How the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) affects digital transformation

Yexin Liu; Weiwei Wu

doi:10.1057/s41599-026-07312-x

How the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) affects digital transformation

Yexin Liu
, Weiwei Wu^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Northeast Forestry University
Business School, Harbin Institute of Technology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This paper examines the influence of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) characteristics on digital transformation. Using manufacturing firms listed on the A-share market of the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges between 2007 and 2023, the research results demonstrate that CFO characteristics significantly impact digital transformation. Specifically, male CFOs and CFOs with higher levels of education have a positive impact on digital transformation, while older CFOs have a negative impact. Furthermore, the effects of CFO characteristics on digital transformation differ between different kinds of firms. This paper makes a significant contribution to the fields of digital transformation and upper echelons theory, and offers valuable guidance to firms seeking to achieve digitization.

Original language	English
Article number	940
Journal	Humanities and Social Sciences Communications
Volume	13
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-07312-x
State	Published - Dec 2026
Externally published	Yes

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abstract = "This paper examines the influence of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) characteristics on digital transformation. Using manufacturing firms listed on the A-share market of the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges between 2007 and 2023, the research results demonstrate that CFO characteristics significantly impact digital transformation. Specifically, male CFOs and CFOs with higher levels of education have a positive impact on digital transformation, while older CFOs have a negative impact. Furthermore, the effects of CFO characteristics on digital transformation differ between different kinds of firms. This paper makes a significant contribution to the fields of digital transformation and upper echelons theory, and offers valuable guidance to firms seeking to achieve digitization.",

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How the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) affects digital transformation

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