Pam McIntyre, senior vice president and corporate controller at OneStream, has highlighted the importance of holistic business understanding and diverse career experience in driving corporate transformation.
Speaking on the findings of a new OneStream study, “The Glass Chair: Unlocking the Value of Women in Finance,” McIntyre stressed that women finance leaders are reshaping the future of the CFO role.
“Understanding the business holistically and having experience across various roles is critical to turning around a company,” McIntyre said, adding that women’s growing comfort with secure AI implementation will further strengthen their ability to drive change without compromising compliance.
The study reveals that women CFOs are powerful agents of transformation, leading underperforming companies to an average 10% revenue increase. In sectors like healthcare, they are outperforming industry benchmarks by as much as 4.7% in Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies.
McIntyre highlighted that women’s longer and more diverse paths to the CFO position—often involving non-traditional roles—equip them with a wide skill set that is proving vital as the role shifts from traditional record-keeping to strategic vision. “Those varied stops along the way give women unique skills that they bring to the top finance role,” she noted.
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The research also found that women CFOs often adopt a “financial guardian” approach, prioritizing governance, strategic leadership, and team development, which allows them to build strong financial controls and execute strategic transformations effectively.
Despite these achievements, women remain underrepresented, holding just one in four CFO roles in Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies—a figure stagnant since 2011. However, McIntyre pointed out that the changing demands of the role and the ongoing shortage of skilled finance professionals could create more opportunities for women in leadership.
Digital literacy is also becoming a decisive factor. According to the study, 75% of women CFOs recognize its importance for future finance leaders. While fewer women currently adopt AI compared to men (24% versus 40%), McIntyre sees this as an area ripe for growth through training and mentorship.
“With their ability to balance governance, strategy, and innovation, women CFOs are well positioned to lead companies into the next era of finance,” McIntyre said.
