Volatility is the new norm—and successful CFOs embrace it.
So says Muqsit Ashraf, group chief executive for Accenture Strategy, who is based in Houston. Ashraf explains how high-performing companies use disruption as a catalyst for innovation, based on findings from the firm’s survey report “Resilience Redefined: From Readiness to Reinvention.”
Tell us more about the mindset shift you think CFOs and others in the C-Suite need to make so they can better help their companies become more proactive?
Volatility is no longer episodic—it’s structural. In this new era, the most successful companies don’t just absorb shocks, but they use them to rewire for growth. This demands a mindset shift at the very top. The C-Suite, especially CFOs, must move from reactive cost containment to proactive value orchestration.
Our research shows that fewer than 15 percent of companies consistently achieve long-term profitable growth. What sets them apart is a deliberate commitment to reinvention, a capability that transforms disruption into strategic advantage. CFOs are central to this. No longer just financial guardians, they are becoming architects of enterprise reinvention.
That starts with dynamically reallocating capital, not just to protect margins, but to fuel transformation. It means reimagining the enterprise across four levers: technology, operations, people and commercial strategy. It means using data and AI to drive decisions not quarterly, but continuously. And it means embedding a “cognitive core,” or a digital brain that enables real-time sensing, analysis and action.
CFOs must champion integrated investments that drive sustainable growth, improve talent agility and create systemic competitiveness. In short, they must lead the shift from readiness to reinvention.
In the report, you state that while resilience appears to be rebounding, its foundation is likely cracking, writing, “the future belongs to companies that embrace adaptive resilience.” What does “adaptive resilience” look like for the CFOs and other C-Suiters, and how can they help their companies quickly pivot resources in response to unforeseen market shifts or disruptions?
Yes, resilience is rebounding, but unevenly. The performance gap between leaders and laggards has widened by 17 percentage points. In this environment, adaptive resilience is the currency of long-term viability. It’s not about bouncing back. It’s about pivoting forward with agility, foresight and speed.
For CFOs and others in the C-Suite, that means embracing four interconnected forms of resilience:
- Technology Resilience: With 85 percent of executives increasing gen AI investments, CFOs should lead in operationalizing AI to gain granular insights, forecast disruptions and automate decisions. This isn’t a tech play, it’s a financial performance play.
- Commercial Resilience: As markets shift, static funding models become liabilities. Dynamic capital allocation allows CFOs to redirect resources in real-time, in turn fueling growth and protecting margins. Already, 42 percent of CFOs expect to deploy gen AI in customer service for this reason.
- People Resilience: While 59 percent of CFOs plan to improve workflows through AI, many organizations are underinvesting in their talent. CFOs must rebalance the equation to ensure upskilling keeps pace with automation, and workforce adaptability becomes a competitive edge.
- Operational Resilience: Gen AI can redefine supply chains, but only if paired with cash flow agility and diversified sourcing strategies. A quarter of CFOs already see supply chain as ripe for transformation.
Adaptive resilience is not a siloed initiative. It’s an enterprise-wide capability, and CFOs are uniquely positioned to institutionalize it.
Technology plays a critical role in building resilience, particularly in areas like data analytics, cloud and AI for predictive insights and operational visibility. How can CFOs champion investments in technology as part of that build, including deciding where to invest to make the biggest impact, especially in times when companies may want to limit investments?
Technology is no longer optional—it’s the backbone of enterprise resilience. CFOs are uniquely equipped to lead here, translating digital bets into business outcomes. The opportunity: Shift the narrative from technology as a cost center to technology as a growth engine.
Our research shows that a 1 percent increase in total spend, when allocated smartly, can yield a 1.3 percent revenue gain. Gen AI amplifies this potential. But too many firms are skewing investments toward tools over talent. With tech resilience rising (+3 percent) and people resilience falling (-7 percent), the imbalance is clear.
CFOs must drive prioritization by funding initiatives that embed AI across workflows, fuel operational agility and empower faster responses to shocks. This means investing in platforms that don’t just deliver efficiency, but also enable reinvention, including for products, services and decision-making itself. The future CFO is not just a steward of capital, but a champion of enterprise reinvention.
Resilient organizations empower their people and foster a culture of adaptability. Why is it important for CFOs, finance leaders and the C-Suite as a whole to support initiatives aimed at building workforce resilience?
The promise of AI and data will fall flat unless people are empowered to use them. Resilient organizations recognize that adaptability is built, not bought. CFOs and others in the C-Suite must place workforce resilience at the heart of their reinvention agendas.
During the Great Resignation, leading companies doubled down on their people as they invested in training, internal mobility and leadership development. The result? Greater innovation, lower attrition and faster adaptation. Today, that lesson matters more than ever. Our research shows companies that invest in both technology and talent are four times more likely to achieve long-term profitable growth. Yet most are investing 3x more in tools than in people.
CFOs can tip the balance. By partnering with CHROs, they can develop metrics that capture adaptability, like innovation velocity or reskilling uptake. They can advocate for funding that aligns workforce development with enterprise reinvention. The outcome? A future-ready organization, powered by human capital as much as digital.
