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CFO Horizons
The CFO’s balancing act: Delivering more intelligent growth
The era of unchecked expansion has passed – for Søren Westh Lonning, CFO at FinTech Pleo, the challenge now is to drive balanced, disciplined growth.
For much of the past decade, growth was the priority for technology companies. But rising inflation, geopolitical instability and tighter capital markets have prompted a move away from expansion at all costs toward a more measured approach.
At European-based FinTech Pleo, which provides companies with tools to manage and control business spending, that shift is evident. “The pendulum has swung toward tighter cash control and profitability,” confirms CFO Søren Westh Lonning.
For Lonning, more disciplined and efficient growth is essential. This shift in emphasis places finance at the center of decision-making. The function is no longer simply tracking performance. It is shaping it, providing the data and discipline required to allocate capital and support strategy.
Intelligent growth requires intelligent thinking
Building a finance culture that can unlock technology value requires more than simple spending oversight. It calls for a shift in how finance teams think, operate and create value.
Lonning accepts there is some truth in the traditional view of finance as a cautious gatekeeper, but argues that, ultimately, company leadership sets company culture. For CFOs to capitalize on new technology they must make curiosity and experimentation both desirable and visible throughout the organization.
At Pleo, this includes hands-on engagement with new tools. Lonning recalls his own experience in testing AI: “I couldn’t resist asking AI to build our full ownership model. It is an eye-opener to see what it can do now compared with six months ago.”
But curiosity is just the starting point. Finance teams want to see measurable results. “People want to know that it is not just a fancy buzzword on a slide,” he says. “You need to be clear on costs and benefits, quantify them where possible, and compare them with the cost of implementation and running the tool.”
Creating this environment also requires that teams have space to act. Motivation comes from a combination of mastery and autonomy. In other words, building new capabilities, then trusting your people to apply them.
FinTechs must manage this shift within tight regulatory constraints. The tension between experimentation and control is real. However, in Lonning’s view, the greater risk is failing to adapt: “You have to bring that innovation mindset into a regulated environment.”
Many finance functions remain heavily focused on transactional and compliance work, limiting their strategic contribution, but Lonning sees that beginning to change. “You will see fewer people focused on transactional work, as technology and AI replace those tasks,” he says. “More people will need to be upskilled toward business-facing and data roles.”
Alongside strategic planning and judgment, communication is becoming a defining skill.
Redefining the CFO
These pressures are reshaping how the CFO works. The traditional image of the CFO as a technical specialist is giving way to a broader role spanning strategy, operations and technology. In response, CFO career paths are developing in new and varied ways. Lonning’s own experience spans consulting, private equity and operational roles.
At senior level, certain capabilities cannot easily be delegated. Business judgment and the ability to translate data into decisions remain central qualities. In contrast, deep technical expertise in areas such as tax or treasury can be found elsewhere in the team.
Alongside strategic planning and judgment, communication is becoming a defining skill. As organizations grow more complex, clarity becomes essential. “A core skill for a CFO is communication,” says Lonning. That extends beyond internal audiences. CFOs are increasingly visible, particularly to investors and the media, and they need to adjust to this exposure. “Finance leaders often answer questions differently than other executives,” Lonning says.
The CFO’s credibility depends on linking strategy to measurable outcomes. One example is sustainability. “It’s about how you link business strategy and the business model to sustainability targets, and then measure, report and commit to them,” Lonning says. That requires rigor and the discipline to make sustainability reporting that is relevant and data-driven.
Amid ongoing uncertainty, finance leaders are expected to balance growth with discipline, innovation with control, and strategy with execution. For Lonning, that balance is not a problem to be solved but a goal to be achieved. The task for today’s CFO is to ensure not only that growth continues to happen, but that companies deliver it with greater precision and accountability than ever before.
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