Why Continuous Evolution Beats One-Off Projects, at GENCFO Meet

You know the one: consultants parachute in, there’s a Gantt chart longer than your arm, and 18 months later someone declares victory. Until, of course, everything slips quietly back to how it was.

That’s the problem with treating transformation like a project. It makes you think there’s a neat beginning and end. But the world doesn’t work that way anymore. Technology moves too fast. Customers expect too much. If you think you can “finish” transformation, you’re already behind.

That's why it was our focus for the panel discussion for September 2025's GENCFO Meet.

The Project Trap

When I asked the room whether transformation still felt like a project, about half the hands shot up. No surprise. ERP rollouts and massive programs have hard-wired us to think that way.

Stefanie Brown-Hawkins, who’s worked across mega-cap corporates and private equity-backed businesses, put it bluntly: “I’ve never seen transformation as a beginning and an end. If you’re good at it, people just want you to keep doing it.” Spot on.

Rachel Hewitt, CFO of EG on the Move, backed that up. For her, ERP was just the starting point. The real challenge is building a culture where people ask every day: how can we make this quicker, smarter, easier? Not once every five years…always!

Continuous Evolution as the New Normal

Some CFOs are now baking transformation into their structures. Rachel mentioned hiring a permanent transformation director, and they’re still debating the job title. Is it innovation? Evolution? Continuous improvement? The point is, the role exists because the work never stops.

David Strickland, Partner at Parade Consulting, was quick to add that projects aren’t always bad. Sometimes a new piece of tech is the perfect excuse to make a step change. But his bigger point was this: clients that treat transformation as a maturity journey, not a project, see much better outcomes.

Stop Begging for Budget

Here’s the kicker: almost nobody in the room had a recurring transformation budget. Out of 50–60 people, only a few hands went up.

Rachel compared it to store maintenance. Of course you’d budget to keep your physical assets in shape. Why wouldn’t you do the same for your digital backbone? Great question, and one that boards need to start answering.

People Over Projects

And let’s not forget: this isn’t just about systems. Stefanie reminded us how important it is to align leadership. At GSK, she spent nearly a year making sure every executive told the same story about transformation. Why? Because if leaders aren’t consistent, culture unravels before the tech is even live.

Closing Thoughts

Transformation doesn’t have a finish line. It’s an ongoing habit. The sooner we drop the “project” mindset, the sooner we can get on with evolving.