Could CFO and CHRO Collaboration Drive Business Growth?

According to the 2025 SAP Concur CFO Insights report, most CFOs feel responsible for driving growth amidst the challenges that their organization faces. 81% of CFOs believe they are the primary drivers of growth for their business. But could they be missing out on important growth benefits by monopolizing this responsibility?

CHROs are interested in collaborating further with their finance counterparts. They can point to several areas of immediate opportunity. The core functions of the CHRO role connect directly to growth—talent attraction and retention, company culture, and employee experience.

This year’s report draws on data from a survey of 350 finance leaders, 115 HR leaders, and 115 IT leaders across eight countries. It explores challenges in 2025 and the approaches the C-suite can take—including collaboration opportunities—to help an organization grow.

What does the 2025 SAP Concur CFO Insights report show about CFO–CHRO collaboration?

The HR leader edition highlights where finance and HR leaders already agree on growth drivers, where HR needs more support, and what practical steps can reduce cross-functional blockers. The themes below are drawn from the HR leader edition of the report.

Data source: the 2025 SAP Concur CFO Insights report and its HR leader edition, based on the survey noted above.

How do CFOs and HR leaders connect talent strategy to business growth—and where does HR need support?

Finance and HR leaders link growth to talent, but HR leaders report resourcing gaps that make it harder to improve employee experience at the pace they want.

Talent attraction and retention is viewed as a growth lever

• Nearly half (48%) of finance leaders say attracting and retaining talent is one of the most important factors in driving growth.
• HR leaders say the most impactful elements in attracting finance talent include:
  • Competitive pay and benefits
  • Clear paths for career growth
  • Flexible work options

HR prioritises employee experience, but not always with sufficient resources

• Although 83% of HR leaders say improving employee experience is a priority, 38% say they don’t have the appropriate resources to achieve this.

Where do CHROs want to align with CFOs to support growth?

HR leaders describe specific areas where closer partnership with finance could improve planning, measurement, and investment decisions tied to workforce and growth initiatives.

HR leaders want finance involvement in compensation, planning, measurement, and budgets

• 42% of CHROs want to work more closely with finance leaders on compensation and benefits strategies.
• 54% of HR leaders want the CFO to provide financial insights to support workforce planning.
• 48% want CFO support in measuring the impact of HR initiatives.
• 44% would like finance to increase their budget allocations.

What’s blocking CFO–CHRO collaboration, and what actions do HR leaders recommend?

HR leaders point to operational barriers that prevent regular, effective cross-functional work—and they also identify specific structures that can reduce siloing.

The biggest obstacles HR leaders report

• Insufficient data sharing and transparency
• Conflicting departmental priorities
• Lack of time for regular meetings

The most cited ways to reduce blockers and break down silos

HR leaders say the best approaches are to introduce:

• Cross-functional working groups
• Regular cross-functional meetings
• Flexible budgets for collaborative projects

How are AI, duty of care, and ESG changing HR leaders’ responsibilities in 2025?

The report indicates HR leaders are adapting policies and expectations in response to AI performance, employee travel risk, and ESG compliance—often with direct implications for operations and travel programs.

AI initiatives: many meet expectations, but a meaningful share do not

• 68% of HR leaders say AI initiatives have met or exceeded expectations.
• 33% say AI initiatives fell short of or only partially met expectations, suggesting about a third of organizations are behind on using AI to support HR goals.

Duty of care: travel policies are being updated to meet new requirements

• Nearly all (99%) of HR leaders say they have updated travel policies to fit new requirements.
• 51% have enhanced travel safety protocols.
• 46% have offered more flexible travel options.
• 42% have increased support for remote work.

ESG: travel policy decisions increasingly reflect compliance needs

• Most (94%) of HR leaders report that ESG compliance is impacting their travel policies.
• 59% are incorporating eco-friendly options in response.

Download: HR leader edition of the 2025 SAP Concur CFO Insights report

For more information, including actions that HR leaders can take to accelerate growth, download the HR leader edition of the 2025 SAP Concur CFO Insights report.

Methodology: SAP Concur surveyed 350 CFOs and senior finance leaders, 115 HR leaders, and 115 IT leaders for its latest CFO Insights report. The research, conducted in December 2024 and January 2025, covered Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the UK, and the U.S. The sectors in the survey ranged from finance to technology, healthcare, utilities, consumer, and industrial.

FAQ

1) What is the key question the report raises about growth leadership?

According to the 2025 SAP Concur CFO Insights report, 81% of CFOs believe they are the primary drivers of growth—and the page asks whether CFOs may miss growth benefits by monopolizing that responsibility.

2) What data is the 2025 report based on?

The page states the report draws on a survey of 350 finance leaders, 115 HR leaders, and 115 IT leaders across eight countries, examining challenges in 2025 and collaboration approaches to support growth.

3) What support do HR leaders want from CFOs?

HR leaders want CFO partnership in several areas, including financial insights for workforce planning (54%), measuring HR impact (48%), and increased budget allocations (44%), as presented in the HR leader edition.

4) What do HR leaders say are the biggest blockers to cross-functional collaboration?

HR leaders cite insufficient data sharing and transparency, conflicting departmental priorities, and lack of time for regular meetings as the biggest obstacles.

5) How are ESG and duty of care influencing travel policies, according to HR leaders?

The page reports that 99% of HR leaders have updated travel policies to fit new requirements, and 94% say ESG compliance is impacting travel policies; 59% are incorporating eco-friendly options.