Horváth: Despite economic uncertainty, 65% of CFOs in Europe expect a positive economic development in 2025

• At the strategic priority level, the adoption of Generative Artificial Intelligence is replacing classic cost reduction initiatives, but the use of solutions to automate forecasting and analysis activities is still in its infancy.
• Over three quarters of top management financial managers anticipate taking on new roles and responsibilities, but 80% of them do not believe in the disappearance of the Business Partner or Controller role in the foreseeable future.

Despite multiple challenges, the majority of CFOs in Europe (65%) believe that their companies’ economic situation will either improve (33%) or remain at the current positive level (32%), shows a large study conducted by the global consulting company Horváth, present on the Romanian market since 2005.

Entitled “Embark on the Journey into Next-Gen Performance Management”, this year’s edition of the “Horváth CFO Study” (conducted in 2024, with projections for 2025) identified the main strategic priorities of financial managers, known as Chief Financial Officers (CFOs): Harmonization, standardization and optimization of financial processes ranked first, being important for 88% of executives with responsibilities in the financial field; Development of employees and acquisition of new, modern, future-oriented skills – 85%; Progress in global data integration and development of integrated data platforms – 78%.

The other priorities of financial managers for 2025 will be:

• (4) Capitalizing on efficiency potentials by reducing costs across the company, as well as in the area of ​​​​responsibility of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) – 78%;
• (5) Strengthening predictive capabilities in Planning, Forecasting and Reporting processes – 71%;
• (6) Significantly accelerating investments in digitalization, across all areas of the company’s activity – 70%;
• (7) Integrating sustainability themes into Performance Management – ​​66%.

Beyond these priorities, the “Horváth CFO Study 2025” also identified a key direction for financial leaders for 2025 and beyond. This will consist of moving from classic cost-cutting initiatives to the adoption of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and the development of integrated analytics platforms. GenAI is seen as a key catalyst for the financial paradigm shift, with 78% of CFOs predicting that new technologies will create entirely new activities and roles in finance departments, transforming the traditional Controller into a more strategic Business Partner. However, 80% of leaders do not believe that technology will completely eliminate the Controller role, but will lead to closer human-technology collaboration.

Among practical applications, 77% of finance executives consider the use of GenAI in planning and forecasting to be essential for streamlining processes, reducing complexity and creating more accurate predictive scenarios.

GenAI is also seen as a solution for reducing manual effort in reporting, providing data-driven recommendations and analysis in record time: 79% of CFOs prioritize the use of new Business Intelligence (BI) tools and reducing the volume of centralized reports. However, only 26% of organizations report the use of automation in forecasting and analysis activities, and only 5% have fully implemented GenAI-based solutions, indicating a significant gap between ambitious goals and reality.

“Digital transformation and automation are essential for the next level of financial excellence. Despite the general optimism, current capabilities fail to meet increasingly complex requirements, which creates a deficit in efficiency and predictability. In the future, the success of a CFO will depend on the ability to combine strategic leadership with advanced use of technology. GenAI is not just a technological tool, but an essential element for efficiency, innovation and better decisions. It is time to transform these opportunities into operational reality”, summarizes the conclusions of the “Horváth CFO-Study 2025” Maria Boldor, Partner and Managing Director, Horváth Romania.

To carry out this study, the Horváth team spoke with over 150 financial managers from top management of companies in 15 countries (12 European Union member states, plus the USA, UK and Switzerland), of which over 86% generate revenues exceeding 100 million euros per year, and 75% have over 500 employees.