The summit, which is being held Thursday in Newton, comes as companies convinced of the economy’s relative strength struggle to become more agile, entrepreneurial and mature. As they do this, the CFO, once tucked quietly in a finance department office, is taking on the responsibilities of becoming a “client-facing” executive.

According to a survey of 67 mostly New England CFOs conducted by MIT exclusively for the Boston Business Journal, things seem to be looking up.

Nearly 60 percent of respondents said their companies’ revenue grew this year. Almost 66 percent said staffing levels grew this year, and more than 64 percent said they plan to hire workers in 2014.

Almost 78 percent said they expect revenue to grow next year.

Jack McCullough, the summit’s co-chairman, said all the projected growth is a tall order, especially at a time when recruiting talent is getting more challenging.

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