As a CFO I don’t 100% agree with your statement. A good CFO can...

As a CFO I don’t 100% agree with your statement. A good CFO can add a lot of value, the operations guys need to focus on getting cost efficiency into the operation, CFO needs to support this with numbers to make sure what they’re proposing does in fact make sense.

They also manage the cash flows appropriately- if A40 does drawdown on the loan the interest repayments start kicking in, if we stay in overdraft for a prolonged period it becomes very costly. Negotiating payment terms with vendors would assist with this, from an Operations standpoint that’s not their concern - nor should it be.

Then there’s the tax side of things. They can assist in making sure R&D claims are actually managed and claimed correctly. How you structure the business can massively reduce your tax liabilities - again none of these are operations concerns. On a business turning over a few hundred million with a large interest rate on debt drawdown, a decent CFO can save you several million by supporting the operations decision making processes and cashflow management.

Finance needs to make sure they provide accurate and timely reports so operations can make better and informed decisions. You’ll be surprised how many times I’ve seen what looks to be a good idea on paper not be achieved in reality......