CFO Demographics and Working Capital Management in China

This research examines whether Chief Finance Officer (CFO) demographics (including age, educational background, gender and tenure) impact firm working capital policies. We argue that the personal characteristics of the CFO impact corporate financial policy, such as working capital management. Using a sample of listed companies in the China Stock market over 2000–2021, we find that CFO age, gender, education, and tenure determine firm working capital management. Further, we identified that findings are more pronounced within firms that do not have state ownership, suggesting that private ownership firms are likely to have aggressive working capital management. In terms of economic significance, our results demonstrated that a one-standard-deviation rise in CFO age is associated with a decrease in working capital of 1.09% to 1.39% for the sample firms. This implies that the effect of CFO age on working capital management is economically significant, implying that it considerably impacts the financial situation.

JEL Codes: G32, G34, G39