Advice for future CFOs: One communication skill that sets you apart

Journal of Accountancy Podcast

Scott Simmons is co-managing partner at the firm Crist Kolder Associates. In more than two decades handling executive searches for clients, he’s seen the qualifications for the CFO role change dramatically. The pressure on CFOs to deliver value has also grown. While some skills remain constant, of course, so do the paths to landing a CFO role.

In this JofA podcast episode, Simmons takes listeners through some of the recent statistics in the firm’s annual Volatility Report, discussing the importance of escaping one’s comfort zone and developing new skills to be in line for a job as finance chief.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• The number of CFOs at larger companies who have Big Four accounting backgrounds.
• The companies and C-suite positions Crist Kolder tracks in its annual Volatility Report
• How candidates can develop CFO skills without first becoming a CFO.
• Why an investor relations rotation should be something aspiring CFOs “jump” to accept.
• The major college athletics conference that has produced the most CFOs in companies tracked in by Volatility Report.