The CFO Mandate Redefined: From Transactions to Trust | CFO Nordic ’26

On 12 May 2026, Arko Vervark, Chief Commercial Officer at Tangelo Software, joined Ninos Shamoun of Rydoo at CFO Nordic for a conversation on how the CFO mandate is rapidly evolving.

As reporting complexity increases and AI accelerates the speed of decision making, finance leaders are being pushed beyond traditional transaction management. The discussion explored how modern CFOs are becoming stewards of trust, responsible not only for financial accuracy, but for the integrity, usability, and reliability of data across the organization.

Automation Is Still More Manual Than Most Think

One of the central themes of the discussion was the gap between perceived and actual automation in finance teams.

Many organizations believe they have automated processes, but in reality, most systems remain heavily rule based. These systems work only when data behaves as expected. The moment an anomaly appears, manual intervention returns. As a result, true automation levels are often far lower than assumed.

The panel emphasized that automation is not about adding more tools. It is about eliminating unnecessary human touchpoints and ensuring data quality at the source. Without clean and reliable data, no reporting framework can be trusted downstream.

The impact of getting this right is significant. One example shared during the session highlighted a transformation from 30% to 83% automation, resulting in more than 12,000 hours saved annually.

The “Last Mile” Problem in Reporting

The conversation also focused on where trust often breaks down in the reporting process.

Even when core financial systems are structured, many organizations still rely on fragmented manual workflows involving Excel, Word, PDFs, and external agencies before reports are published. This creates what the speakers described as the “last mile” challenge.

But today, there is another layer beyond that.

As AI becomes increasingly common, external stakeholders are no longer just reading reports manually. AI systems are now interpreting disclosures automatically. If financial data is poorly structured or inconsistently published, those systems can misread the information entirely, compromising trust in the output.

In this environment, reporting is no longer just about publishing numbers. It is about ensuring that both humans and machines can interpret information accurately.

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From Reactive Reporting to Strategic Finance

The panel argued that once finance organizations automate workflows and structure their data properly, the role of finance fundamentally changes.

Instead of spending time explaining what happened, CFOs can focus on guiding what happens next.

This becomes increasingly important as regulatory requirements such as ESG disclosures and ESEF filings continue to expand. Managing these demands requires a connected reporting environment where internal teams and external stakeholders work from a single source of truth.

The future finance function is not simply faster. It is more strategic, more collaborative, and more trusted.

The New CFO Mandate

The session closed with a clear message: trust is becoming the defining currency of modern finance.

To balance speed, accuracy, compliance, and transparency, organizations need reporting ecosystems built on structured, reliable data from the very beginning. As AI reshapes both finance operations and investor expectations, CFOs who embrace automation and data integrity will be best positioned to lead the next era of corporate reporting.

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