Mayank Bathwal, CFO, Birla Sun Life Insurance
Can the CFO-CEO relationship ever be discord free?
A CEO has a much broader functional perspective and is responsible for taking tough decisions with a long-term view. In the same breath, CFOs can also convince the CEO on financial impact or business-wide risks of pursuing certain strategies. Having a ‘positive discord’ strengthens the partnership between the CFO and CEO.
1 May 2026
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How do you negotiate with the CEO effectively?
The CFO’s endeavour should be to help the CEO with appropriate information on new projects and to help them make financially viable business decisions. The buck stops with the CEO, so the decision has to be left to the CEO in case of differing views and the results should be monitored very effectively.
Three qualities every CFO must have
Business performance management: An ability to understand the various business levers — their interdependencies and relative importance.
Leadership: Create a talent pipeline within the finance function, have pro-active communication with shareholders, investor community and regulators.
Collaboration: Begin as collaborators, while maintaining independence. They must have great credibility and influence within and outside their organisation.
Sidharth Kapur, CFO, GMR Airports
Can the CFO-CEO relationship ever be discord free?
The CEO and CFO have a collaborative role in driving a business forward. They need to complement each other both in terms of personality and management style. In my view, differences of opinion can arise in many areas. Healthy mutual respect minimises discord and helps in quick settlement of differences.
How do you negotiate with the CEO effectively?
Laying down business drivers and growth priorities help in a result-based discussion between the CFO and CEO. In entrepreneur-managed companies, even if the CEO has ambitious business plans, the onus is on the CFO to portray the real picture, while recognising that the entrepreneur is driven by the vision for growth.
Three qualities every CFO must have
Business acumen: A deep understanding of the business will help plan for business disruptions as well as insulate cash flows from financial volatility.
Thought leadership: Finance professionals also need to be able to drive opinion beyond their area of specialisation and contribute outside their responsibilities.
Integrity: A good CFO is one who has high personal and professional integrity. They have to have the courage to voice their opinion at all times.
