Top 10 senior finance skills that really count in today's workplace

Do you have the finance skills needed to support the rapid, complex changes today’s businesses are undergoing? As a senior finance professional, you’ll be tasked with leading changes across ESG reporting, tech adoption, process evolutions, and more. Our recruitment experts share 10 of the most critical skills financial leadership will need for the future, along with how to develop them.

1) AI literacy

According to Deloitte's CFO Signals survey, 87% of CFOs predict that AI will be extremely important or very important in finance operations for 2026.

Senior professionals should understand AI’s applications in a finance setting, how to evaluate outputs using critical thinking and commercial acumen, how to utilise AI to streamline workflows, and which controls, risks, and governance must be applied across finance & risk management.

Running controlled experiments can be an excellent way to get hands-on experience and gain a good understanding of AI’s applications, limitations, and risks.

2) Storytelling and strategic communication

With AI taking the lead on reporting, forecasting, and dashboarding, communication will become much more valuable.

Your ability to deploy storytelling techniques and strategic communication could secure meaningful buy-in or communicate a complex concept to non-financially minded colleagues or stakeholders.

Your communication skills can be improved with dedicated practice - offering to present in meetings, practicing active listening, and learning how to adapt your communication style and messaging to suit your audience.

3) Data literacy and digital trust

Finance holds some of the most sensitive datasets within an organisation.

The most successful senior finance professionals will need to understand how privacy, consent, data residency, and regulatory expectations can impact finance operations, as AI increasingly shapes data-driven business decisions. This also includes knowing what responsible innovation looks like and how to successfully foster and maintain digital trust.

You can improve your data literacy by learning to ask the right questions: where did the data come from, how is it being used, and are the outputs reliable enough to act on? Critical thinking and a curious nature are key!

4) ESG knowledge

New regulations, such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and ISSB standards, have bumped Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting and compliance from ‘nice-to-have’ to a critical business objective.

Senior finance professionals will be expected to know ESG frameworks and reporting standards to the same depth as financial standards. You’ll need to be proficient at auditing data pipelines, validating metrics, and ensuring traceability to guarantee the robust ESG data that regulators expect.

5) Ethical judgement

Ethics have always played a role in leadership, but as AI and data become a much larger part of finance, it’s quickly becoming essential to ensuring good decision-making, strategy, and trust in an increasingly fast-paced work environment.

Ethical judgement is also critical to stakeholder management and to instilling trust in strategies and decisions. Creating a ‘challenge culture’ can be extremely helpful in fostering these skills, alongside learning to separate compliance from integrity, and balancing performance with realistic expectations.

6) Cross-collaboration

Teams are becoming less siloed as the world of work evolves. Now that finance is deeply involved in ESG, compliance, finance & risk management, data, and tech, cross-collaboration and excellent relationship management skills will become paramount for achieving aligned goals and making decisions.

Cross-collaboration is also key to a strong company culture, which is critical now that hybrid working has become a mainstay.

7) Change management

The digital transformation of finance is a top priority for many organisations as they enter 2026.

Skills in successful change management will be critical for keeping organisations agile enough to adapt to the pace of change, while ensuring all team members are on board with process changes and willing to use new tools that can improve productivity and output.

To hone this skill, focus on understanding psychological drivers for resistance to change and learn how to mobilise champions within the team. Seeing adoption as a success metric can also help with this mindset shift.

8) Commercial acumen

Commercial acumen is a skill that can increase your professional value today while moving you towards the upper echelons of the business tomorrow.

It’s an evergreen skill that has risen to new prominence as senior finance leaders begin to marry traditional finance skills with advances in AI reporting and dashboarding to directly impact the business’s bottom line. Executive and board-level finance positions require the ability to work beyond the numbers, to grow the business, and to shape its strategy.

Build commercial acumen through mentorships and by studying the business model and its place in the wider market.

9) Finance business partnering

As AI helps take over manual tasks, senior finance professionals will be expected to move beyond ‘number crunching’ and become advisors to other departments.

Partnering is essential in aligning a business’s objectives with its financial goals and uniting finance with the wider business through strategic decision-making and keen commercial insights.

You can improve this skill by looking for the story behind the numbers, learning to communicate topline details in plain English, and working on relationship building.

10) Emotional intelligence (EQ)

The more technology is integrated into business processes, the more valuable soft skills become.

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to recognise and regulate one’s emotions, manage relationships and conflict smoothly, and understand the emotions of others.

As businesses undergo drastic transformation, senior professionals with excellent EQ can ensure smooth transitions while maintaining high performance.

Practice self-awareness and consistent self-reflection to help improve your own emotional regulation. You can also improve EQ by practising active listening and expanding your emotional vocabulary.

For more information on skills in demand and hiring trends within finance and accounting, explore the Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide today. Visit the Future of Finance hub for articles and guides on role evolution, labour models, and key trends shaping the industry.