THE EVOLUTION OF THE PROFESSION OF FINANCIAL OFFICER IN FRANCE: ORIGINS, COMPETENCIES, TRAJECTORIES

Abstract

Financial Services emerged as a department in French firms at the beginning of the 20th
century. However, it was yet not distinct from the administrative function. The example of
Saint-Gobain illustrates how the department gained its autonomy after the Second World
War. From the end of the sixties or the beginning of the seventies, the financial services
department engaged in a long process of professionalization to accompany the strategic and
operational development of large companies. From the eighties, the profession of financial
officers became increasingly fragmented to cope with the different missions it was being
assigned. The development of shared service centers and digitalization, however, have been
diminishing its sphere of influence and threatening the profession.