In doing so, they combine strategic perspective with attention to detail. The manager must act as an internal critic, dedicated team member and all-round business partner. Financial managers ensure that risks are understood and managed so that financial integrity is maintained. They are also continuously searching for new ways to identify, create and exploit market opportunities. At Unilever, financial managers do not focus on risk avoidance.
Business necessarily involves risk, it is implicit in delivering growth and innovation.
However, risks need to be properly understood and soundly judged so that unsuitable risks are avoided and appropriate business risks are taken and managed. Financial managers support the innovation process by using information management, by ensuring knowledge is shared and applied, and by using decision-support and modeling techniques.