Frank Galioto

Great companies are always looking for ways to cut costs — in finance, HR, IT, and other general and administrative services. But stringent cost management is counterproductive when it shortchanges your ability to grow or hamstrings your best people. The answer lies in optimizing overhead: designing services from the market back, using IT more effectively, and looking beyond conventional approaches and geographical borders for solutions.

An ongoing survey finds that “activist” chief financial officers are becoming strategic assets to their companies — a change in job description that may not only improve their company’s performance but also enhance their career options.