Are you a Reluctant Accountant?
I was enjoying a lovely chat with a GENCFO Awards winner, a CFO, and I casually used one of my catchphrases, “I'm a reluctant accountant, there is so much more to do!” I said.
She laughed and agreed, ”Me too! I see myself as a strategist, a business geek… not an accountant."
So what does it mean to you?
Here are a few signals that may make you a good fit for GENCFO!
1. You didn’t set out to be a traditional accountant - You trained in finance, yes, but you were never fully at home with just compliance, pushing reprts, and debits/credits.
I followed my father's footsteps, but soon found myself being more in the business, than in the “back office”.
2. You resisted being boxed in. - You saw that the profession, as it was, risked narrowing your potential; you didn’t want to be defined by tick-box rules.
I remember a photographer friend of mine, taking a picture of me on the "Spice Girls Wannabe Steps" in London, he named it “the reluctant accountant”, it got me thinking!
3. You’re driven by change, not maintenance. - You found more energy in change, digital, and people; building the future of finance, not just preserving the past.
I met a so-called Finance Business Partner in a corporate HQ. They had never set foot outside their 5th floor HQ! Impact happens by understanding the businesses, making change, being a partner!
In short, being a “reluctant accountant”* is a way of saying, “yep, I’ve got the finance credentials I need*, and I choose to push beyond them.”
*This does not mean being an auditor, being “fully qualified” or being just "the numbers".
Author
“Chris Argent isn’t here to play by finance’s old rulebook - he’s here to rewrite it.” From challenging outdated corporate thinking to rallying finance leaders around a more connected, adaptable future, the founder of GENCFO is leading a quiet revolution in how CFOs and finance leadership work, think, and influence. Chris Argent, founder of GENCFO, is a finance leader redefining the role beyond business partnering. A self-described “reluctant accountant,” he’s built a global community for progressive accounting and finance leaders who value connection over competition and action over tradition. Chris believes the greatest risk to the profession is clinging to outdated norms, and that mindset and adaptability outpace any technological change. His work champions leaders who turn new ideas into real-world change, blending people-centred strategies with new ways of working and technology. In conversations, he challenges, provokes, and inspires - proving that the future of finance belongs to those ready to lead it together.