Like many industries, the finance sector is changing quickly in 2025. With AI and automation everywhere, new regulations emerging, and even a new focus on priorities like ESG initiatives, finance teams need to be made up of more than just “number-crunchers.”
Once seen as the quiet engine room of the business, focused on ticking boxes and balancing books, finance teams are now stepping into something much bigger.
They’re shaping decisions, challenging assumptions and driving transformation.
Unfortunately, filling team gaps is becoming increasingly difficult as the finance role evolves. Right now, the UK finance sector is grappling with the second-largest skill gap of any industry, and 92% of CFOs are struggling to find the talent they need to keep up with change.
The fix doesn’t just come from hiring faster or more—it’s about hiring smarter, reskilling and upskilling teams, and reimagining what a great finance team looks like.
Because if finance is going to lead business transformation, we need to transform finance first.
The Evolving Finance Function
Finance hasn’t always had a flashy reputation. Many companies viewed finance teams as a back-office necessity, crucial for reconciling accounts, producing reports, and keeping things moving behind the scenes. Today, that’s changing. Finance team transformation is accelerating.
Modern finance professionals aren’t just checking boxes and keeping score, they’re becoming strategists and transformation champions. They’re being called into strategy meetings, asked for forecasts that inform investment decisions, and tasked with guiding business leaders through increasingly complex challenges.
One major driver of this shift is the rise of AI and automation. By 2024, around 58% of companies had embraced AI tools for finance. That means a lot of the repetitive stuff, such as reconciliations, expense matching, and month-end close, is now handled by machines. This allows human professionals to shift their focus from task execution to strategic enablement.
Suddenly, there’s space for finance teams to go deeper. To analyse, predict, question, and guide. From building ESG reporting frameworks to collaborating on pricing strategies and digital initiatives, finance professionals influence decision-making.
The Essential Skills Mix for Modern Finance Teams
As finance roles change, the skills needed to excel in them evolve. Finance professionals aren’t just expected to be math experts anymore. They need a versatile combination of advanced technical and critical soft skills to contribute to team growth.
The Technical Toolbox
Starting with the technical skills, finance teams still need a deep knowledge of financial controls, accounting best practices, and audit fundamentals. Every finance expert should be able to create accurate reports, understand compliance standards, and keep companies out of hot water.
But they also need to be savvy with:
- Intelligent Financial planning: Modern finance Skills in forecasting, scenario modelling, and budgeting are now key to unlocking long-term value. Even better if a finance expert can be proactive about identifying how policy and regulation changes will affect your future.
- Data analytics: Finance is becoming a storytelling function. Professionals who can extract insights from large datasets, and turn them into compelling visual narratives that anyone can understand will always be valuable.
- AI and Automation: AI in financial services isn’t going to disappear from finance, it’s only going to become more integrated. The best professionals should know how to work alongside machine learning tools, RPA systems, and predictive analytics systems.
- Cybersecurity Awareness: With crucial meetings happening over Zoom, and reports being stored in the cloud, cybersecurity is a must. Businesses need teams that know how to safeguard data, and side-step risk.
The Human Side: Soft Skills
Soft skills are now more important for finance professionals than ever before. Sometimes even more crucial than technical skills. The most important skills to nurture include:
- Communication and Stakeholder Management: Today’s finance professionals must take complex, often abstract data and turn it into something people can understand and care about. It’s not just about talking; it’s about listening, empathising, and translating financial insight into meaningful action.
- Leadership and problem-solving: Finance isn’t just about numbers but navigating chaos. Whether you’re leading a team or just trying to fix a month-end mess before the deadline hits, the ability to stay calm, step back, and think matters. Finance leaders don’t need to have all the answers. But they need to know how to ask the right questions, collaborate, and innovate.
- Commercial Awareness and Business Acumen: This goes beyond “knowing the business.” It’s about getting what makes the company tick. Finance professionals need to think like entrepreneurs, asking: What’s driving revenue? Where are the risks? How do our decisions today shape the long game? This skill comes from curiosity, context, and connection.
- Adaptability and Resilience: If the past few years have taught us anything, change is constant. Economic shocks, tech revolutions, regulatory curveballs—the best finance professionals know how to adapt. They pivot, learn constantly, and help others do the same.
Building Your Transformation-Ready Finance Team
As the finance team transformation continues, companies can’t build a future-ready company using the same strategy they used yesterday. How you attract, grow, and retain the people behind the numbers guiding your team forward needs to change.
Smart Finance Recruitment Strategies
Skill shortages are a real problem in finance, but some companies are just exacerbating the issue with the wrong strategy. One major mistake is continuing to try to handle everything in-house. Working with specialist finance recruiters gives companies a serious edge, delivering an average success rate of 70%.
It’s no mystery why. Recruiters understand the nuances of the roles and the fast-changing demands of finance transformation, helping you find talent that fits both the job and the journey.
Don’t underestimate the power of your existing team, either. Internal referrals are fantastic for expanding your talent pool. Plus, they often surface candidates with a strong cultural fit much faster than relying on external sourcing.
But even with the right sources, time is still a factor. The average time to hire in financial services is 5.9 weeks, which is long enough to lose top candidates. Streamlining interview stages, reducing internal delays, and using tech to accelerate shortlisting can help close the gap.
And while salary expectations are rising, one tactic can make a big difference: pay transparency. With 50% of employers now addressing or planning to address it within 1–2 years, it’s becoming a must-have rather than a nice-to-have. It builds trust, improves retention, and ensures there are no surprises come the offer stage.
A careful approach to matching salary and benefits can also be beneficial, particularly when it comes to strengthening finance talent retention. Offer the benefits candidates want, such as wellbeing initiatives, flexible work, and development opportunities.
Future-Proofing Through Development
Hiring is only half the equation. Why spend all your time and effort on sourcing new talent, when you could be investing in the people you already have? If your employees already have the majority of the skills they need to thrive in their role, upskilling and reskilling can boost their value.
Provide training courses and resources that help team members understand AI, automation, and data analytics in finance. Structured development programs like NatWest Group’s Talent Academy are leading the way. By creating clear progression pathways, they’re equipping their people for more complex, strategic roles and streamlining succession plans.
Another strategy is to establish multiple entry pathways into your business. Not everyone you hire needs traditional qualifications and years of experience. Finance apprenticeships, and mid-career retraining opportunities give you access to more diverse professionals across the board.
Overcoming Key Challenges in Finance Recruitment
Managing finance team transformation can be complex, particularly now. Between a shrinking pipeline, rising candidate expectations, and post-Brexit complexity, it’s a tightrope that isn’t easy to walk. But it’s not impossible. It just calls for fresh thinking and a people-first mindset.
Tackling the Skills Shortage Creatively
If you’re struggling to find talent with standard sourcing techniques, think outside of the box. Organisations trying to overcome talent gaps are moving beyond traditional job boards. They’re tapping into communities on LinkedIn, GitHub, Reddit, and even niche forums to find people with finance-adjacent skill sets. Data professionals, analysts, or operations leads can all be upskilled fast.
Managing Salary Expectations with Clarity
The market is hot, and candidates know it. Half of finance professionals feel their pay doesn’t reflect their value. That doesn’t mean you need to match every demand, but being open, transparent, and honest about salary bands can build trust and avoid the back-and-forth that slows hiring down. Be ready to negotiate on salary and benefits packages.
Mastering Hybrid Work
Flexibility is the norm, but cohesion is still the goal. Companies like HSBC are leaning into office-based culture again, tying presence to performance reviews. That may work for some, but for most, flexibility should be a priority. Experiment with different policies to find what works for your team.
Navigating the Post-Brexit Landscape
The loss of easy access to EU talent is a significant threat. Since Brexit, many firms have turned to global hiring strategies, tapping remote talent from further afield. If you’re going to take this approach, you’ll need to familiarise yourself with global hiring standards, remote work practices, and varying compliance rules. On the plus side, you’ll have a more diverse team.
Mastering Finance Team Transformation
Building a high-impact finance team in 2025 requires intention, focus, and strategy. It’s not just about plugging gaps anymore; it’s about shaping a finance function that’s future-ready and equipped to help your business thrive in the years ahead.
It’s time to widen your lens if you’re a finance leader. Look beyond traditional CVs and industry-specific job boards for talent. Consider technical and soft skills when assessing candidates, and ensure you’re attracting staff with the right blend of transparent pay and benefits.
Plan your approach to hybrid work, your talent development process, and how you’re going to double down on boosting retention. Work with the professionals and your internal staff to expand your internal ecosystem. Remember, today, the most successful finance teams won’t just count the numbers. They’ll move them.
Thanks
Rachel
About Rebus Financial Recruitment
Rebus Financial Recruitment provides a specialist and focused recruitment service to its customers, ranging from various organisations, including SMEs, to large PLCs.
We strive to offer both the client and candidate a seamless recruitment experience. Using our expertise, we understand employer and employee needs and match them perfectly.
To learn more, contact one of our team members today or call us at 01282 930930.
