The Buzz: The CFO role has expanded beyond financial duties to encompass strategic responsibilities across the company. After closing the books 12 months ago on the extraordinary year that was 2020, which threw unprecedented challenges across mostly unprepared industries and businesses worldwide, we began 2021 with high hopes for the start of a recovery, with the office of Finance having a central role.

Reality check: This optimism was tempered, with CFOs facing some of their toughest tests this year.

Today, with just 17 days before the dawning of 2022, we look in our rearview mirror at how 2021 has highlighted areas of concern in the agility and responsiveness of Finance systems. For many organizations, investments in systems that offered greater flexibility, agility and the resilience to cope with future challenges became paramount. Along with this, the pressing need to combat cyberattack threats and address information privacy concerns led to an increasing focus on risk management and the prevention and mitigation of breaches.

Today, three Finance experts share their POV on the Finance and Risk news headlines that illustrate the key themes and events that shaped business in 2021 – and the implications for the pandemic recovery and the future of Finance.

We’ll ask Nilly Essaide at NeuGroup, Pras Chatterjee at SAP, and Grant Small at Legion Star for their take on Finance Ripped from the Headlines: A 2021 Finance and Risk Retrospective.