CFOs and senior finance executives are dealing with a growing number of responsibilities and demands as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report.
The report, from consulting firm Protiviti, found that the pandemic has been a wake-up call to finance departments that weren’t already investing, or weren’t investing enough, in cloud-based systems as they have struggled to shift to the remote work environment. Eighty percent of the 1,057 finance leaders surveyed ranked security and privacy of data as a top priority, while 78 percent cited enhanced data analytics, and 72 percent cited cloud-based applications.
With more than 25 years of experience in the insurance and technology industries, George Robertson provides a seasoned perspective on emerging technological trends and their impact on insurance professionals and clients. As a former board member of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) Agency Council for Technology, he has played a key role in tracking strategic developments that shape consumer expectations and business opportunities.
George also served as co-chair of the Cyber Workgroup, where he helped develop The Cyber Guide for Insurance Agents, a resource designed to assist agents with cyber regulation compliance and safeguard both agencies and their customers. With expertise in cyber insurance, insurtech, artificial intelligence, and agency automation, he delivers valuable insights that drive innovation and progress within the insurance industry. He can be reached at grobertson@ncinsquote.com.
Gail McGiffin is the Managing Director and Global Insurance Advisory Lead at EPAM, where she helps insurers deliver large-scale transformation programs focused on growth, efficiency and digital innovation. With over 35 years of experience in insurance leadership, she specializes in underwriting modernization, data-driven platforms and operational efficiencies.
Before joining EPAM, Ms. McGiffin was the Chief Information and Operations Officer and board member at Vantage Group Holdings Ltd., where she led technology and operations. She previously served as Global Insurance Underwriting Lead and Partner/Principal at EY, Chief Information Officer and a member of the board of directors at ProSight Specialty Insurance and Managing Partner at Accenture, where she established and led the Global Underwriting Practice. Ms. McGiffin began her career at Chubb, holding leadership roles in underwriting and product innovation.
Justin Grooms is the president of Bolt, a checkout technology company.
Of those respondents who are CFOs and vice presidents of finance, 72 percent ranked cloud-based applications as a top priority to address over the next 12 months. Seventeen percent ranked cloud-based applications as the most important finance priority for their organizations to address, signifying a big jump from the 8 percent of respondents who indicated so in a similar survey by Protiviti last year.
“Having the right technology infrastructure and cloud capabilities is now considered a baseline in order to operate effectively and efficiently and will continue to be as organizations move into a hybrid work environment,” said Chris Wright, managing director and global leader of Protiviti’s Business Performance Improvement practice, in a statement. “COVID-19 disruptions underscored the critical nature of a truly digital finance workforce and companies without advanced technologies and digital processes faced a difficult transition to remote work. We’re now seeing an increasing number of boards and CEOs tap their finance leaders for guidance about whether their organization is allocating enough resources to their technology infrastructure.”
Labor models are changing, in part as a result of the pandemic, with 18 percent of the finance leaders surveyed saying their organizations are relying on managed services providers, while 29 percent are augmenting their staff to handle financial planning and analysis with greater speed and agility.
