The remit and responsibilities of the chief financial officer have changed, which can seem daunting for those entering the role.

Proactive leadership and board commitment are essential to transform notions of sustainability into fiscally viable business decisions.

Tonge is leaving his roles as chief financial officer and chief strategy officer at M&S to join Associated British Foods, owners of Primark.

Dermot McDonogh will join the global investments company later this year from Goldman Sachs, succeeding Emily Portney.

Ami Sharma will join the board as chief financial officer in August. He will replace Jon Abell, who is retiring.

Current CFO Kevin Ozan is to become senior executive vice president, strategic initiatives, in September, and plans to retire next year.

Sebastian Ebel and Mathias Kiep will assume their roles on 1 October, following Fritz Joussen’s resignation.

Witts has previously served as CFO of Compass Group and Kingfisher Group, and held a number of senior roles at Vodafone and BT.

Ignoring the demands of external stakeholders has the potential to significantly impact a company’s brand, public image—and therefore profit.

Lafferty is currently the CFO of fuel retailer Vivo Energy, and is a former CFO of Williams Grand Prix Holdings.