Bean counter or strategist? Differences in the role of the CFO in family and non-family businesses

•The CFO position in a family business is of special interest, as the CFO is often the first non-family manager hired.•In this article, the differing role of non-family CFOs in family businesses and CFOs in non-family businesses is analysed based on social role theory.•The CFOs in family businesses are likely to play a more traditional role compared to non-family businesses.•The CFO in a family business will likely experience fewer monitoring efforts than the CFO in a non-family business.•For CFOs in family businesses, extended work experience in financial management and family businesses is essential.

Practice-oriented publications have recently suggested a movement in the Chief Financial Officer's (CFO) role towards a more strategic role. In a family business, the CFO position is often the first into which a non-family manager is hired. However, the role of the non-family CFO in a family business is underresearched. Hence, this article uses previous findings as well as social role theory, agency theory, stewardship theory, and the resource-based view to investigate the role of the non-family CFO in family businesses compared to that in non-family businesses. Nine propositions are developed, which suggest not only a more traditional role for CFOs in family businesses, but also fewer monitoring efforts for the CFO in this setting. The article concludes with avenues for further research and concrete future research questions.