Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, once said that “not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers”, and if there’s one thing CFOs do is read. Not only spreadsheets and data but also news articles, publications, and even some blogs so that they can stay up to date on all the latest trends and topics in the finance world. But what about books?
The best books for CFOs are different from the ones you would expect. Don’t get us wrong; there are some great books on finance, market trends and growth strategies. But as the CFO’s role shifts in this modern digitised world, so do the books they should keep on their bedside table because knowing how to be a great CFO is knowing how to be a great leader.
That’s exactly what you can take from Mike Michalowicz’s book, “All in”, a guide to building a thriving workforce and avoiding high turnover rates. But if you’re looking for how to reach higher grounds with your business, then John Rossman’s book is the one to keep on your bedside table. Rossman takes from his experience at big companies such as Amazon or Google to explain how you need to be fierce and take risks to achieve outstanding results.
So, if you’re searching for the next big launch or want to read a new book this year, save this article in your bookmarks for your next trip to the nearest bookstore.
- All In
- Big Money in Franchising
- The Valuation Book
- The Making of Modern Corporate Finance
- Becoming a Modern‑Day CFO
- Superagency
- The New Science of Customer Relationships
- The Chief Reinvention Officer Handbook
- FP&A Mastery 2025
- Good to Great
- Supremacy
- Deep Finance
- The Innovator's Dilemma
- Radically Human
- Women CFO Stories
All In: How Great Leaders Build Unstoppable Teams - Mike Michalowicz
Building the right team is essential for Finance leaders, especially CFOs, who need to find the right talent to help them take the organisation to the next level. And, as Mike Michalowicz states in his new book, published on January 2nd, “It’s never been harder building successful teams.”
Throughout the book, Michalowicz reveals his tips and tricks to build a thriving workforce and avoid turnover. “All in” will help leaders find the right talent, match individual abilities to client and company needs, and even transform struggling employees into superstars.
Big Money in Franchising: Scaling Your Enterprise in the Era of Private Equity - Alicia Miller
The private equity landscape is shifting, and it can be a game changer for up-and-coming businesses. In “Big Money in Franchising”, board advisor and private equity consultant Alicia Miller explains how franchisors and franchisees can benefit from private equity’s investment and guidance.
By using recent case studies and thoughtful exploration of financial strategies, Miller’s book, launching March 12th, 2024, reveals how to build brands and unlock value by learning private equity’s growth playbook and shows how these businesses can attract and work successfully with private equity investors.
The Valuation Book: How to value businesses and shares – an introductory guide for investors, managers and more
Let’s face it: the valuation world can be challenging to grasp. And if you’re still trying to understand valuation principles, this book is for you.
Written by a group of academics who have also worked in valuation, The Valuation Book provides a unique mix of theory and practical application of valuation principles. It will help investors, managers, accountants and more to understand everything they need to value their business and even how ESG can be integrated into the mix.
The Making of Modern Corporate Finance
Corporate finance hasn’t always been efficient or easy to understand, and it’s change quite a lot over the last 40 years. If you’re wondering what’s changed, how and when, this is the book for you.
In The Making of Modern Corporate Finance, Donald H. Chew traces the dramatic evolution of U.S. corporate finance, showing how foundational theories and market innovations reshaped capital allocation, governance, and value creation on a global scale. He also examines the rise of tech giants with unconventional financial strategies, arguing that understanding these shifts is essential to tackling broader issues like poverty and climate change.
Becoming a Modern‑Day CFO
If today’s CFOs want a seat at the strategy table, they’ll need more than spreadsheets, and this sharp, no-fluff playbook gives them the guidance they need to get there.
In Becoming a Modern-Day CFO, Rajendra Choudhary breaks down the evolving role of the CFO into a 26-page playbook packed with actionable insights on strategic leadership, digital fluency, agile governance, and cross-functional collaboration. With a strong focus on real-time analytics and scenario-based forecasting, Choudhary equips finance leaders with the mindset and tools needed to shift from scorekeepers to strategic partners.
Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future
Hoffman, an accomplished entrepreneur and investor and Greg Beato, tech and culture author, bring a hopeful, grounded take on how AI can amplify human potential, if we design and deploy it responsibly.
Emphasising ethics, human-centred design, and continuous public dialogue, the authors draw on real-world cases to show how AI, when thoughtfully integrated, can boost both individual agency and collective resilience.
The New Science of Customer Relationships
Customers expect brands to know them better than ever, and with AI and advanced analytics, data is rewriting the rules of engagement.
Davenport and Sterne show how predictive modelling, real-time personalisation, and sentiment analysis transform CRM. Featuring case studies of companies that have shifted from intuition to insight, the book gives leaders a practical guide to increase customer lifetime value while addressing responsible data use.
The Chief Reinvention Officer Handbook
Nadya Zhexembayeva presents a “Six-Pillar” framework for continuous reinvention, positioning adaptability as a core leadership discipline.
Drawing on experiments with over 3,000 practitioners worldwide, she provides interactive tools and case studies to help organisations avoid stagnation and embrace ongoing change. The updated 2025 edition introduces new resources and insights to address the challenges of accelerating disruption.
FP&A Mastery 2025
Markets can shift in the blink of an eye, and if businesses want to succeed, they need to be proactive and ready to act on those changes.
With this guide, Van Der Post, a finance professional with over 15 years of experience, arms finance professionals and leaders with forward-looking strategies, advanced analytics, and data-driven decision-making techniques. Packed with practical tools and real-world examples, this book shows how digital transformation and automation are key to mastering modern financial planning and analysis.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t
If you’ve always wondered why some companies achieve great success while others struggle to succeed, this is the book for you. To explain it, Collins conducted a rigorous five-year study of 28 firms.
Good to Great, covers the findings of this research, introducing concepts such as Level 5 Leadership, the Hedgehog Concept, and the Flywheel Effect, to provide a practical framework for leaders who want to convert long-term mediocrity into long-term superiority.
Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT, and the Race that Will Change the World
Supremacy tells the inside story of the race between OpenAI and DeepMind to build world-changing AI. Bloomberg’s Parmy Olson explores how this rivalry and the people behind it are shaping the future of technology.
Olson dives into the fierce competition among tech giants, startups, and governments to dominate AI. Her analysis reveals how this power struggle is already transforming business, finance, and geopolitics and why the outcome will shape the future of global leadership.
Deep Finance: Corporate Finance in the Information Age
Deep Finance brings leaders practical frameworks on how to modernise finance operations and lead with data. Hopper and Hamada combine classic finance principles with the power of AI, big data, and automation to help finance teams move faster and think more strategically.
Packed with case studies and practical tools, the book shows how to embed a culture of analytics and innovation, transforming finance into a driver of smarter decisions across the business.
The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail
Even well-managed, successful companies often fail to adapt to disruptive innovations, despite making rational decisions and focusing on their best customers.
In The Innovator’s Dilemma, Christensen explains how even well-run businesses can fall behind when innovative technologies reshape the market. Through real-world examples, he shows how new players gain ground by starting small, then scaling fast. For finance and business leaders, it’s a compelling reminder of the need to stay adaptable, invest in innovation, and rethink how success is measured.
Radically Human: Success factor personality in times of change
What does it mean to lead a successful life when our living and working conditions are constantly evolving? In The Changemaker Mindset, Grzeskowitz reframes success as a personal responsibility, arguing that thriving in disruption, whether driven by digitalisation, AI, or market shifts, starts with mindset, not just strategy.
With case studies and practical advice, he introduces the “three Ms” of motivation: motive, people, and action. A timely read for leaders looking to drive change with confidence and clarity.
Women CFO Stories: 11 Global Leaders Who Lead By Example To Dream Big!
Agarwal, an accountant from the Indian Institute of Chartered Accountants, covers the life story of 11 female CFOs, most of which have never been mentioned or covered by the media. This collection aims to correct that, while inspiring other women to, as the author puts it, “break the glass ceiling and aim to become CFOs one day”.
The title was self-published through Notion Press, and all the net proceeds are donated to Indian non-profit organisations working towards women’s educations and empowerment.