The traditional perception of a Chief Financial Officer in boardrooms often involves safeguarding finances, managing capital, and advocating for fiscal prudence. However, individuals like Sumedh Deo are challenging this conventional view. They represent a new generation of finance leaders who envision the CFO not merely as an accountant, but as a strategic architect of organizational performance. This involves designing operational frameworks, implementing advanced technology, and cultivating a culture that enables a company to thrive amidst change rather than simply endure it.
Sumedh Deo identifies as a “dual-threat” leader, actively spearheading major corporate transformations during the day and guiding the next generation of finance professionals as a mentor by night. At CBRE, as Global Head of Operations for the Transformation and Cost Management Office, he is responsible for the financial oversight and strategic direction of the company’s key transformation initiatives. This role involves managing a comprehensive roadmap of numerous operational projects, all aimed at achieving clear yet challenging objectives: boosting profit margins, enhancing organizational agility, and ensuring the long-term resilience of the enterprise.
The impact of this approach is evident. A significant achievement highlighted by Deo is the generation of over half a billion dollars in sustainable, enterprise-wide savings. This accomplishment is presented not as a measure of cost-cutting alone, but as proof that optimized operating models are powerful drivers of value creation. Rather than implementing isolated cost reductions, Deo spearheaded a comprehensive reorganization of how a multi-billion-dollar business manages resource allocation, aligns strategic initiatives, and assesses overall impact.
From Turnaround Specialist to Commercial Architect
This strategic philosophy was developed through experiences outside conventional corporate settings. A pivotal period in Deo’s career occurred in Japan, where he assumed the CFO role for a struggling business unit. Revitalizing the unit demanded more than just financial expertise. He restructured the organization, introduced an innovative acquisition model, and undertook responsibilities often sidestepped by finance leaders: directly overseeing sales and M&A integration alongside core financial duties. This comprehensive approach yielded remarkable results, contributing to a doubling of profits within a mere three and a half years.
The experience in Japan solidified what Deo refers to as his “commercial DNA.” Despite his background as a CPA and certified fraud examiner, demonstrating proficiency in governance and controls, his mindset is that of an operational leader. He discusses topics like pipeline conversion and pricing strategy with the same ease as SOX compliance and cost of capital. This unique combination of skills provides CEOs and boards with a valuable asset: a finance leader capable of implementing strict controls when needed, but also astute enough to recognize opportunities for accelerated growth.
Technology-Driven Finance Embraces AI
While commercial acumen forms one aspect of his professional identity, technology defines the other. Deo holds a distinctly “tech-native” perspective on contemporary finance. Unlike many CFOs who are still grappling with fundamental digital transformations, he has advanced beyond initial pilot phases. He effectively leverages AI, automation, and sophisticated analytics to convert technological concepts into tangible improvements in profit and loss. For instance, a global initiative under his leadership established a finance automation “Center of Excellence,” resulting in 42,000 hours of manual work saved, alongside enhanced accuracy and control.
A proof-of-concept project he directed clearly demonstrated this impact. By integrating AI and machine learning, Deo and his team automated 65 compliance checks per invoice, enabling rapid identification of risk exposures rather than depending on retrospective sampling. Furthermore, a chatbot designed for finance inquiries streamlined processes for frontline teams, allowing finance professionals to dedicate their efforts to more complex analytical tasks. For Deo, these initiatives are not mere technological novelties; they illustrate the powerful outcomes achieved when capital allocation, process architecture, and digital instruments are unified into a cohesive strategic system.
Deo increasingly advocates for the CFO to evolve into a “Chief Performance Officer,” a role accountable not just for expenditures, but for optimizing how an organization converts spending into tangible results. This involves addressing the common “execution gap” prevalent in many large corporations, where well-conceived strategies presented in boardrooms falter due to outdated structures, misaligned incentives, and disparate data. Deo’s proposed solution is to position finance as the central nervous system of the entire enterprise.
Practically, this entails a complete rethinking of the finance function. Traditional backward-looking reporting is replaced by proactive, AI-powered insights. Data is structured to facilitate decision-making, rather than being confined to departmental silos. Platforms such as Anaplan, Adaptive Insights, and Power BI serve as crucial links connecting various business units, markets, and the C-suite. This shift allows leaders to move beyond questions like, “What occurred last quarter?” to more strategic inquiries such as, “How can the next investment be best allocated to maximize returns, and how quickly can it be deployed?”
Cultivating Future-Ready Organizations and Leaders
Deo’s aspirations extend beyond his direct organizational responsibilities. He recognizes that the CFO role is transforming at a pace that outstrips conventional training and corporate mentorship programs. To address this disparity, he has cultivated a thriving community of finance professionals, primarily through his publications and content shared on LinkedIn. On this platform, he analyzes the complexities of capital allocation, digital transformation, and organizational design, converting these insights into actionable guides for managers transitioning into strategic positions.
Additionally, he dedicates considerable time to mentoring promising finance leaders, assisting them in their transition from tactical operators to strategic business partners. His objective is for them to grasp the comprehensive scope of the role: encompassing not only financial reporting or “owning the numbers,” but also shaping how the business generates value, fostering cross-border team collaboration, and effectively leveraging technology instead of being apprehensive of it.
In the immediate future, Deo aims to solidify his influence at the nexus of finance and AI, advocating that technology investments should be evaluated based on their impact on margin growth and competitive edge. For the medium term, he is committed to promoting the Chief Performance Officer philosophy, demonstrating how the finance function can orchestrate enterprise-wide transformations spanning various geographies and departments, from optimizing shared services to managing M&A integration and liquidity in unpredictable markets.
Looking ahead, his long-term ambition is to lead finance and operational strategy for a significant global organization, either as a CFO or a board director. The legacy he seeks to establish is clear: fostering organizations that are genuinely “future-proofed”—possessing the resilience to withstand disruptions, the agility to adapt, and the discipline to convert every capital investment into measurable, accountable value.
In a business landscape characterized by increasing complexity, vast scale, and continuous technological evolution, the traditional CFO role is insufficient. The most impactful leaders will be those capable of bridging multiple disciplines—articulating the principles of governance, growth, data, and human motivation with equal proficiency. Sumedh Deo has dedicated his career to embodying this new type of leader, thereby contributing to a redefinition of the CFO’s responsibilities.
