Writing the first two articles in this series – The Evolving Role of Financial Controller (Part I): Beyond Reporting and The Evolving Role of the Financial Controller (Part II): Today’s Challenges – prompted me to reflect on my own career in finance.
Before joining Evolve, I spent a decade working in Financial Controller and senior finance roles within SMEs, having started my career in practice. Looking back, I can clearly recognise many of the themes I’ve written about – growing responsibility, increasing expectations and the quiet pressure that often comes with being the person everyone turns to for answers.
It also reminded me of one question I rarely stopped to ask at the time…
Who supports the person supporting the business?
Looking back, I know I would have benefited from having trusted peers outside my own organisation to challenge my thinking, share experiences and offer a different perspective.
As your role evolves, so does the responsibility. You’re no longer just producing the numbers. You’re leading a team, improving systems, supporting strategic decisions and helping shape the future of the business.
People increasingly look to you with the expectation that you’ll have the answers, even when you’re still working through the questions yourself.
Where do Financial Controllers go for perspective?
When you’re the most senior finance person in the business, there’s often no one else doing what you do.
No peer to sense-check an idea with.
No one who fully understands the challenges that come with balancing operational demands while thinking strategically.
Looking back, there were plenty of moments where I would have valued the opportunity to talk something through with someone outside the business. Not because I couldn’t make the decision, but because perspective matters.
Sometimes hearing how someone else approached a similar challenge is enough to help you see your own situation differently or just more clearly.
And that kind of support isn’t always easy to find.
Growth isn’t just about technical knowledge
Like many finance professionals, I learnt a huge amount by doing.
New challenges, changing businesses and adapting skills all helped me grow.
But with hindsight, I also realise how valuable it would have been to have somewhere to pause, reflect and learn from others facing similar situations.
There’s no doubt that technical skills will always be important, but as finance roles become more strategic, different skills start to matter just as much.
How do you influence senior leaders?
How do you challenge decisions constructively?
How do you step back from the detail and focus on what really matters?
These aren’t skills you develop from another technical update or CPD session. They grow through experience, conversation and exposure to different perspectives.
The value of being in the right room
One of the things I enjoy most about working with finance leaders today is seeing what happens when you bring together people who face similar challenges.
Very quickly, conversations move beyond reporting deadlines and technical updates.
People begin sharing experiences, discussing difficult decisions and learning from one another.
What strikes me every time is how reassuring those conversations can be.
Whether it’s supporting a leadership team through change, making difficult decisions with incomplete information, or simply trying to find time to think beyond the next reporting deadline, many finance professionals are facing very similar challenges.
The businesses and industries may be different, but the questions often aren’t.
There’s something reassuring about realising that you’re not the only one dealing with these challenges. It creates confidence, sparks new ideas and often helps you see your own situation from a different perspective.
Supporting finance leaders to grow
Today, I work with businesses at every stage of growth, and a big part of that involves supporting the finance professionals and their teams who sit at the heart of those organisations.
What I’ve learnt is that the most meaningful development doesn’t always happen in a classroom – it happens through thoughtful conversations.
And by having the confidence to ask questions you don’t always have time to ask during a busy working week.
That’s one of the reasons we created The Finance Forum.
It isn’t another networking event or a technical training course.
It’s a peer community for Financial Controllers and senior finance professionals who want the opportunity to step away from the day-to-day, share experiences, broaden their thinking and learn from others who truly understand the role.
Finding the right people to think with
The Financial Controller role has never carried more responsibility.
But responsibility doesn’t mean you should have to carry everything on your own.
One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given was that you don’t have to have all the answers – but you do need to keep asking good questions.
Sometimes the biggest step forward isn’t finding another solution – it’s finding the right people to think it through with.
Read the full series
This article is the final part of The Evolving Role of the Financial Controller series.
Part 1: Beyond Reporting
Part 2: Today’s Challenges
Part 3: Who Supports the Person Supporting the Business?
If this resonates with you, I’d love to tell you more about The Finance Forum and the conversations we’re having there.
