Future Finance Leaders: Career Growth, Leadership and the Path Ahead
# AI
# Future Finance Leaders
# Cross-Network
Findings from NeuGroup’s 2026 Future Finance Leaders Career Development Survey and Discussions with Treasury Leaders
What does the next generation of finance leaders want, and what do today’s leaders say it takes to get there? NeuGroup surveyed 55 developing treasury and finance professionals at 34 companies, then took the results to three rooms. Future Finance Leaders members interpreted their own answers, and MegaCap treasurers and Assistant treasurers tested them against what they see in their teams. The report pairs the data with candid commentary from both sides of the table, plus practical playbooks for rising talent and the leaders developing them.
Support is the floor, visibility is the unlock. Most respondents feel supported, but only 36% say their organization supports their development very well. What they want most is decision exposure, actionable feedback and clearer paths.
Culture and leadership decide who stays. 60% say negative culture or poor leadership would drive them to disengage or leave, well ahead of limited progression (45%) and pay (27%).
AI is a tool, not the destination. Respondents rank AI fluency as the top future leadership skill (75%). Treasurers pushed back: strategic thinking, executive communication and deep technical knowledge still determine who reaches the top.
Whether you’re building your own path or developing the people who will one day fill your seat, this report shows where the two views align, where they diverge and what to do about it.
