ESGFinanceNovember 19, 2025
How are CFOs redefining the future of corporate finance? Insights from Paris’ premier finance conference
Top French finance professionals recently gathered in Paris for two days of inspiration, perspectives, and discussion around the major changes that are redefining corporate finance. Held November 12 & 13, 2025, at the Carrousel du Louvre, the Future of Finance conference brought together more than 1000 finance decision makers to explore the technologies and trends shaping the future of corporate performance management.
Dedicated to empowering economic leaders to transform uncertainties into investment and innovation prospects, the 10th anniversary edition of the event was as dynamic as it was forward-looking. Artificial intelligence, sovereignty, sustainable transition, and the quantum revolution were just some of the topics raised.
Several French Finance government officials spoke after President Macron, including:
- Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani, Chairwoman, Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF)
- Claude Laruelle, Group Executive Vice President in charge of the Investment and Finance Impact Performance Department
- Roland Lescure, Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Energy Sovereignty
President Macron on why Europe and France should be on the investment radar
The conference opened with a recorded keynote from French President Emmanuel Macron, who emphasized Europe’s stability and growth potential amid global volatility.
He delivered a clear message to financial leaders: Europe is not just a safe bet; it’s a strategic opportunity. His remarks underscored why, in a world of volatility, Europe offers predictability, innovation, and growth potential.
He discussed how geopolitical tensions, trade fragmentation, and deregulation are reshaping the global economy. Against this backdrop, he emphasized the need for substantial investments in climate, defense, and breakthrough technologies—from quantum computing to AI and space exploration.
Macron highlighted four pillars that make Europe and France attractive for long-term investment:
- World-class talent in data science and mathematics
- A highly controllable low-carbon energy grid
- Regulatory predictability
- Innovation in AI, quantum, defense and space
Macron said, “By investing in Europe and France, you won’t find yourself in an economic environment where the rules can change overnight.”
For CFOs and finance leaders, Macron said Europe isn’t just a defensive play; it’s a growth engine. With structural reforms, innovation funding, and market integration accelerating, now is the time to position capital where stability meets opportunity. He outlined a bold roadmap that includes:
- Simplify EU rules to boost competitiveness
- Deepen the single market—450 million consumers, not just 68 million in France
- Advancing the Capital Markets Union: mobilize Europe’s vast savings for innovation instead of letting them flow abroad
- Protect strategic sectors from unfair competition without resorting to protectionism
Macron’s closing message was clear, “The future of financing your activities will play out on our continent, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that France and Europe continue to attract the maximum investment."
Fireside chat: Karen Abramson on the evolving CFO role
The evolving role of finance leaders was discussed in a fireside chat between Julie Leclerc, Head of Finance Transformation & Group CFO at DANONE and Karen Abramson, CEO of Corporate Performance and ESG at Wolters Kluwer. They covered topics from the evolution of the French market to how CFOs are using AI.
Abramson emphasized how Wolters Kluwer is uniquely positioned to partner with French companies. “We get transformation,” she said. “For nearly 200 years, we’ve evolved alongside our customers, helping them navigate change and complexity in highly regulated environments.”
“Transformation is never finished,” she added. “EPM will evolve from a system of record to a system of intelligence, powered by trust, agility, and leadership.”
From a business standpoint, Wolters Kluwer sees that the CFO’s role has grown far beyond financial stewardship.
Abramson emphasized how Wolters Kluwer is uniquely positioned to partner with French companies. “We get transformation,” she said. “For nearly 200 years, we’ve evolved alongside our customers, helping them navigate change and complexity in highly regulated environments.”
“Transformation is never finished,” she added. “EPM will evolve from a system of record to a system of intelligence, powered by trust, agility, and leadership.”
From a business standpoint, Wolters Kluwer sees that the CFO’s role has grown far beyond financial stewardship.
Today’s CFOs are becoming transformation leaders and business partners driving strategy and innovation.
CFOs who embrace this shift, manage the change within their organizations, and build digital fluency, ESG expertise, and strategic agility will shape the future.
Getting beyond the AI-hype
AI is present in many conversations, but its actual usage is less prevalent. Abramson was asked, what is the reality today?
Abramson noted that while AI is promising, its use in finance is being deployed cautiously due to concerns about security, compliance, and governance. She emphasized Wolters Kluwer’s 'AI you can trust' responsible AI approach, which prioritizes ethics, compliance, and business value in all AI solutions.
Expert AI is embedded throughout the CCH® Tagetik Intelligent Platform, enhancing forecasting, automation, and insights, while always prioritizing governance at its core. Wolters Kluwer CCH Tagetik reinvests 16% of its annual revenues in R&D, ensuring the platform evolves in line with the market, rather than just reacting to it. This investment enables the company to anticipate the next steps, particularly in areas such as AI, ESG, and SAP BFC replacement.
Empowering French companies to modernize finance operations with future-ready solutions
The French market is strategic for CCH Tagetik, Wolters Kluwer’s AI-enabled Corporate Performance Management (CPM) platform. It has been an established presence in the French market for more than 15 years.
Today, nearly half of the CAC40 companies (benchmark French stock market index) use CCH Tagetik, which reflects the trust and relevance of the platform. This is important, because the France market is facing real pressure to modernize. With legacy consolidation solutions like SAP BFC and HFM reaching end-of-life, CFOs must look for scalable, future-ready alternatives.
To date, CCH Tagetik has completed about 58% of consolidation software replacements in France, while 79% of French enterprises with over 1 billion in revenue have yet to start their replacement project. The business has built deep expertise in this space and proudly names large customers such as Airbus, Safran, Legrand and Pernod Ricard and Danone.
As part of the conference, CCH Tagetik held two workshops presenting how their client, InVivo, improved their financial processes after replacing SAP BFC by CCH Tagetik. Arnaud Vernisse, Group CFO in charge of transformation for InVivo stated: "We chose CCH Tagetik because we wanted a unified platform and for all our entities to speak the same language. We wished for a tool easy to manage internally, without code, and capable of integrating new technologies such as AI and new regulatory requirements: Pillar 2 and ESG reporting, for instance."
Abramson closed by explaining how customer partnerships extend far beyond solution implementation, to focus on building long-term value. By combining innovation with a history of working in highly regulated environments, Wolters Kluwer understands the climate in which CFOs operate today.
“We’ll continue to invest, evolve, and lead, because transformation is in our DNA.”
Conference Takeaways for CFOs
Across all sessions, three themes emerged:
- CFOs sit at the center of corporate transformation.
- AI is advancing, but governance, trust, and value creation matter most.
- The French market is a proving ground for future-ready finance modernization.
Learn more about how Wolters Kluwer is shaping the future of finance with CCH Tagetik here.
See Wolters Kluwer’s latest video describing the new CCH Tagetik with Expert AI presented at Future of Finance here.