What does a CFO of a company do?

Question

What does the CFO do and if you wanted to become one would you have to major in business? Is it also very rigorous or a stressing job?

Answer 1

A CFO is responsible for the financial results of a company. In contrast, a controller is responsible for the accounting compliance and generating the financial statements. Simply stated; a controller reports the number and a CFO drives the numbers!

The duties of a CFO would consist of managing the banking relationships, managing the controllership function, improving profits and cash flow, and functioning as a member of the senior management team.

To qualify as a CFO you should have a business degree at a minimum. Additional education as a CPA or MBA is preferred, but not required.

Is the job difficult? Yes and no. The responsibilities are greater but if properly trained and with experience you can easily handle the job.

For more information check out www.WikiCFO.com or www.StrategicCFO.com for examples of the issues facing CFO's.  

Answer 2

No, if you make it to Chief Financial Officer, you'll have tons of people doing your work for you.