Talent

There is a gap in skills between what we aspire to and what we are, and what we have. How will finance leaders re-invent themselves to embrace and exploit the full potential of new digital technologies, insights, intelligence, and analytics? But it is not just about the new tools and kit, but about a balance with new ways of thinking (innovation & acceleration) and ways of collaborating across the business. New roles such as business partnering are already widespread, but do we have the skills to do these well? Defining the future operating models will force us to work hard to identify the skills we need to hire, develop and retain in an environment where expectations on employment are changing. What are the skills we need in business operations as we extend the reach of global processes and advanced technologies? What is the role and limitation of the ‘gig economy’ in that context? How do we get the level of deep end to end business process skills and knowledge into our business?

We need smart people who are “broad” as well as “deep”; these “T-shaped people” will always be in demand. They have the depth of expertise in one area, but they’ve got the breadth across lots of other domains as well.