The two weeks after a CFO signs your offer predict retention more reliably than the first 90 days on the job. In that fortnight the new hire is still emotionally reachable, still deciding whether they made the right call, and still fielding calls from their old employer and other recruiters.
Most boards treat the signed offer as the finish line. It is closer to the starting line. The gap between signing and day one is where quiet doubt grows, counteroffers land, and a candidate you fought for slips away before they ever walk through the door.
Why does the signing-to-start window matter so much?
A senior finance leader who has just signed is at their most exposed. They have committed on paper but not yet burned any bridges. Their current employer has usually just realised they are losing someone senior, and the retention machine kicks in.
Counteroffers at CFO and FD level are rarely about money alone. They are about being made to feel indispensable, being offered the board seat or the equity that was withheld for years, and being told the problems that pushed them out are about to be fixed.
The first fortnight is when all of that pressure peaks. If the new employer goes quiet during this period, the candidate fills the silence with second thoughts.
What actually causes a signed CFO to renege?
In our experience three things dominate.
The first is silence. The candidate signs, the process team disappears, and for ten days nobody makes contact. That vacuum reads as indifference.
The second is a mismatch between the interview and the aftermath. During the process the CEO was warm and available. After signing they hand the candidate to HR for admin and vanish. The person who sold the vision has left the conversation.
The third is the counteroffer that reframes the risk. A comfortable, well-paid CFO is being asked to leave certainty for a business they have known for six weeks. When the old employer offers more money and a fixed problem, the safe choice suddenly looks like staying.
What should a CEO do in the first fortnight?
Stay personally present. The CEO who closed the candidate should be the one who keeps closing them. A short call in the first 48 hours, a coffee before day one, and a genuine introduction to one or two board members do more than any onboarding pack.
Give them something real to think about. Share the board deck they will inherit, the current cash position, the three issues they will own first. A serious finance leader wants to start solving. Handing them the problem early makes the move feel concrete rather than abstract.
Introduce them to their future team before day one. A short informal call with the financial controller or the head of FP and A turns an unknown organisation into people with names. It is much harder to renege on people you have already met.
Name the counteroffer risk directly. Ask the candidate what their current employer is likely to do and talk it through openly. Candidates rarely volunteer that they are wobbling, but they will engage honestly if you raise it first without pressure.
How does a good recruiter manage this period?
A good search partner does not close the file at signing. We stay in weekly contact through the notice period, flag counteroffer risk early, and keep both sides informed so neither drifts.
We also prepare the candidate for the counteroffer before it arrives. When someone knows the flattery is coming and has already decided how they will respond, the counteroffer loses most of its force. The dangerous counteroffer is the one that catches an unprepared person by surprise.
This is one of the reasons the handling of the notice period matters as much as the search itself. If you are weighing up how a boutique manages the whole process rather than just the shortlist, that is worth a conversation with Harper May.
What are the warning signs a new CFO is drifting?
Watch for slower replies. A candidate who answered within the hour during the process and now takes two days is telling you something.
Watch for softened language. "Looking forward to getting started" becomes "still working through a few things at this end." That shift usually means the old employer is talking.
Watch for a sudden request to push the start date. Occasionally that is genuine handover. Often it is a candidate buying time while they reconsider.
None of these mean you have lost them. They mean it is time for the CEO to pick up the phone, not the offer letter.
Does this shape how the whole hire performs?
Yes. A CFO who arrives feeling wanted, briefed and connected starts faster and trusts the board sooner. A CFO who arrives after two weeks of silence starts guarded, and that caution can take a year to unwind.
The fortnight after signing is not admin. It is the first test of the working relationship, and both sides are watching. If you want to see the kind of finance leaders who reward this attention, our current finance leadership roles reflect the level we place.
Common questions
How soon after signing should the CEO make contact?
Within 48 hours. A short, warm, personal call before any HR paperwork sets the tone and signals that the relationship, not just the hire, matters.
Are counteroffers really that common at CFO level?
Yes. Losing a finance leader is disruptive and expensive, so most employers try to retain them. Assume a counteroffer is coming and prepare the candidate for it rather than hoping it does not appear.
Should the recruiter stay involved after the offer is signed?
Absolutely. The notice period is where good candidates are lost. A search partner who stays in contact through those weeks protects the placement you both worked to secure.
