Special Chief Secretary to Telangana Chief Minister K. Ramakrishna Rao on Friday opined that chief financial officers (CFOs) of the future should anticipate change rather than merely respond to itMr. Rao was speaking at the eighth edition of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Telangana CFO Conclave in Hyderabad, where he encouraged business leaders to evolve from process managers to strategic leaders. “Machines will always do the arithmetic, the question is whether we will do the thinking,” he said, even as he underscored judgment, foresight, AI adoption, and talent development as the foundations of future-ready enterprises. He also highlighted Telangana’s growth from a ₹60,000-crore Budget to ₹2.4 lakh crore and said the State aspired to become a $3-trillion economy by 2047.The conclave, themed The Future-Ready CFO: Navigating Disruption, Driving Intelligence, Shaping Tomorrow, centered around the evolving role of finance leaders in an age of artificial intelligence, technological disruption, and geopolitical uncertainty. Discussions highlighted the need for CFOs to move beyond financial reporting and drive strategic growth through predictive intelligence and data-driven decision-making.Former Deloitte India chairman P.R. Ramesh opined that CFOs must balance short-term performance with long-term value creation while embracing AI and sustainability. He also described the CFO as a the most important position in any organisation that shapes the organisation’s future.M.V. Narasimham of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories said that a CFO is no longer just expected to protect the business, but to position it for what comes next. Meanwhile, Gaurav Maheshwari, vice-chairman, CII Telangana, said that CFOs are not just about managing numbers, but about being cautious, forecasting the future, and remaining optimistic. Published - July 31, 2026 09:30 pm IST