In this instalment of the Future of Finance 2.0 interview series, Group CEO Ramesh Schaffter, FCMA, CGMA, of the Janashakthi Group in Sri Lanka, reflects on his role managing his C-suite team. He views his job as creating a dynamic and inspiring environment in which his highly qualified team members can develop their full potential and excel.
The right working environment is essential to embrace the rapid changes in the finance profession.
And one of the most significant changes in recent times is the role of the finance professional — shifting from the traditional ‘number cruncher’ to a holistically skilled professional at the centre of value creation.
‘A finance professional is integral to adding value to the business. It’s now the era of the dynamic accountant’, says Schaffter.
Leading finance into the future
The modern accountant now enables business decisions by offering opinions and judgements in leadership meetings. For example, Schaffter’s CFO provides critical data and economic forecasts that can help drive and grow the business with strategic key decision-making.
Schaffter adds that what we need from today’s finance professionals is forecasting skills that deliver insights and a vision of the future.
Over the next five years, developing finance skills will be crucial. A mindset change, combined with the ability to interpret numbers and tell a compelling story from those numbers, will be key to success. The future of finance is about adding value to the business by driving critical factors to increase profits — this is the role of the finance professional of the future. Listen to learn more.