After a tempestuous year, “CFOs are being pulled in many more directions than they historically have as it relates to transformation efforts. Are they leaning in more? Are they being asked to do more? The short answer is, yes.” That’s what Steve Gallucci, Deloitte’s U.S. national managing partner and head of its CFO program, told me.

Deloitte’s Q2 2021 CFO Signals report, released today, is based on a survey of 138 CFOs in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. About 70% of respondents work at public companies, and 30% at privately held companies, according to the report. 

Many of the changes at these companies are driven by consumers, the industry, and “new business models threatening existing business models,” says Gallucci. When it comes to digital transformation, many CFOs are leading the way: 42% of CFOs said their primary role is co-leader, and 16% said leader, the report found. Often, CFOs are asked to help “develop and champion the coherent data strategy,” that is embedded into the transformation, Gallucci explains. 

When it comes to shifting company-wide strategy and offerings, CFOs also play a key role in decision support, such as “helping business units understand the impact of changing supply chains, changing demand, and customer demand,” he says. 

CFOs have increased their expectations for domestic hiring, the survey found. Retail and technology industries reported the highest expectations, while those in financial services industries had the lowest growth expectations for domestic hiring. CFOs worry about finding the right talent to meet the digital transformation they’re spending a lot on, Gallucci says. 

“In general, CFOs who we’ve talked to are looking for employees with a skillset that is tech fluid and can employ these new and emerging technologies around A.I. and blockchain,” he says. 

Many CFOs surveyed are also involved in supporting the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. About 48% said their companies report DEI representation metrics to investors and other stakeholders, and 50% said DEI goals are linked to performance evaluations, according to the report.

In general, the survey indicated CFOs have increased optimism, Gallucci says. “In terms of the overall assessment of the economy, I think what we saw is a continued trend upward,” he says. “Net optimism was up, and prospects for the company’s success looked to be trending up. Risk appetite remains high, and there continues to be a strong attractiveness for both the debt and equity markets.”

However, when asked what they considered external risks to financial wellbeing, most CFOs pointed to the potential for inflation. “Coming off the lows of 2020 and 2021, a question in CFOs minds is ‘how long will the upward trend last?’” says Gallucci.

See you tomorrow.

Sheryl Estrada
sheryl.estrada@fortune.com

Big deal

The LinkedIn State of Sales Report 2021 identifies key trends in sales that have intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, including using technology to building trust.

Going deeper

An Agile Approach to Finance Transformation, a new report by the Institute of Management Accountants released June 10 explores how finance departments and organizations can benefit from adopting agile characteristics. The report discusses the application of agile (a popular software development approach) and scrum (a framework for complex project delivery) implemented by business leaders, including some CFOs and controllers.

Leaderboard

Duncan Gilmour was named CFO, treasurer, and secretary at inTEST Corporation, a global supplier of test and process solutions, effective June 14, 2021. Gilmour will succeed Hugh T. Regan, Jr., who is retiring after 25 years of service. Gilmour joins inTEST from ABB, where he served as the Americas region controller of the process automation measurement and analytics division.

Mark Hammond, currently treasurer of Chubb Group, has been appointed to the additional role of deputy CFO, a newly-created position. The appointment is effective July 1. Hammond will assist CFO Peter Enns on operational and strategic matters. 

Overheard

“A lot of people feel that they're being treated like criminals when they get into a bank branch.”

—Brazilian financial technology startup co-founder Cristina Junqueira on why over 16 million people in Brazil do not have bank accounts, as told to Fortune.