decisions. From an operational standpoint, more regulations mean more reporting work – CFOs must certify not just financial statements, but potentially climate emissions data, supply chain due diligence, and more. Ensuring accuracy is paramount, since non-compliance can have severe consequences: fines, legal issues, damaged reputation, and loss of investor trust teambluesky.com.auteambluesky.com.au. Consider the reputational fallout from an accounting scandal or an ESG report accused of “greenwashing” – CFOs are keenly aware that trust once lost is hard to regain. There’s also a strategic element: regulatory shifts can alter business models. For example, stricter capital requirements or interest rate changes (often set by regulators or central banks) might constrain growth plans; new tax rules could affect investment location decisions. On the positive side, some CFOs see opportunity in the push for transparency – using ESG goals to drive efficiency (e.g. reducing energy usage saves cost) and attract capital from sustainability-focused investors. Still, the overarching feeling in many finance offices is that of racing to keep up. CFOs are investing in stronger compliance processes and often need to hire or designate specialists (like an “ESG controller”) to manage the load pwc.compwc.com.

Collaboration and Solutions: CFOs and NetSuite administrators can significantly ease the compliance burden by leveraging technology and smart processes. Here are ways they are tackling this challenge:

• Unified and Accurate Data Sources: Compliance reporting often fails when data is scattered or inconsistent. CFOs are therefore focused on enhancing data visibility across the organization – a priority echoed in Oracle NetSuite’s CFO agenda for 2025 hub.coso.org. By using NetSuite as a unified system for financials (and extending it with modules or integrations for other data like HR, procurement, or carbon emissions tracking), companies can pull compliance data from a “single source of truth.” For example, NetSuite’s OneWorld module allows a CFO to manage multiple subsidiaries under different regulatory regimes, consolidating results while still meeting local reporting requirements. Having standardized data and processes globally makes it easier to adapt when regulations change, since you can update rules in one system rather than chase data in spreadsheets across departments.

• Automated Compliance Workflows: Modern cloud ERPs like NetSuite come with capabilities to help maintain compliance. CFOs are turning on features such as audit trails, configurable workflows, and compliance checklists. NetSuite can be configured to enforce approval hierarchies for transactions, ensuring, say, that any expense above a threshold gets the necessary sign-off (helpful for SOX compliance). Partners have also developed NetSuite add-ons that automatically update tax rates or accounting rules based on the latest regulations. One CFO described how implementing automated compliance tracking in NetSuite eased their burden – the system could be updated with new lease accounting standards, and it would automatically adjust calculations going forward teambluesky.com.au. Similarly, standardized reporting templates in the ERP ensure that financial statements across global units conform to the required formats teambluesky.com.au. This level of automation and standardization can significantly reduce the risk of human error in compliance reporting.

• ESG Reporting Integration: For the new sustainability mandates, CFOs are leveraging both system capabilities and cross-functional teamwork. NetSuite administrators can help by capturing relevant ESG data in the system – for instance, setting up custom records to track carbon emissions, or linking procurement data to supplier ESG scores. Some organizations integrate specialized sustainability reporting tools with their ERP to gather environmental data alongside financial data. The CFO’s team, often in conjunction with sustainability officers, can then generate reports that meet frameworks like the GRI or CSRD directly from these data feeds. Importantly, CFOs bring financial rigor to ESG metrics, treating them with the same control and assurance as financial KPIs. As PwC noted, finance’s technical acumen in reporting and risk management can align climate risk mitigation with broader strategic decisions, effectively folding ESG into enterprise risk management pwc.com. By doing so, compliance with sustainability reporting isn’t just a box-ticking exercise, but another dimension of business performance that the CFO manages.

• Staying Ahead of Change: Regulations will continue to evolve, so CFOs are adopting a proactive stance. Many participate in industry forums or consult with advisors (like Big Four firms) to anticipate what’s coming down the pike – be it a new tax law, an update to IFRS/GAAP, or emerging ESG standards. CFOs then work with their NetSuite admins to ensure the system is ready. For example, if a new revenue recognition rule (say, for subscription software sales) is on the horizon, the team might start configuring NetSuite’s revenue management module to handle it, well before the effective date. This was the case when ASC 606 (IFRS 15) came into effect – finance teams that used NetSuite were able to utilize its built-in revenue recognition features to comply, whereas others struggled with manual calculations. In short, early adoption of system features or upgrades for compliance can save a lot of last-minute scramble. NetSuite’s regular updates often include new compliance functionality (like support for new tax regimes), and CFOs should ensure these updates are tested and applied.

Staying compliant is a never-ending marathon, but with the right tools and partnership between CFOs and system experts, it becomes manageable. It’s also increasingly a source of competitive advantage: companies with clean, transparent reporting and robust ESG disclosures tend to enjoy lower cost of capital and better stakeholder trust. As one CFO put it, the goal is to have “no surprises” when it comes to compliance – no late adjustments, no audit flags, no public embarrassments. By investing in processes and technology now, CFOs can sleep a little easier on this front, confident that their company’s financial reporting house is in order even as the rules of the game keep changing teambluesky.com.au.

Conclusion: The CFO’s role in 2025 is more challenging – and more strategic – than ever. From guiding the company through economic ups and downs, safeguarding against digital threats, nurturing a future-ready finance team, harnessing cutting-edge technology, to ensuring full compliance, the modern CFO wears many hats. Each of the five concerns discussed above carries hefty weight, but they also present opportunities for financial leaders to shine. Collaboration is the common thread in overcoming these challenges: by working closely with NetSuite administrators and leveraging integrated cloud systems, CFOs can translate worries into actionable insights and solutions. The CFO who partners with IT to fortify cybersecurity, with HR to develop talent, with operations to drive cost efficiency, and with compliance officers to streamline reporting will not only alleviate their top worries – they will position their organization for resilience and success. As the saying goes, “smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” The headwinds of 2025 may be strong, but armed with data, technology, and teamwork, CFOs can confidently navigate the storm and lead their enterprises forward.

Sources:

1. Deloitte CFO Signals (Q1 2025) – Highlighting finance workforce challenges and CFOs’ talent pipeline worries www2.deloitte.comwww2.deloitte.com.

2. Gartner (via FutureCFO) – CFOs’ biggest 2025 challenges: slower growth, talent retention, exec alignment, cost increases, data quality futurecfo.net.

3. Protiviti & NC State ERM Initiative – Top risks for CFOs in 2025, with economic uncertainty, cyber threats, and labor costs ranking highest protiviti.comprotiviti.com.

4. Controllers Council (AvidXchange survey) – Finance leaders’ priorities and worries (efficiency 61%, security 52%, data 49%, skills 48%, AI risks 43%, compliance 40%, etc.) controllerscouncil.orgcontrollerscouncil.org.

5. PwC Pulse Survey and Insights (2024/2025) – CFOs increasing tech use to cut costs pwc.com; finance leading AI adoption and ESG reporting efforts pwc.compwc.com.

6. CFO.com / Yahoo Finance – “7 Key Concerns for CFOs in 2025,” including AI ROI, cybersecurity, evolving finance function, cloud ERP, payments modernization, and automation controllerscouncil.orgcontrollerscouncil.org.

7. Oracle NetSuite Insights – CFO agenda for 2025 emphasizes data visibility, experimentation with AI, readiness for new regulations, and empowering finance teams hub.coso.org.

8. TeamBlueSky (NetSuite partner) – Challenges for CFOs (2024) and how NetSuite helps, covering global compliance management teambluesky.com.auteambluesky.com.au and remote workforce support teambluesky.com.au.

9. Additional industry commentary – CFO Dive and Forbes articles on CFO risks (economy, cyber, talent) forbes.com, and expert tips on efficient growth practices during uncertainty futurecfo.net.