CASE STUDY: £200m PE-Backed Consumer Brand Where The Board Extended The Search By Two Months
How a PE-backed consumer brand extended its CFO search by two months, why the board did it, and the lesson for hiring finance leaders under pressure.
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Why CFO-To-CFO Handovers Are Getting Shorter, And What That Says About Boards
CFO handovers are shrinking from months to weeks. Here is what shorter transitions reveal about board readiness, succession planning and finance risk.
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What Boards Now Ask On CFO References They Didn't Ask A Year Ago
Boards are asking sharper CFO reference questions than a year ago. Here are the exact prompts now separating strong hires from expensive mistakes.
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The One Board Preparation Habit That Makes A New CFO Look Ready
The single board prep habit that makes a new CFO look ready: brief the board before the meeting, not during it. Why it works and how to coach it.
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What Family Businesses Should Actually Test For In A Non-Family CFO
How family and founder-led businesses should assess a non-family CFO: the real tests for trust, judgement and change beyond the CV.
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CASE STUDY: £90m PE-Backed Group Where The First Interim CFO Got The Permanent Seat
How a £90m PE-backed group turned its first interim CFO into the permanent hire, and the conditions that made it work.
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Build the Team, Not Just the Hire: A Finance Leader's Guide to the Next Twelve Months
A practical guide for CFOs and Finance Directors on building a finance function over the next year, not just filling a single vacancy.
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Why PE Portfolio CFOs Now Move In Threes, Not Ones
Portfolio CFOs increasingly arrive with a controller and an FP&A lead. Here is why PE-backed boards now hire finance leadership as a small team.
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The Signs Your Transactional Team Has Outgrown Its Structure
How to spot when your transactional finance team has outgrown its structure, and the practical fixes that free up your week.
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When To Let An FD Run Finance For A Year Instead Of Hiring A CFO
When a strong FD can run finance for a year instead of hiring a CFO, and the signals that tell a board it is time to search properly.
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The Most Under-Hired Finance Role In The Mid-Market Right Now
The Head of FP&A is the most under-hired finance role in the mid-market. Here is why it matters, when to hire, and what good looks like.
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Interim Cover Is Not a Failure: When a Contractor Buys You the Right Permanent Hire
Why bringing in an interim to cover a finance gap protects your standards and buys you time to make the right permanent hire.
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How to Interview a Head of Finance When You Are the Only Finance Person in the Room
A practical guide for CFOs and FDs interviewing a Head of Finance solo, with tests, questions and structure to hire the layer below you well.
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CASE STUDY: £40m Fintech Where The CFO Left After Six Months, And What The Board Learned
A £40m fintech lost its CFO after six months. Here is what went wrong in the hire, and the four lessons the board took into the next search.
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Sequencing Hires as You Scale: What to Add at 20m, 50m and 100m Revenue
How finance leaders should sequence team hires across 20m, 50m and 100m revenue, and which roles actually free up your week at each stage.
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The Interview Question That Separates Operators From Reporters
The one finance leadership interview question that reveals whether a CFO candidate drives the business or just describes it. Advice for hiring boards.
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Why 'Cultural Fit' Ends Up Meaning 'Founder Fit' In 90 Percent Of CFO Hires
Cultural fit in CFO hiring often collapses into founder fit. Here is why that happens, why it costs boards, and how to hire for the business instead.
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Talent Spotlight: London Financial Controllers Who Have Scaled a Team Through Growth
What separates London Financial Controllers who can scale a team through growth, and how to spot them when you hire the layer below you.
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Why The Best Finance Function Redesigns Start With The CFO Job Spec
The strongest finance function redesigns begin with the CFO job spec. Here is why the spec sets the ceiling for every hire, system and process below it.
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CASE STUDY: £45m Consumer Brand Where The Board Ran Two Parallel Searches
How a PE-backed consumer brand ran two CFO searches at once, why it happened, and what the board learned about alignment and cost.
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What Great Chairs Do Differently In A CFO First 60 Days
How the best chairs set up a new CFO to succeed in their first 60 days, from clear mandates to board access and early wins.
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Should Your Financial Controller Be Technical or Commercial? You Cannot Have Both Junior
A senior recruiter's honest take for finance leaders on whether your next Financial Controller should be technical or commercial, and why junior means one.
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Boards That Rehire From The Interim Seat Almost Always Get Burned
Why converting an interim CFO into the permanent hire without a proper search usually backfires, and how boards should test the seat instead.
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The Mid-Year Board Review Question Every CFO Fails On
The mid-year board question that trips up most CFOs is about the forecast they no longer believe. Here is how strong finance leaders answer it.
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CASE STUDY: How a 30m Scale Up Built Its Finance Function From One Hire to Twelve
How one finance leader grew a team from a single hire to twelve as revenue scaled to 30m, with the sequence, timing and lessons behind each role.
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Why a Diverse Finance Team Makes Better Numbers, Not Just Better Optics
A diverse finance team spots errors faster and challenges weak assumptions. Here is how variety in the layer below you improves the numbers.
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CASE STUDY: £150m Manufacturing Business Where The New CFO Redesigned The Team In 30 Days
How a new CFO at a £150m manufacturer restructured the finance function in 30 days, and what the board learned about hiring for change.
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Why Governance-First CFOs Are Now A Distinct Hiring Track
Governance-first CFOs are now a separate hiring track. Learn why boards and PE firms are prioritising control, assurance and reporting discipline in finance leaders.
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Hiring for a Function That Will Double: Build for the Business You Are Becoming
How to hire finance roles for a function set to double, building for the business you are becoming rather than the one you have today.
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Why The Best CFO Hires Start With The Outgoing CFO
The strongest CFO hires begin with a proper handover from the departing finance chief. Here is how boards turn an exit into a better appointment.
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The Most Common Mis-Hire Finance Leaders Make at the Financial Controller Level
The most common Financial Controller mis-hire is picking a technical accountant when your team needs an operator. Here is how to spot it before you offer.
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The Hidden Signal In Every CFO Cover Letter Boards Miss
The strongest signal in a CFO cover letter is not achievement. It is how a candidate frames ownership. Here is what boards routinely overlook.
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CASE STUDY: £180m Distribution Business Where The CFO Rehire Cost More Than The Original Miss
A £180m distributor lost more on rehiring its CFO than on the first bad hire. Here is what went wrong and how the board could have avoided it.
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Why Founders Keep Underestimating What A First CFO Costs In Total
The true cost of a first CFO is rarely the salary. Here is what founders miss on bonus, equity, hiring fees and the cost of a wrong hire.
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The Two Reference Questions That Predict CFO Success Best
The two reference questions that predict CFO success: how they handled bad news, and whether the referee would hire them again in a crisis.
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Head of FP&A vs FP&A Manager: The Difference Is Not Just Seniority
A CFO's practical guide to the real difference between a Head of FP&A and an FP&A Manager, and how to hire the right one for your team.
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The Interim CFO Trap Boards Keep Falling Into
Interim CFOs solve short-term gaps but boards often mistake stability for a permanent solution. Here is how to avoid the trap.
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The Transactional Team Is Not an Afterthought, It Is Your Foundation
Why your transactional finance team underpins reporting, forecasting and your own week, and how to hire and structure it well.
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CASE STUDY: £75m Healthcare Group Where The Board Hired Interim, Then Realised Why
A £75m healthcare group hired an interim CFO to bridge a gap, then discovered what the role actually needed. The lesson for boards and PE operating partners.
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What Good Actually Looks Like in a Financial Controller in 2026
A practical guide for CFOs and Finance Directors on what a strong Financial Controller delivers in 2026, and how to hire and spot one.
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The Two Weeks After A CFO Signs An Offer That Predict Retention
The fortnight after a CFO signs, not the first 90 days, predicts whether they stay. Here is what board members and CEOs should do in that window.
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How to Structure a Transactional Finance Team That Scales Past 100m Revenue
A practical guide for CFOs and FDs on structuring a transactional finance team that scales cleanly past 100m revenue without adding headcount blindly.
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CASE STUDY: £65m SaaS Group Where The Internal FD Beat Four External CFOs
How an internal FD outperformed four external CFO candidates at a £65m SaaS group, and what the board learned about promoting from within.
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CASE STUDY: How a 45m Turnover SaaS Business Sequenced Its First Three Finance Hires
How a 45m SaaS finance leader sequenced their first three hires: Financial Controller, FP&A Manager, then Financial Accountant. A practical case study.
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The Boardroom Question That Reveals A CFO's Real Strategic Depth
The one question that separates a strategic CFO from a capable accountant. What to ask, why it works, and how to read the answer.
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Why Your Head of FP&A Should Not Report Into Your Financial Controller
Your Head of FP&A and your Financial Controller do different jobs. Making one report to the other quietly weakens both. Here is why, and what to do.
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The New CFO Search Timeline That Actually Works
A realistic CFO search runs 12 to 16 weeks from brief to signed offer. Here is the timeline that works, and where most boards lose momentum.
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Why Boards Now Interview For The Second CFO Hire, Not The First
Smart boards hire a CFO who can survive their own succession. Here is why the second-hire lens produces better first appointments.
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When To Add A Head Of FP&A, And What Changes When You Do
When to add a Head of FP&A to your finance team, the signals that say it's time, and what shifts in your week once the role lands.
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When to Hire a Financial Controller and When You Actually Need a Head of Finance
A practical guide for CFOs and FDs on choosing between a Financial Controller and a Head of Finance, with clear signals for each hire.
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The Finance Hire That Gives A CFO Their Week Back
The right number two frees a CFO from month-end firefighting. Here is the hire that gives you your week back, and how to get it right.
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What UK Finance Leaders Actually Earn in 2026
Live median pay for CFOs, Finance Directors and Finance Managers in the UK, drawn from verified submissions to our live UK finance pay benchmark.
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How To Hire A Financial Controller Who Takes Work Off Your Plate
A finance leader's guide to hiring a Financial Controller who owns the close, runs the team, and genuinely frees up your week.
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FC Or Head Of Finance? Which Your Function Actually Needs Next
A practical guide for CFOs and FDs deciding whether to hire a Financial Controller or a Head of Finance for the layer below them.
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CASE STUDY: £120m PE-Backed Services Group Where The Chair Reversed A CFO Decision
How a chair overturned a CFO's call at a £120m PE-backed services group, why it happened, and what boards should learn about authority and hiring.
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Why £30m Businesses Now Need To Hire The CFO 12 Months Earlier
Mid-market and PE-backed firms are hiring CFOs a year sooner. Here is why the timing has shifted and what it means for your board and hiring plan.
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The Investor Meeting Style That Kills Second-Time CFO Applications
Why the presentation habits that impressed one board can sink a second-time CFO's next application, and what hiring boards actually watch for.
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