Deloitte Middle East has convened high-potential finance executives from across the region in Riyadh for its Next Generation CFO Academy, an immersive programme aimed at preparing senior finance professionals for future chief financial officer roles.The academy brings together participants nominated by their organisations’ CFOs and focuses on the broader leadership, strategic and communication responsibilities increasingly attached to the finance chief’s job. Deloitte says the programme is designed to move participants beyond technical finance expertise by exposing them to practical scenarios, peer discussion and executive-level decision-making.
The Riyadh gathering forms part of Deloitte Middle East’s wider CFO programme, which supports finance leaders at different stages of their careers through development, networking and transition initiatives. The firm describes the Next Generation CFO Academy as a programme for executives identified as having the potential and aspiration to take on a CFO position.
Its curriculum centres on leadership, influence and professional competence, reflecting the expanding remit of finance chiefs as companies confront faster technological change, more complex regulation and rising expectations from boards, investors and other stakeholders. Participants are expected to examine how CFOs balance stewardship and control with strategy, transformation and enterprise-wide decision-making.
Deloitte’s global material on the academy says aspiring CFOs need stronger leadership, business and communication capabilities because finance now touches virtually every part of an organisation. The programme uses experiential learning and scenario planning rather than relying solely on classroom instruction, while also giving participants an opportunity to build relationships with peers facing similar career transitions.
The focus is particularly relevant in Saudi Arabia, where companies are investing heavily in finance transformation as economic diversification, capital-market development and digitalisation reshape corporate requirements. Riyadh has become a major centre for executive training and financial-sector development, with public and private institutions expanding programmes for senior leaders and specialist talent.
Saudi Arabia’s Financial Academy, for example, is running separate programmes this year for future financial leaders and aspiring chief financial officers, covering areas including strategic finance, governance, capital markets, investor relations and organisational transformation. Those initiatives reflect wider demand for executives able to combine financial discipline with strategic leadership.
Deloitte has also been placing greater emphasis on technology in finance. Its Saudi Arabia Finance Day, scheduled for October, is set to address artificial intelligence in finance, new reporting requirements, governance, internal controls, liquidity management and regulatory developments. The agenda reflects the growing need for finance functions to assess technology not simply as an efficiency tool but as part of broader organisational change.
The firm’s 2026 research on artificial intelligence in the Middle East found that many organisations remain at an early stage of enterprise transformation. Deloitte said 34 per cent of surveyed organisations in the region reported using AI to deeply transform products, processes or business models, while 37 per cent were still concentrating mainly on productivity improvements with limited redesign of operations.
That transition is increasing pressure on finance leaders to understand technology investment, data governance, risk and returns while retaining responsibility for financial reporting, capital allocation and controls. CFOs are also expected to communicate more frequently with boards and other senior executives on issues that extend well beyond accounting.
Deloitte’s CFO programme seeks to address those demands through a combination of executive development and peer exchange. Alongside the Next Generation CFO Academy, its Middle East offering includes CFO Transition Labs for newly appointed finance chiefs and continuing insights aimed at established CFOs.
The academy model is used by Deloitte in several markets. Its global programme materials say nominees are selected because their organisations believe they could move into top finance roles, while some country programmes target candidates expected to become group CFOs within the next two to five years.
Topics
Spotlight