For finance professionals looking to broaden their career horizons, the leap beyond traditional finance roles can be both exciting and challenging. Moving into a more operational or general management role requires a shift in mindset, skill set, and approach to leadership. To provide insights into this transition, we spoke with three finance professionals who have successfully expanded their roles: Joanne Grindrod (CFO, AMA), Kerry McClelland (VP Finance, 9Fin), and Sabrina Castiglione (CFO, Omnea). Here, they share their experiences, challenges, and advice for those looking to take a similar path.

Breaking out of the Finance silo

Traditionally, finance professionals have been seen as playing a supportive role, focused on financial reporting, compliance, and strategic planning. However, many organizations now recognize the value of finance leaders who can integrate financial expertise with broader business strategy and operations.

Joanne Grindrod, whose responsibilities at AMA have expanded to include UK commercial operations, believes that finance professionals are well-placed to take on operational roles.

"The real difference between someone being purely finance-focused versus operationally involved is the level of cross-functional engagement. A good finance person should work closely across all departments. If you do that, the transition into a broader role becomes a natural progression."

Joanne's experience highlights that partnering with different business functions—whether marketing, operations, or sales—helps finance professionals gain a more comprehensive understanding of the business. She emphasizes that finance professionals should proactively build relationships across departments and involve themselves in discussions that go beyond financial statements.

From CFO to Managing Director: Bridging the Gap

Kerry McClelland, who transitioned from a finance role to become the MD at a design agency, sees significant overlap between the two positions.

"The gap between CFO and MD roles has closed in recent years. A CFO is no longer just about accounting and compliance—they play a key role in strategic finance, revenue optimization, and business growth."

Kerry emphasizes that CFOs are already deeply involved in planning and driving growth, making them well-suited for general management positions. However, the key difference in moving from finance to an MD role is the breadth of direct reports and operational responsibilities.

"The biggest difference lies in the word ‘Managing.’ MDs have a wider operational remit, managing people from functions where they may not have deep technical expertise. That requires slightly different management skills."

One of the key transitions for finance professionals moving into general management roles is adjusting from being an advisor to being a decision-maker. CFOs often work closely with CEOs, but as an MD, they must take full ownership of execution and operational efficiency. This shift requires developing strong leadership, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.

Key Skills for Transitioning Beyond Finance

All three professionals agreed that finance provides a strong foundation for broader business roles. However, they also highlighted key skills that need to be developed:

• Business Partnering: Understanding how different functions interact and influence overall business performance. A successful CFO-turned-MD must actively engage in cross-functional initiatives and provide strategic input beyond finance.

• Decision-Making in Uncertainty: Unlike finance, where decisions are often based on structured data, operational roles require making quick decisions with incomplete information. Developing intuition and business acumen is key.

• Leadership & People Management: Managing cross-functional teams and ensuring alignment with company goals. Strong emotional intelligence and the ability to motivate teams are essential.

• Time Management & Agility: Finance has structured deadlines, but operational roles require adaptability and prioritization. A CFO stepping into an operational role must be comfortable with uncertainty and shifting priorities.

• Understanding Sales & Revenue Growth: Sales drives the business forward, and understanding the customer journey, revenue streams, and market positioning is crucial.

"A CFO needs to own the sales number as much as the sales leader does," says Sabrina Castiglione. "Once you adopt a mindset of extreme ownership, you naturally move beyond traditional finance boundaries."

"The biggest challenge for finance professionals transitioning into broader roles is letting go of the need for everything to be precise," Sabrina adds. "In finance, we’re trained to work with exact numbers, but in operations, decisions often have to be made with incomplete data. You need to be comfortable working with ambiguity."

Challenges and skill gaps

While finance professionals bring analytical thinking and financial discipline to broader roles, they often face skill gaps. Joanne notes that when she moved into operations at AMA, she lacked knowledge of the ad-serving landscape but relied on problem-solving and communication skills to bridge the gap. “Having the ability, confidence, and experience to manage stakeholder expectations is crucial. Whilst there was a knowledge gap initially, it’s about surrounding yourself with the right people and I’m lucky to have a solid team who understand the mechanics around the day-to-day.”

For Kerry, managing functions outside of finance, such as IT infrastructure, was a learning curve. She turned to professional coaching to improve her ability to guide teams outside her technical expertise. Understanding technology, legal, and HR challenges is often a steep learning curve for finance professionals stepping into broader roles.

Sabrina highlights another challenge:

"As finance professionals, we tend to rely heavily on data to guide decisions, but sometimes the best business decisions are made with intuition and experience. Learning to trust your instincts and the expertise of your team is a key part of stepping into a general management role."

Advice for Finance Professionals Looking to Expand Their Role

For those considering a move beyond finance, all three leaders emphasized proactiveness:

• Say Yes to Opportunities:

"When someone says ‘who wants to take this on?’ be the first to raise your hand." – Joanne Grindrod

• Engage with Other Departments:

"Understand how different teams operate. The more touchpoints you have, the more effective you become." – Kerry

• Learn the Business Beyond Numbers:

"Be curious, especially about sales. Understanding how the business generates revenue is crucial." – Sabrina Castiglione

"The best thing you can do is to develop a commercial mindset early on," says Sabrina. "Don’t just focus on the numbers—understand the story behind them and how they drive the business forward."

Taking on cross-functional projects, seeking mentorship from non-finance leaders, and expanding one’s professional network are key strategies for making a successful transition.

Final Thoughts

For finance professionals considering a transition into a broader business role, the key takeaway is to embrace opportunities beyond the numbers. Cross-functional engagement, curiosity, and leadership skills are essential in making the leap successfully. As businesses continue to evolve, finance professionals who can blend financial expertise with strategic and operational acumen will find themselves in high demand.

"Transitioning beyond finance isn’t about leaving finance behind—it’s about expanding your impact," concludes Sabrina. "Finance is a great foundation, but your value to a business increases exponentially when you understand and influence all the moving parts."

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