Key Finance and Accounting Personnel  

The hierarchy of reporting among accountants in an organization is generally as follows:

CFO - The chief financial officer (CFO) 

While not always an accountant, the CFO is in charge of all company financial information. Much (or most) of this information comes through the accounting function. As such, she oversees the activities of the three main areas of managerial accounting: controller, treasurer, and internal auditor. 

Controller

The controller is the chief accountant. She generally oversees the following groups or types of accounting activity:

• Managerial accountant - The managerial accountant prepares and analyzes information used for decision making within the organization. Such reports might include: operational budgets, product cost estimates, budgets, and unit profit and loss reports. 
• Financial accountant - The internal financial accountants assist in preparing financial information for external disclosure. They closely comply with U.S. GAAP standards. Some of the reports they prepare include: 10Q (a quarterly report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)) and the 10K (an annual report filed with the SEC).
• Tax accountant - The internal tax accountants are charged with preparing tax information and the reports that are required by governmental agencies (like the IRS and state taxing authorities). 

Treasurer

The Treasurer is charged with managing the financial resources of the company. This might include securing funding projects, projecting required cash flow, and managing cash and other short-term investment. Like the Controller, the treasurer reports to the CFO. 

Internal Auditor

An auditor goes behind the financial, managerial, and tax accountants to make certain that the processes used to record and report information is in accordance with legal standards. It makes certain that controls are in place for this purpose. Often internal auditors work closely with external auditors hired to do independent examinations of company records and reporting.  Interestingly, the internal auditor is given a pipeline to also report directly to the CEO or Board of Directors (particularly the audit committee) if necessary. 

Related Topics

• Managerial Accounting
• Institute of Management Accountants
• Annual Report
• Certified Financial Statement
• Common Size Financial Statement
• Accounting Personnel in an Organization
• Comptroller vs Controller 
• Financial Statement Analysis
• Cost Accounting
• Operating Income
• Profit Margin  
• Paid in Capital
• Retained Cash Flow
• Book Value (Company)
• Adjusted Book Value
• Book Value (Asset)
• Accounting Insolvency