In 2025, finance leaders in Singapore and Southeast Asia face a complex landscape shaped by rapid digital transformation, evolving regulatory demands, and heightened emphasis on sustainability.
The rise of fintech innovations, such as embedded finance, AI-driven personalisation, and stablecoins, is redefining financial services, while the pressure to attract and retain specialised talent intensifies amid skill gaps and evolving workforces.
Against this backdrop, finance leaders must navigate shifting roles that have evolved from pre-pandemic stability through pandemic disruption to a post-pandemic era marked by geopolitical uncertainties and technological acceleration.
Balancing organisational goals with personal leadership aspirations, building resilience, and preparing future leaders are critical priorities as they steer their companies through ongoing transitions. These dynamics prompt critical reflections on leadership evolution, challenges, and role models relevant to senior finance executives in Asia today.
Digital Transformation: A catalyst for finance function evolution
The ISCA report, Redefining the Finance Function with Job Redesign, highlights that by 2025, at least 80% of typical finance tasks will be automated, consolidated, or procured via managed services. This shift is driven by technologies such as robotic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI), advanced analytics, big data, and blockchain.
These tools are not only streamlining traditional roles (such as audit, regulatory reporting, and transactional accounting) but also redefining the value that finance professionals add.
This aligns closely with the CFO of Old Chang Kee, Song Yeow Chung, who emphasises the fundamental transformation of business models through AI and digitalisation. As he points out, AI is both an enabler and a disruptor. While it enhances efficiency and decision-making capabilities, it also necessitates a rethinking of job roles and workforce skills.
For instance, the ISCA report notes that junior FA/MA roles are most vulnerable to automation, while mid-level roles (like finance manager and treasury manager) will require more strategic oversight, validation of automated outputs, and collaboration across departments. Senior roles, especially the CFO, are evolving into strategic advisors who must leverage real-time data and predictive analytics to drive growth and innovation.
Song's own experience at Old Chang Kee—where the company diversified into catering and bento deliveries during the pandemic using digital tools—demonstrates this shift toward leveraging technology to create new revenue streams and operational flexibility.
Leadership evolution: From peacetime to wartime
Song, a council member of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA), characterises the CFO's journey through recent years as a transition between "peacetime" and "wartime" management, a concept popularised by Ben Horowitz in The Hard Thing About Hard Things. Before the pandemic, CFOs operated in a relatively stable environment—peacetime—where traditional financial stewardship was paramount.
The pandemic triggered a wartime mode, demanding rapid crisis management, agility, and resilience. Now, with geopolitical tensions such as the so-called "Trump 2.0" era, CFOs find themselves once again in a wartime posture, navigating uncertainty and volatility.
This cyclical shift highlights the need for CFOs to be prepared for "black swan" events—unpredictable disruptions that can significantly impact business models. Song cites an example of a Singapore company that hedged fuel prices for five years, only to face severe fluctuations in profit and loss during the pandemic, illustrating the risks of underestimating volatility.
Navigating disruption and driving growth
The pandemic and subsequent disruptions have revealed the dual nature of crises as both threats and opportunities.
Song invokes the Chinese phrase 危机 (wēijī), meaning crisis, composed of danger and opportunity, to emphasise that times of peril also open doors to innovation and new revenue streams. For Old Chang Kee, this meant diversifying from snacks into catering and bento deliveries during the pandemic, which helped stabilise and grow the business post-crisis.
Looking ahead, the most profound challenge Song identifies is the fundamental transformation of business models driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalisation. While AI is often heralded as an enabler, it inevitably disrupts employment and operational norms.
CFOs must lead the charge in reimagining business models that harness AI's potential while managing its impact on the workforce and organisational structure.
Leadership qualities for the future CFO
Song emphasises two core qualities for resilient and transformative finance leaders: a growth mindset and interdisciplinary knowledge. Beyond accounting expertise, CFOs must understand economics, psychology, and strategy to guide their organisations effectively.
He references the idea that aiming for "10x growth" is easier than incremental improvements, encouraging CFOs to think boldly and strategically about scaling their businesses.
Communication emerges as another critical leadership skill. Song agrees with industry views that technical prowess alone is insufficient; the ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders—such as finance teams, CEOs, and operations leaders—is essential.
Good communication requires empathy and psychological insight to understand others' interests and craft messages that resonate, thereby breaking down silos and fostering collaboration.
Balancing personal and organisational goals
Song candidly discusses the tension between personal ambitions and corporate objectives, highlighting the "agency problem" where individual and company interests may diverge. He advocates for CFOs to align personal well-being—mental, physical, and financial—with organisational goals.
Drawing inspiration from JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, who likens professional excellence to that of elite athletes, Song emphasises the importance of self-care in sustaining high performance and leadership effectiveness.
Role models and inspirations
Song draws inspiration from diverse figures, reflecting the multifaceted nature of leadership. He admires basketball legend LeBron James for his disciplined mental and physical routines, which sustain peak performance even at the age of 40.
LeBron's use of visualisation and wellness practices exemplifies the holistic approach Song believes is vital for leaders.
He also reveres Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett's partner, for his voracious reading and broad knowledge base. Munger's intellectual curiosity and wisdom embody the interdisciplinary approach Song champions for CFOs aiming to be strategic business partners rather than mere number crunchers.
Supporting industry perspectives
Song's insights align with global thought leadership on CFO transformation. According to Deloitte's 2025 CFO Survey, CFOs are increasingly expected to serve as strategic advisors, driving digital innovation and sustainability initiatives while managing risk and compliance.
Similarly, McKinsey highlights the growing importance of "business fluency" for CFOs—combining financial acumen with a deep understanding of operations and market dynamics—mirroring Song's call for interdisciplinary mastery.
Communication as a leadership imperative is echoed by Harvard Business Review, which identifies storytelling and empathy as key skills for CFOs to influence decision-making and inspire teams.
The emphasis on personal well-being also resonates with findings from PwC's CEO survey, which underscores the link between leader resilience and organisational performance.
Conclusion
In the volatile and rapidly evolving financial landscape of Southeast Asia, CFOs must transcend traditional roles to become visionary leaders, strategic partners, and resilient change agents.
Song's reflections offer a roadmap: embrace a growth mindset, cultivate broad knowledge beyond finance, master communication with empathy, and align personal and organisational aspirations through disciplined self-care. By doing so, CFOs can not only navigate the uncertainties of 2025 and beyond but also unlock transformative opportunities for sustainable growth.
Click on the PodChats player to hear Song elaborate on his perspective on the topics below:
- Describe the finance leader's role pre-pandemic, during the pandemic, post-pandemic, Trump 2.0.
- As a finance leader, what has been most interesting to you during these periods of transition?
- In your view, what makes for a resilient and great finance leader?
- What has been the most challenging aspect of the role in today's environment?
- What should future finance leaders do today to lead them to that future position?
- How do you strike a balance between personal goals and the company's goals and aspirations?
- As a leader, who is a role model for you to emulate or aspire to?
