It's no wonder that the finance and accounting function is undergoing rapid transformation. But what are the biggest changes to watch out for, and how can financial leaders respond?
John Raffaele, global head of finance and accounting operations at Emapta, an outsourcing and offshore staffing company based in the Philippines with offices in major U.S. cities, has some thoughts.
Finance and accounting burnout is on the rise. What changes should CFOs and company leaders make now to prevent talent loss and reduce pressure on overworked staff?
Mandatory billable hour pressures and increased workload demands are challenging experienced and seasoned professionals, while younger talent is pushing the boundaries of work and life. Companies that protect profitability will be those that take immediate steps to redesign the way they work. That means offloading mundane, time-consuming tasks to competent offshore teams and integrating AI to automate low-value work.
AI alone cannot solve the problem. It only brings about change when combined with human intelligence. Combining AI and humans enables global teams to handle volume and complexity, while freeing land staff to focus on strategy, client advice, and innovation.
Equally important is a modern talent strategy centered around flexibility, skills development and sustainability. CFOs need to implement smarter capacity planning, create unified global workflows, and invest in AI and upskilling teams that can work effectively within globally distributed teams.
By embracing a blended onshore, offshore, and AI-enhanced workforce, business leaders can relieve pressure on overworked staff, reduce turnover, and rebuild healthier, more resilient operating models for the second half of 2026 and beyond.
You say that AI should be seen as a copilot, not a replacement. In an era where AI is redefining jobs, how can CFOs balance automation and human judgment while supporting mentorship and developing the next generation of finance leaders?
As AI transforms the finance function, the real opportunity for CFOs is not to replace talent, but to elevate it. Automation must take over repetitive, data-intensive, compliance-driven tasks that slow down teams and free up human capabilities to make the decisions, modeling, scenario planning, and creative problem solving that truly drive business.
But CFOs must also protect the foundation of the profession: mentorship. But eliminating entry-level roles in favor of AI breaks the mentorship pipeline that creates future financial leaders. New talent requires apprentice-style learning, observing how decisions are made, interpreting nuances, and building expert intuition that cannot be replicated by algorithms.
The answer is a balanced workforce strategy. Let the AI handle the volume. Let your offshore team absorb day-to-day operational tasks. And leave young people in their roles so leaders can invest in developing skills, confidence, and real-world judgment.
Done right, it will reposition the financial industry as a human-powered, technology-enabled, consulting-focused career path that attracts ambitious talent and develops the next generation of strategic leaders.
On the global stage, CFOs are increasingly responsible for both cash and carbon. What skill sets will be essential?
This change is reshaping financial functions as global compliance mandates result in an unprecedented increase in carbon reporting requirements. To keep up, finance leaders must blend finance, technology, and sustainability-focused capabilities in their teams.
The required skill set is clear. The team should be familiar with carbon accounting frameworks, emissions measurement, and climate risk modeling. They also need to understand evolving ESG standards, assurance requirements, and data governance practices needed to manage complex, multi-source emissions data. Equally important, finance professionals need stronger analytical and storytelling skills to translate carbon metrics into strategic insights for boards, investors, and regulators.
The demand for carbon-literate financial professionals far exceeds the supply. Forward-looking CFOs are responding by upskilling existing teams, training analysts on carbon reporting tools, and incorporating sustainability competencies into core finance roles. Many companies also rely on offshore teams to scale operational workloads such as data collection, validation, and reporting, freeing onshore leaders to focus on strategy and risk management.
By building a globally integrated, carbon-enabled finance function, CFOs can meet compliance demands while positioning their organizations for competitive advantage in a low-carbon economy.
Continuous auditing is becoming more common, replacing the “audit busy season.” How is this shift changing the day-to-day role of auditors, and what should CFOs do now to modernize their audit infrastructure and meet customer expectations for real-time monitoring?
As AI and automation handle real-time control testing, the day-to-day role of auditors is shifting from manual sampling and paperwork to more advanced analytical and investigative tasks. Rather than rushing through a year’s worth of data in a compressed window, auditors are now interpreting anomalies, assessing risk patterns, and providing ongoing insights that support stronger governance throughout the year.
For CFOs, this evolution requires immediate modernization of audit infrastructure. It starts with integrating automation tools that can continuously ingest data and monitor for exceptions. A comprehensive redesign of workflows allows auditors to focus on higher value-add areas such as risk recommendations and data interpretation.
The most effective approach is a hybrid operating model. This means testing will be automated, offshore teams will handle routine evidence collection and data preparation, and onshore experts will focus on judgment-based work and client communications. This not only shortens audit cycles but also increases accuracy and transparency.
By investing in automation, global talent, and data-enabled processes now, CFOs can meet rising expectations for real-time monitoring and reposition audit teams as year-round strategic partners rather than seasonal firefighters.
