Strategic Focus: The CFO's Influence On ESG Reporting
23 May, 2025
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Executive Summary
Sustainability-related issues are becoming a core concern for corporate leadership, prompting broader cross-functional engagement, especially from CFOs. As the financial stewards of the organization, CFOs are increasingly tasked with integrating sustainability into traditional areas such as financial planning, reporting, compliance and risk management. This shift reflects growing stakeholder expectations and the need to futureproof business operations. This report explores how CFOs are evolving into key enablers of sustainable initiatives and reporting.
The role of the CFO is evolving to incorporate sustainability
Several forces drive the CFO’s involvement in sustainability initiatives
CFOs are essential to ensuring investor-grade data for ESG reporting
Steps that CFOs should take to overcome sustainability challenges
Several forces drive the CFO’s involvement in sustainability initiatives
CFOs are essential to ensuring investor-grade data for ESG reporting
Steps that CFOs should take to overcome sustainability challenges
Figure 1. CFOs contribute to multiple aspects of firms’ sustainability reporting programmes
Figure 2. Challenges CFOs need to overcome
Figure 2. Challenges CFOs need to overcome
General Mills, Dow, Workiva, OneStream, UN Global Compact, Novo Nordisk, Philips, International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), LucaNet, Wolters Kluwer, We Don’t Have Time, Avery Dennison, BDO, Kearney, Chanel, Accounting for Sustainability (A4S), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
About the Authors
Jessica Pransky
Principal Analyst
Jessica is a Principal Analyst in the Verdantix ESG & Sustainability practice, which she joined in 2022. Her current research agenda covers ESG reporting and data manageme…
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Kim Knickle
Research Director, ESG & Sustainability
Kimberly Knickle is Research Director of the ESG & Sustainability practice at Verdantix. Her research areas encompass ESG regulations and reporting, ESG risk, supply chain…
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