Top Priorities for Finance Leaders in 2021

Sixty-nine percent of board directors say that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are accelerating their digital business initiatives. The challenge for CFOs is how to fund digitalization and growth while maintaining control over their organization's finances -- even when operating conditions remain highly volatile. This dual mandate for 2021 is clear in the priorities cited by CFOs, controllers, and heads of financial planning and analysis (FP&A) in Gartner year-end surveys. Finance leaders also noted that many of their priorities for 2021 will be time-consuming, and few will be easy to accomplish. "CFOs have been asking more and more about artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, robotics and advanced analytics," says Alex Bant, Chief of Research, Finance, Gartner. "2021 is the year to pivot from discussions about the future to making real investments, seeing short-term wins and cost off-set, and having a clear plan for the future."