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Two years after its launch, the “CFO & Sustainable Transformation” Research Chair, led by IÉSEG School of Management and DFCG, marks a new milestone in its development with the arrival of a new partner: the consulting firm Axys Consultants.
This collaboration strengthens the connnection between academia and finance professionals around the major challenges of sustainable transformation.

A Chair at the heart of financial function evolution

Launched in 2023, the “CFO & Sustainable Transformation” Chair was created to help finance departments navigate profound changes driven by three key forces: digitalization, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and human capital.

Led by a team of nearly ten IÉSEG researchers, the Chair explores how these transformations are reshaping financial roles, skill sets, and management practices. “In just two years, the Chair has become a true laboratory for ideas about the future of finance—combining academic rigor with real-world impact,” emphasizes Marie REDON, Professor of Management Control at IÉSEG and Director of the Chair.

Two years of productive and impactful work

Since its inception, the Chair has launched numerous research projects and outreach initiatives—all with the same goal: bridging academic research, business practices, and sustainability challenges.

1) Digitalization: a key driver of transformation

Three research projects focus on the impact of digital technologies in finance. One of them—led by Marie REDON and Thuy SERAN (University of Montpellier) – analyzes how digital tools are reshaping finance professions. The study was published in Comptabilité, Contrôle, Audit and featured in Finance & Management, DFCG’s professional journal.

Findings were also shared at Financium 2024 and several academic and professional conferences. Beyond the research itself, these projects have opened up a structured dialogue with practitioners about automation, data quality, and the evolving role of CFOs and management controllers.

“Our work shows that digitalization doesn’t replace human expertise—it transforms it. It allows finance professionals to focus more on analysis, strategy, and value creation,” explains Marie REDON.

2) CSR and CSRD: understanding and guiding regulatory change

The Chair’s second research area focuses on corporate social responsibility and, more specifically, the implementation of the European CSRD directive and its implications for finance functions. A major project, led by Marion LIGONIE and Marie REDON, explores how finance professionals are adopting new sustainability indicators and integrating them into their reporting and decision-making processes.

Beyond the technical aspects, this research shows that the directive is viewed as a chance to bridge finance and CSR – helping shape a more responsible and socially conscious approach to financial management.

The CSRD doesn’t just redefine reporting—it redefines the CFO’s role, positioning finance leaders as key players in their organizations’ sustainable transformation. Finance departments are now central to ensuring the structure, reliability, and credibility of non-financial data while helping teams use that data as a tool for resilience and long-term value creation.

In parallel, the Chair is developing a CSRD certification program for companies, aimed at helping them better understand and implement the new regulatory framework.

3) Human Resources and skills: People at the Core of Transformation

The third pillar of the Chair’s work focuses on the human side of change in finance. Several ongoing projects—led by Marie REDON, Paul d’ARGENLIEU (Neoma Business School), Thuy SERAN (University of Montpellier), Nicolas BERLAND (Université Paris Dauphine) and Marion LIGONIE (IÉSEG) – analyze how finance careers have evolved since the 1980s.

Drawing on more than 1,000 résumés of management controllers and CFOs, the research examines career trajectories, professional patterns, and skill evolution in a context marked by digitalization, financialization, and growing sustainability expectations. “Our findings reveal that since the 1980s, career paths have become both more diverse and more structured. Finance careers now offer strong foundations in technical expertise, while also enabling broader professional growth—sometimes all the way to general management, explains Marie REDON.

These results have been presented at major industry events such as the Management Controllers Meetings (June 2025) and will be featured again at Financium 2025. The insights also feed into IÉSEG’s Specialized Master’s in Financial Management, which helps future finance leaders strengthen both their technical and leadership skills to meet emerging transformation challenges.

A successful collaboration with DFCG

As a founding partner, DFCG has played a crucial role in the Chair’s success—providing visibility and privileged access to top finance professionals through its network of nearly 4,000 members. This collaboration has enabled in-depth interviews with leading finance executives, grounding the Chair’s academic research in real-world practice.

“DFCG is proud to have supported the Chair since its inception. Together, we’ve connected researchers and practitioners to build a renewed vision of the finance function—serving organizations’ sustainable transformation,” says Marie-Hélène PEBAYLE, President of DFCG.

Axys Consultants: a new partner committed to sustainable transformation

First introduced during Financium 2024, Axys Consultants is now joining the “CFO & Sustainable Transformation” Chair as a strategic partner. Specialized in helping organizations drive sustainable business transformations – and with a dedicated practice serving CFOs – Axys Consultants shares the belief that long-term performance depends on the right balance between expertise, innovation and academic insight.

This collaboration is built around three main objectives: leveraging the Chair’s academic foundation to reinforce the scientific depth of Axys Consultants’ work; contributing to IÉSEG’s Executive programs through expert talks and exchanges ; and co-developing high-impact content for both the academic and professional communities.

In the short term, the partnership will kick off with a white paper on Artificial Intelligence in finance, co-authored by Marie REDON and Patrice LANDAGARAY, followed by a webinar open to the wider finance community.

“We see this partnership as a great opportunity to connect academic thinking with real-world impact. Together, we aim to shed light on how finance is evolving and turn these transformations into levers for sustainable performance,” says Delphine BOURGEOT, CEO of Axys Consultants.

Looking Ahead: A New Stage of Growth

With both DFCG and now Axys Consultants on board, the “CFO & Sustainable Transformation” Chair continues to strengthen its position as a bridge between academic research and real business challenges. The coming months will focus on developing new Executive programs, sharing research results, producing practical tools, and expanding the network of partners.

“Welcoming Axys marks an important milestone—it reflects our ambition to combine academic excellence, real-world engagement, and social impact. Finance today is at the heart of the sustainable transition, and the Chair is fully committed to supporting this evolution,” concludes Marie REDON.