The CFO and Company Culture
Of all the c-suite roles that could carry the banner for a company’s culture, the Chief Financial Officer is not necessarily the first to mind. The modern CFO, however, inhabits a role that has great potential to reinforce positive cultural behaviors or to drive a transformation away from negative behaviors. We spoke with four of the CFOs in our network about their role as culture champions in their careers and in their current roles.
Should the CFO Be a Culture Carrier?
There of course is no one-size-fits-all answer to anything in business. Flavia Landsberg of Pyxus International shared with us that, in her current position, she is a primary change agent by board preference. This is her fourth time working in a transformational role. Her ability to use data to bring reason makes the CFO a good option as a transformational agent. While there is often resistance to change, it isn’t necessarily because of opposition; rather, much of that friction comes from ignorance of the alternatives.
Landsberg is clear that partnership is a core component of any successful transformation. Finance is not simply the reporting of the business. Finance is the partner of business. While companies often look to a new CFO to transform their financial outlook, it is clear that the role must also play a part in transforming those parts of the business that need it.
For other CFOs, the briefing on their role in culture is less explicit. Mark Piccirillo of Sammons Industrial reminded us that, since the CFO inherently touches every aspect of an organization, whoever is in that seat needs to be able to carry consistent ideas. Rob Kuhns at TopBuild echoed this sentiment, adding that buy-in for cultural ideas needs to start with the CEO, no matter how central a conduit the CFO can be.
Elaine Paik at Impossible Foods noted that, in the consumer sector, there has always been a cultural component to her role as a senior finance leader. She added that the CFO can play a large role in establishing psychological safety throughout the company.