Finance Chiefs Seek Clarity on Tech ROI as Implementation Gaps Persist

The CFO Leadership Council is hosting a series of events focused on finance technology opportunities, as organizations continue to struggle with translating software investments into measurable operational improvements.

The professional organization, which represents a community of 2,500-plus CFOs and finance leaders, is positioning technology implementation as a central theme across its 2026 programming. The emphasis comes as finance departments face mounting pressure to demonstrate returns on digital transformation spending—a challenge that has dogged the profession since the last wave of ERP implementations.

The group's Finance & Accounting Technology Expo (FATE) represents the most explicit acknowledgment of the issue. By creating a standalone event dedicated to finance tech, the organization is effectively admitting what many controllers already know: buying the software was the easy part. Making it actually work is where things get interesting.

Here's the thing everyone's missing: this isn't really about technology at all. It's about the gap between what the demo showed and what your team can actually execute. (Anyone who's sat through a vendor pitch knows exactly what I'm talking about—the AI looks great when their implementation specialist is driving, less so when your senior accountant is trying to reconcile intercompany transactions at month-end.)

The CFO Leadership Council's approach suggests a recognition that finance technology problems are fundamentally people problems. Their chapter-based model, which emphasizes "in-person events nurturing rich conversations, advice from leaders and long-lasting connections with peers," reads less like a tech conference and more like a support group. Which, to be fair, is probably what finance leaders need right now.

The organization is also offering NASBA-approved CPE events and certification programs, including what they describe as certification "as a distinguished leader in finance technology." That's a telling development—it implies that successfully implementing finance tech is now considered a specialized skill worthy of formal credentialing, not just something you figure out with your IT department.

The broader programming includes a Spring Conference, Fall Conference, and various leadership summits targeting specific segments like PE-backed companies and manufacturing firms. The diversity of formats suggests the organization is trying to meet CFOs where they are, rather than assuming a one-size-fits-all approach to technology adoption.

What's notable is what's NOT being promised here. There's no mention of specific ROI metrics, no case studies of dramatic efficiency gains, no claims about headcount reduction. Instead, the focus is on "opportunities"—a wonderfully vague term that could mean anything from "this might actually work" to "at least you'll meet other people dealing with the same mess."

For CFOs trying to justify last year's software spending to their boards, that's probably the most honest framing available. The question isn't whether finance technology creates opportunities. It's whether your organization can actually realize them—and increasingly, that seems to require more than just writing the check.