Looking back on the role of CFOs over the last 25 years

Few professions have changed as much as finance and accounting over the last 25 years. At the turn of the century, accounting and finance were considered back-office functions, charged with keeping records, balancing the books, and filing taxes. One could argue that in 2000, finance and accounting were essential but decidedly unglamorous roles that looked through the rearview mirror a lot more than ahead through the windshield.

But now, in 2025, finance and accounting professionals are future-forward drivers of organizational strategy at the leading edge of digital transformation and technology. CFOs and CPAs alike are now tasked with gathering, analyzing, and communicating vast amounts of data to make informed decisions about the best path forward.

If you’re wondering how finance and accounting moved from the back office into the driver’s seat over the last 25 years, then you’ve come to the right place.

For the next year, the CFO Brew Quarter Century Project will look at the major events, innovations, regulations, and catastrophes that turned the humble finance and accounting professional from back-office functionary into a Chief Future Officer.

Whether it’s profession-changing regulation coming out of major accounting scandals, a global economic collapse, mind-bending technological advances, or a worldwide pandemic, we’ll take a deep dive into how the finance and accounting profession was impacted and evolved.

But much like the profession, we won’t be just looking backward. We’ll take a look at how the trends and technologies of today will shape the next 25 years of the profession.

Welcome to the CFO Brew Quarter Century Project.