Today’s most pressing problem
Just as so many of us, products of comparatively placid times, were unprepared for a world-shaking event like the pandemic, an entire generation of CFOs has never battled the seismic surprise of hyperinflation. Levels not seen since the 1990s, created by a conspiracy of supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, pent-up consumer demand, and rising production costs, have modern CFOs, weaned on a history of moderate price increases, in a state of apoplexy.
A select few, however, are already demonstrating the astuteness and agility it takes to maintain economic equilibrium while prices rise and the dollar falls.
Grayhawk Search borrows from today’s top-performing CFOs to present a series of enterprise-wide solutions to today’s most pressing problem.
Grayhawk Search is a group of Finance Executive Search specialists with an internationally recognized talent for uncovering and appropriating top-tier CFOs. As renowned recruiters relying on deep acumen in the procurement of progressive, visionary CFOs, Grayhawk knows what considerations and options today’s finance executives need to weigh to ensure productivity and growth in the shadow of economic uncertainty.
Prescriptive practices of the modern CFO
Forecasting – Forecasting remains the best way to ward off prospective destabilization. A data-driven audit model of cost, expenses, talent, and technology can readily identify major areas of potential liability. Measures of operational muscularity like these help prepare for future market shocks, facilitating preventive strategies and advantageous hedges.
Streamlining – Historically, the lead weapon against the onset of hyperinflation has been expense control. Why mess with the tried and true? Operational efficiency through cost reductions, the reallocation of resources, and/or the securing of long-term contracts with preferred suppliers is a tested reaction against inflationary surges.
Expense control – Deep visibility into corporate expenditure is an essential practice in inflationary times. By proactively tracking and analyzing spending, beneficial policy amendments can be integrated and enforced. These include stricter approaches to pre-authorization, renegotiated rates with suppliers, and a more disciplined and constructive approach to investing.
Contingency plans – When it comes to estimating the duration and severity of the current spike, the crystal ball is cracked. One opinion, the Deloitte report “The inflation outlook: Four futures for inflation,” predicts that inflation could rise to between 8% – 9% through 2024. Savvy CFOs prepare for all scenarios. They build for continuity, diversifying suppliers and focusing hedging on areas vulnerable to destabilization. Inter alia, they upgrade the internal mechanisms that play watchdog to contingency-appropriate situations, from a continued disruption of the supply chain to a dramatic turnover in the labor market.
M&A –Transforming your business model through M&A facilitates the diversification of products and services, the expansion of your company’s customer base, and the procurement of areas of potential growth. The appropriation of new technologies is also considered a sound investment, promoting your company’s competitive edge.
A CFO for all scenarios
The future: supply chain disruptions settle, the labor supply stabilizes, services and goods enjoy prolonged harmony. Or…inflation rises, consumer demand diminishes, and interest rates rise, plunging us into a recession. Whatever the outcome, you need a CFO wise to the finer implications of all possibilities, one able to monitor and deconstruct key determinants and strategically deploy strategies minimizing risk while capitalizing on opportunity.
Grayhawk Search
As the world’s leading Finance Executive Search specialist, Grayhawk knows how to locate and lure the singular financial talent capable of helping guide your company through the current economic climate, whether, in the end, it’s a year-long phenomenon or a prolonged test of organizational and financial fortitude.
Read more of our insights
“Forty Under 40” award winner for business & charity work, active on charity boards & committees.
Entrepreneur at heart including co-founding Grayhawk Search.