Around two-thirds of UK CFOs expect their organisations to increase overall business investment in 2027 compared with 2026, across almost every part of the business, according to new research from Pleo, the business spending and financial management platform.

The survey of 400 UK CFOs found that around two-thirds expect to increase investment on new products and services (65%), hiring (64%) and technology and AI (62%), while 64% expect to invest more in offices and facilities and 63% in expanding into new markets.

CFOs surveyed also anticipate increases in employee-related activities with 65% expecting more investment in team social events and engagement, and 62% in employee benefits and wellbeing.

Alongside these expected increases, CFOs surveyed anticipated several challenges for finance leaders in 2027. Almost half of CFOs identify changing regulation (48%) and attracting or retaining finance talent (48%) as key challenges for finance leaders in 2027, while 47% point to cybersecurity and data risks and access to finance and capital.

The research also reveals how much of that responsibility rests on the professional judgement of finance leaders. More than half (53%) say they have often or always made major business decisions with incomplete, conflicting or inconclusive data, while six in 10 (61%)3 place as much, if not more, weight on their professional judgment as on financial data.

This ability to look beyond the numbers can have significant impact, with almost all CFOs surveyed (98.5%)4 having spotted something in their organisation’s financial data that other business leaders missed, leading to a major business decision being changed.

Søren Westh-Lønning, CFO of Pleo, said: “Any CFO knows that good financial leadership isn’t just about having the right numbers. Some of the most important decisions a CFO makes are the ones where the data alone can’t prescribe the direction the business should take.

“So much of finance is about knowing what to question, where to look and when to act. Having a clearer picture of what’s happening across the business makes it easier to focus on the bigger questions, rather than getting lost in the detail.”

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Undoubtedly this expertise is helping shape the direction of UK businesses, with more than two-thirds (69%) of CFOs significantly involved in decisions about business transformation. Yet despite this strategic influence, six in 10 (60%) believe other business leaders underestimate the complexity of financial decision-making.

The findings form part of Pleo’s For the Craft of Finance campaign, celebrating the expertise and judgement from finance leaders behind the decisions shaping UK businesses. The campaign also features a public art installation created with British typographic artist Pref, on display outside Paddington Station, London, for a limited time.

The installation uses layered typography that looks obscure from most angles but resolves into a clear message from the right perspective. It reflects how CFOs combine data with context to bring clarity to complex decisions.