The Flagship Engagement
This is the big one. The programme that turns a finance function from a cost centre into a real value driver. Over 3-6 months, I rebuild your finance operations to the standard PE sponsors expect: fast close cycles, reliable reporting, robust controls, and a team that can run it all without me.
This isn't consulting. I sit inside your finance function as Interim CFO, I own the outcomes, and I build the machine. When I leave, it keeps running.
What I Build
Close Cycle Optimisation
Target: sub-5-day month-end close. I map every task in your close process, identify dependencies, eliminate redundant reconciliations, shift pre-close activities forward, parallelise the critical path, and implement a close cockpit for real-time tracking. The close is the heartbeat of your finance function. When it works, everything else follows. When it doesn't, everything else suffers.
Consolidated Reporting
Board packs that arrive on time, tell a clear story, and answer the questions PE sponsors are actually asking. I design reporting frameworks that connect operational metrics to financial performance, build KPI dashboards, and establish a reporting cadence that keeps the board informed without burying the finance team. Nobody needs a 60-page pack that everyone nods at and nobody reads.
Controls Framework
Controls that are robust enough to survive due diligence but practical enough that people actually follow them. That balance matters. I've seen beautiful control frameworks that everyone quietly works around because they were designed for a FTSE 100, not a mid-market company. Segregation of duties, approval matrices, reconciliation schedules, and audit trails, all designed for who you actually are.
Governance & Compliance
Board governance structures, committee frameworks, risk management processes, and regulatory compliance. Everything a PE sponsor needs to see when they're preparing for exit. Nothing they don't.
Team Operating Model
The right structure, the right roles, the right skills. I assess your current team, design the target operating model, fill capability gaps (either through development or recruitment), and build the processes that let a permanent CFO hit the ground running after I leave. The goal is always that I leave. A good interim builds themselves out of a job.
The 5-Phase Methodology
Every transformation follows my proven five-phase framework, adapted to your specific starting point:
Phase 1: Diagnose (Weeks 1-3) — Finance function diagnostic, scorecard, gap analysis, and prioritised roadmap. If you've already completed a standalone diagnostic, we skip straight to Phase 2.
Phase 2: Build (Weeks 4-10) — Chart of accounts redesign, close process architecture, controls framework, reporting templates, KPI dashboards, and team operating model design.
Phase 3: Accelerate (Weeks 11-16) — Month-end close optimisation, pre-close task shifting, parallel workflows, automation layer, and close cockpit implementation.
Phase 4: Future-Proof (Weeks 14-20) — Technology stack evaluation, AI enablement roadmap, data foundation work, EU AI Act governance, and team upskilling.
Phase 5: Exit-Ready (Weeks 18-24) — Vendor due diligence preparation, data room finance section, management presentation, exit narrative, and transition readiness.
A Typical 90-Day Timeline
Days 1-30: Foundation
- Complete diagnostic (or validate existing findings)
- Quick wins implemented — you'll see changes from Week 2
- Chart of accounts redesign initiated
- Close process mapped and first optimisations live
- Team assessment complete, operating model drafted
Days 31-60: Build
- New close process fully operational
- Reporting framework live and delivering first board pack
- Controls framework implemented
- KPI dashboards operational
- Team restructuring underway (if needed)
Days 61-90: Accelerate
- Sub-5-day close achieved (or clear trajectory)
- Full reporting suite operational
- Controls tested and embedded
- AI readiness assessment complete
- Transition plan drafted for permanent CFO
Proof Points
The numbers speak for themselves:
- 75% close reduction — 20-day close to 5 days at a professional services consultancy
- 70% efficiency increase — post-acquisition finance integration at a global corporation
- 40% fewer manual journals — through process redesign and automation
- Board pack within 10 business days — consistently, every month
The Investment Case
My engagement costs less than a bad permanent CFO hire — and starts next week.
Compare that to:
- A permanent CFO hire that doesn't work out: £150K+ salary, 6-month notice period, recruitment fees, lost time
- A Big 4 advisory engagement: £200K+ for recommendations (not implementation)
- The cost of a failed exit due to finance function weaknesses: pick a number, then double it
You get an experienced operator who builds, implements, and delivers. Not someone who writes a report, presents it beautifully, and leaves you to figure out the hard part.
Ready to transform your finance function? Get in touch to discuss your situation and whether the full transformation programme is the right approach.