A surprising new report from Ernst & Young makes the bold claim that only 10 percent of CFOs actually want to become CEO. The report - entitled ‘DNA of the CFO' - was based around a survey of 699 CFOs in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia and included in depth interviews with CFOs of leading companies such as Heineken, Dubai Aerospace Enterprises and Marks & Spencer.

The accepted wisdom is that in times of trouble, boards turn to CFOs to become CEOs. CFOs are seen as having a good handle on the numbers, attention to which is seen as the cure to the company's problems.