CFO Trends in 2025; DudeWipes' CFO on growth; Cybersecurity tips; the future of DEI
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Collaborate or stagnate: 6 CFO trends for 2025
Throughout the year, finance leaders will navigate both their companies’ specific challenges and the changing dynamics of the CFO role by increasing finance’s impact across the organization.
Return-to-office policies gain steam
In a new WTW survey of 308 medium and large employers, 61% said they had instituted a formal policy requiring employees to be in the office for a minimum number of days per week. A strong majority of those surveyed said they believe face-to-face interaction improves employee engagement, strengthens corporate culture and increases productivity.
How DUDE Wipes’ CFO is preparing for 2025
Jeffrey Klimkowski of DUDE Wipes shares his outlook on sustaining growth this year, providing finance chiefs with a real-life example of ways to balance demand and expansion. Klimkowski is working to avoid a growth plateau while navigating economic uncertainty, geopolitics and more.
No time to waste: Revvity CFO Max Krakowiak
Maxwell Krakowiak , CFO of Revity , describes the frenetic pace needed to complete a rebranding and the divestiture of a legacy business.
"We historically have not really had to worry about moving cash from overseas back to the United States. But with this deal, most of the [acquisition] cash was sent to our foreign affiliates based on how the private equity firm wanted to set up the organization. With U.S. interest rates being north of 5%, and given our desire to repurchase shares, we needed that cash back in the U.S. We also had a bunch of expiring debt in the U.S. that we needed to pay off. So, one of the biggest things we focused on was setting up those pipelines for cash repatriation."
5 cybersecurity threats CFOs should look out for
CFOs play a big role in helping to ensure their organizations are prepared to defend against cyberattacks. That includes being up to speed on the latest and most significant threats and risks and the solutions to mitigate them. Here are five threats to look out for:
1. Supply chain attacks
2. Business email compromise (BEC)
3. Ransomware attacks
4. Insider threats
5. Deepfakes
How CFOs can navigate DEI, its pullback and any legal repercussions in 2025
As CFOs prepare for policy changes from the incoming Trump administration, they are advised to review and, if necessary, redefine or eliminate elements of their DEI policies. Legal repercussions around violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are set to boil over as a potentially precedent-setting Supreme Court case on reverse discrimination is set to be heard in June. These factors make 2025 a pivotal time for corporate DEI policies to face legal scrutiny, hence the large-scale pullback by many already.
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This edition of Preferred Shares was created by Reporter Adam Zaki .
Cybersecurity and DEI are critical for CFOs. How are these trends influencing financial strategy?
2025 CFO trends are pivotal for shaping business growth. How can CFOs balance innovation and stability?