CFO — Chief Financial Officer
Definition: The executive responsible for financial planning, reporting, and capital structure. A modern CFO is half scorekeeper, half strategist — and the first call when growth needs to be funded or defended.
Example
The CFO killed the pricing change in 10 minutes — not because it was wrong, but because nobody had modeled the margin impact.
When you'll hear it
CFO shows up most often in board meetings, quarterly business reviews, and strategy off-sites. When someone uses it, they're usually referring to chief financial officer — and they expect the room to already know what that means.
FAQs
What does CFO stand for?
CFO stands for Chief Financial Officer.
What does CFO mean in business and finance?
The executive responsible for financial planning, reporting, and capital structure. A modern CFO is half scorekeeper, half strategist — and the first call when growth needs to be funded or defended.
Where will I hear CFO used at work?
CFO comes up most often in board meetings, quarterly business reviews, and strategy off-sites. It's used as shorthand for chief financial officer, so people assume you already know the term.