Interim CFO: financial leadership that looks ahead

Most small and mid-sized companies do not need a CFO. They need a good accountant, and most already have one: someone who keeps the books clean, files on time and answers the auditor's questions without drama.

That work is essential, but it is not what a CFO is for. An accountant makes sure the numbers are accurate. A CFO asks whether the story those numbers tell is still true. An interim CFO takes on that role, alongside your accounting team, for as long as the situation requires. Then the CFO hands over.

When companies call an interim CFO

The books are rarely the problem. The questions nobody has time to ask are.

Nobody can say with confidence whether a product line is still profitable once the full cost of serving it is allocated.

A “strategic” client keeps its discounts and extra attention, and nobody has checked whether the relationship has quietly become a net loss.

Prices were set three years ago and never revisited.

Cash planning lives in a spreadsheet that one person understands.

A bank covenant review, a refinancing, a funding round or a sale is approaching.

The finance leader has left, or the company has outgrown its finance function and the managing director covers it.

Entities from an acquisition or a merger have to be brought into a single set of reporting.

What an interim CFO does

Builds a reliable view of cash: short-term forecasts, scenarios and early warning signs.

Shows where money is really made and lost, by product, by client and by site.

Revisits the prices, terms and costs that have not been questioned for years.

Prepares the figures and the story that lenders, investors or buyers will ask for.

Takes part in the discussions with banks and investors, next to the CEO.

Strengthens the finance function and hands over to a permanent lead.

An interim CFO works alongside your accountant, never instead of them. The accountant keeps the books right. The CFO keeps the decisions informed.

How it differs from the alternatives

Your accountant records and reports what happened. An interim CFO looks at what is coming and what to decide.

A consultant produces an analysis. An interim CFO takes operational responsibility for the finance function and for the decisions that follow.

A permanent CFO is a long-term commitment that is not always justified yet. An interim CFO, full-time or part-time, fits the size of the need.

The profiles

More than 25 executives in our network are open to interim CFO mandates.

Half have fifteen years or more of C-level experience, and more than eight in ten have held a CFO role.

More than eight in ten have worked in a regulated industry, and seven in ten in financial services.

More than eight in ten list M&A and turnaround among their specialisations, and almost two in three list fundraising.

About two in three have worked in scale-ups and in family-owned businesses, and more than half in PE-backed companies.

Four in five are also open to general management mandates, so the role can grow if the situation demands it.

All work in English, four in five also in French, and about one in three in German.

Three in four can work in Luxembourg and half in Belgium.

Most are flexible on the format: full-time, part-time or fractional.

A mission from the network

A manager from our network joined a company on the verge of insolvency. He restructured the cash plan and the balance sheet, and brought in a new investor. Then he left, handing over an organisation and finances able to run without him.

How it works

  1. We listen. A confidential conversation about your situation.

  2. We propose. A short list of profiles chosen for your situation, not a stack of CVs.

  3. You decide. You meet the executives you are interested in and choose.

Frequently asked questions

  • No. The interim CFO works alongside your accountant and your accounting firm. The accountant keeps the books accurate, while the CFO looks ahead and supports decisions.

  • In practice, the difference is the format. An interim CFO takes the role for a defined period, often full-time. A fractional CFO works a few days a week, often over a longer period. Many executives in our network can do either, and we agree the format with you.

  • Yes, it is a common reason to call one. The interim CFO prepares the figures, the forecasts and the explanations that lenders, investors or buyers will ask for, and takes part in those discussions next to the CEO. The outcome of a financing or a sale depends, of course, on the company and on the market.

  • It depends on the mission. We agree the scope and an end date at the start, so that the handover is planned from day one. Most executives in the network are flexible on the format: full-time, part-time or fractional.

  • Many members of the network are available at short notice. The timing depends on the profile, the notice period and the mission, and we give you a realistic indication in our first conversation.

Further reading

Do your numbers explain what happened, or help you decide what comes next?

Start with a confidential conversation about your situation.

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