Evolution of the professional trajectories of financial directors with regard to the processes of financialization of organizations

This paper looks at the evolution of the French CFOs' backgrounds to better understand the relationships between these actors and the financialization process. Using a comparative analysis of the educational backgrounds and careers of two generations of CFOs and interviews, we show that the evolution of CFOs' backgrounds goes hand in hand with the financialization process. We contribute to the literature focused on financialization by showing the rise in a new CFO profile specialized in equity, and the progressive substitution of the external auditors to the management controllers and accountants at the CFO's position.