Controllership Blogs: Focus on what’s crucial
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March 2025
Optimizing the close process for finance and controllership
What does a good close, consolidation, and reporting performance look like? And how can organizations make it great? Here are six foundational elements and leading practices for controllership that contribute to optimized and efficient processes, along with some tips for getting started and leveraging technology to help achieve peak performance.
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February 2025
Using AI in finance and controllership
The current trajectory of Generative AI (GenAI) and its expanding implications across finance highlights opportunities and risks as GenAI starts to affect the finance and accounting landscape. Utilizing a strong AI risk management framework for these implementations can help organizations to incorporate a trustworthy AI into a broader vision of the future of controls.
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January 2025
Trends and expectations for finance and accounting in 2025 and beyond
As we enter the new year with new resolutions and expectations for the year ahead, The Center for Controllership has traditionally marked the calendar change as an opportunity to identify accounting industry trends to look out for and expectations for accounting and controllership throughout the year.
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December 2024
Elevating finance talent for the future
Organizations are facing new challenges as they evolve their approach to attracting and empowering a future workforce amid workforce transformation and the evolving finance landscape. However, organizations can create new finance talent leaders who align with the business and demands of the future through a strategic approach to attracting and upskilling talent. Here are some leading practices and considerations to help build a talent ecosystem for the future.
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November 2024
Efficient integration for intercompany accounting
The intercompany reconciliation process to netting and settlement process often involves multiple disparate systems, so generating solutions that enable an efficient integration and process flow may sound too good to be true. However, common challenges in the reconciliation and settlement processes also help shed light on opportunities to optimize these two processes for intercompany accounting with insights and considerations to enable seamless integration.
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October 2024
The value of the deal: Controllership’s role in M&A
As the business landscape evolves, many companies are increasingly focused on driving greater value from mergers and acquisitions (M&A) while continuing to hit synergy targets, and controllership has an opportunity to be a strong business adviser to help drive M&A value realization. Here are some considerations for controllership’s various roles in M&A and a framework to help prepare for and capture more value in the M&A life cycle.
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September 2024
Getting ambitious with ESG
Controllers are being asked to incorporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information under their financial reporting discipline. Given the complexity of data sources, regulatory timing, and ESG advancements, companies should assess their ESG reporting strategies and design an operating model that encompasses a multifunctional reporting process and enables realized ESG ambitions.
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August 2024
Introducing Accountant 2.0
The accounting function faces a potential challenge as the industry evolves, and it may be time for a rebrand. Here are some current issues the accounting profession is facing, how the role is changing, and ways the transformation can offer new opportunities for accounting professionals and rebrand the role for the future of accounting careers.
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July 2024
Business readiness for technology implementations
Finance and controllership leaders can play a critical role in driving successful technology implementations. However, many underestimate how to get to the “go-live” stage with purpose-built solutions that achieve enduring benefits. With a focus on key activities for “business readiness,” here are some considerations to help empower finance’s role in successful transformations.
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June 2024
Automating profit in inventory for intercompany accounting
With new tools and automation methodologies, we explore an approach to the profit-in-inventory elimination process for intercompany accounting with insights and automation leading practices for tax considerations, profit-in-inventory assessments, and reporting processes.
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May 2024
Responding to new state-led ESG regulations
The release of new environmental, social, and governance (ESG) legislation from California sparked a new level of urgency among organizations working to iron out their ESG-related programs. After we take a look at some of the new laws from California and other states following suit, we take a look at some insights and leading practices for regulatory sensing and monitoring new state-led ESG regulations.
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April 2024
Controllership in the future of the finance function
As controllership continues evolving through transformation of the finance function, there are considerations controllers can leverage to develop into better business partners. Proactively taking a seat at the finance leader table, optimizing the core function, and embracing innovative tools to improve intelligence and value can support controllers and finance leaders as strategic business partners in the future of finance.
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March 2024
Implementing an AI framework for success
Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are rapidly transforming today’s business models, and emerging Generative AI and advanced applications are presenting new opportunities and possibilities for AI in finance and accounting. In the second part of our series about AI in finance and accounting, we explore ways to manage emerging AI risks and how to implement a trustworthy AI framework for success.
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February 2024
Exploring artificial intelligence in finance
Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are rapidly transforming today’s business models, and the emerging Generative AI and advanced applications are presenting new opportunities and possibilities for AI in finance and accounting. From Generative AI to machine learning and other foundation model solutions, we look at the new era of AI innovations, the tools they may offer accounting and finance, and considerations for incorporating an AI framework for success.
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January 2024
Controllership in the year ahead 2024
At the end of 2023, heading into 2024, the Center for Controllership (CfC) explored accounting industry trends and controllership expectations to look out for in the new year and beyond. Accounting standards, new technology and artificial intelligence, and workforce transformation are some of the key controllership themes for the year ahead and beyond.
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December 2023
Revamping a new controls program for the future
During this time of digital and finance transformation, it is a good time to think about ways to optimize a controls program for the future. Building on the modern framework for controls, there are additional strategies and considerations when optimizing a controls program. This is a new controls recipe for success.
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November 2023
Transformation insights
As finance and accounting continues to evolve, executives and professionals currently in the middle of the transformation journey can offer valuable insights from the successes and roadblocks experienced on the road so far. Here are considerations and lessons learned from some of the accelerators driving successful digital transformation in finance.
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September 2023
The importance of a finance transformation strategy
When embarking on a business-driven, technology-enabled transformation, the first key to success is establishing an effective and well-thought-out transformation strategy. Here are some critical elements that form an effective strategy and can help solve some common challenges, and controllership’s crucial role in shaping a successful transformation journey.
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August 2023
Assurance by design through finance transformation
Internal controls and governance can be difficult during finance transformation, but the implementation life cycle also creates an opportunity to modernize risk and controls and streamline the control environment. With the proper methodologies, organizations can leverage risk and control considerations and achieve assurance through implementation and beyond. Here is a guide to risk and controls readiness and assurance by design in finance transformation.
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August 2023
Improving intercompany accounting transactions
Organizing and cleaning up intercompany (IC) ledgers and transactions can feel overwhelming, especially if out-of-balance accounts have been on the books for a while. These are common challenges, but there are some steps you can take to clean up your out-of-balance accounting and intercompany accounting leading practices that can help resolve IC accounting pain points.
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July 2023
Taking the reins
Controllership can harness the capabilities of emerging technologies and optimize the function’s value by taking the reins and performing a more hands-on role throughout the transformation and implementation process. Here are some considerations for finance leaders on the elements of their involvement that can drive successful outcomes and leading-edge transformation.
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June 2023
Taking control of the wheel
As the controllership function evolves with the changing landscape, how the function operates for optimal performance can be a challenge. Organizing controllership with a new operating model that enhances controllership responsibilities and harnesses transformation to meet new challenges can help guide the function into the future.
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April 2023
What does the workforce of the future want?
Risk drives organizations to continuously improve. At Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory, we help you understand and confront risk by leveraging class-leading technology and deep cross-industry experience. Uncertainty may be a constant. But it doesn’t have to define your field of play.
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March 2023
ESG reporting through the Controllership playbook
The Controllership function can position itself as a leader in the growing requirement of organizations to prepare for and operationalize environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting and other initiatives within the organizational ESG landscape by utilizing the Controllership playbook in new ESG sustainability operating models.
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February 2023
Top tech trends to look out for in 2023
In the year ahead, technology transformation will continue to play a key role in controllership’s strategic priorities as business adapts to an evolving landscape and uncertain economy. Here are some tech trends to look out for that may guide the controllership and finance workforce through this year and beyond.
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January 2023
Controllership in 2022 5x5: Insights and actions
After another year of rapid transformation and continued disruption, what can businesses expect in 2022? To recap the Center for Controllership’s 2021 review, here are five insights to keep in mind and five actions you can take to help navigate the year ahead.
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December 2022
Aligning cyber to a controllership of the future
As technology and data increasingly play a critical role across finance, the growing risks and expectations around cyber are expanding along with potential opportunities in the alignment of cyber with finance and controllership. Organizations can leverage key enablers for digital transformation while maintaining security and compliance by empowering finance and accounting with a future-ready cybersecurity model.
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November 2022
How mergers and acquisitions transactions can drive controllership transformation
In the face of disruption, mergers and acquisitions transactions represent opportunities to evaluate finance initiatives and capture value beyond the transaction. The controllership function has an opportunity to use M&A transactions as catalysts for transformation and leverage the deal to deliver the next generation of controllership.
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October 2022
Stepping into the future of controllership
With the controllership of the future becoming a present-day reality, a new report from IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants) and the Deloitte Center for Controllership™ based on our global survey take a look at how prepared controllership is to meet future business demands and highlights some insights for leaders to consider that may increase their preparedness. Here are some additional insights and questions to answer on the controllership transformation journey.
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September 2022
Lessons from the real world: Intercompany transactions
For organizations looking to build integrated solutions that address their IC process challenges, new technology and integrated technology solutions have increasingly become a key component to addressing client needs and requirements. Through our experience advising clients on this IC accounting process and transformation journey, we have learned some lessons that may help guide organizations during an IC technology implementation.
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August 2022
P:2 Lessons on the IPO journey from the real world
For companies going through the IPO process, questions about going public and challenges to expect may arise that finance professionals who have gone through successful IPO journeys can answer with real-world experience and insights. To gain insights into the IPO challenges, we invited experienced professionals to discuss lessons about IPO readiness, SOX compliance for newly public companies, and considerations for sustaining a public company.
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July 2022
P:1 Lessons on the IPO journey from the real world
For companies going through the IPO process, questions about going public and challenges to expect may arise that finance professionals who have gone through successful IPO journeys can answer with real-world experience and insights. To gain insights into the IPO challenges, we invited experienced professionals to discuss lessons about IPO readiness, SOX compliance for newly public companies, and considerations for sustaining a public company.
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June 2022
Financial discipline for optimized performance
When economic performance rests on the shoulders of the finance function, an operating discipline that optimizes performance in the long-term is essential. With marketplace uncertainty and rapid transformation exposing the difficulty in planning for the future with increasingly limited processes and forecast models, we explore how to develop a new financial discipline in business that enables organizations to make better decisions, remain agile, and find opportunities in unpredictable environments.
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May 2022
Making the ESG journey a priority
With the spotlight on ESG, there is elevated pressure to develop an ESG framework to manage ESG programs around the emerging regulatory environment. By focusing on a few key initiatives and components of a readiness plan, organizations can drive more value out of their ESG programs and narrow down the material objectives that will better serve their ESG strategy.
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April 2022
Risk and controls reporting
Historic approaches to risk and controls may not be suited for the current environment of digital transformations, persistent change, and uncertainty. With business complexity and regulatory changes increasing the risk of accounting and reporting misstatements, developing a new internal controls framework with an upgraded operating model and agile processes may help businesses stay ahead of risk and increase value.
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March 2022
Navigating the evolution of the finance workforce of the future
The roles and expectations for the Controllership function are rapidly evolving and expanding with new possibilities. Understanding these transformation drivers may help organizations capitalize on the evolving talent landscape by informing strategies to re-architect the work, elevate the workforce, and adapt the workplace for the finance workforce of the future.
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February 2022
Preparing for the ESG Landscape
The pace of change around environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks and performance has elevated organizations’ need to develop an ESG framework to assess, manage, and disclose ESG positions and commitments around current and emerging regulatory requirements. Controllers can spearhead an ESG readiness plan to meet compliance and performance targets with a framework modeled through a Controllership playbook.
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