Significant tensions in todayıs corporate world draw finance professionals in two dramatically different directions: regulatory pressures, especially Sarbanes-Oxley, push finance teams toward their transactional duties, while competitive pressures pull them towards more strategic leadership roles. These two opposing forces have created demand for a new and diversified skill-set in the finance organization -- and are ultimately transforming the role of the CFO.

A recent study by SAP and CFO Research Services was conducted to identify the obstacles that senior finance executives confront today as they seek to transform their organizations, and the adjustments needed to cope with and take advantage of these forces of change.

During this interactive, live webcast, Sam Knox, VP and Director of Research at CFO Research Services, will present the findings, discuss insights and summarize key conclusions.

During this session we will explore:

• Four major influences that are affecting the role of the finance team
• Why companies are fostering closer collaboration between finance and operations
• How performance management and measurement systems in decentralized business units are helping managers and professionals make timely decisions in extraordinarily competitive environments
• Why the new finance employee must become more holistic, with skills more akin to those of a CEO (while not forsaking the technical skills of finance)