CFOs of growth companies mustn't limit themselves to finance. In the absence of a strategic HR leader, they are the most likely partner of the CEO to provide HR leadership…

HR responsibilities in the scenario described will tend to be administrative and compliance in nature (benefits, HR handbook, payroll, recruiting/hiring, on-boarding). Focusing on the communication and execution of these responsibilities are essential.

I’m a fan of CFO’s playing larger roles within their organizations. A key responsibility of the C-suite team is crafting/ratifying the overall corporate strategy and translating it into ones that cascade to each business unit (I.T., Marketing, HR, Finance & Accounting, etc.) That being said, the CFO should be actively involved in all key strategy related discussions up and down the organization, which would include HR. (Imagine HR being out of the loop with the CFO’s strategic plan to consolidate all field offices to the Corporate location!) The head of HR is responsible for navigating the legal/regulatory landscape of their area, like the CFO for Finance & Accounting. As one wouldn’t expect the CIO to own the discussion on Revenue Recognition, the CFO can meaningfully plug into cultivating HR strategy without that being confused with them owning regulatory compliance for that area.