Hire a CFO
A fractional or interim CFO, vetted against your mandate.
Where the work is better served by someone other than me, it goes to the bench: senior finance people I have assessed personally. You get the same standard of scoping, and I stay accountable for the placement.
How vetting works
Qualification and record
Qualified, with a verified history of running a finance function rather than a part of one.
A working interview
A real problem from a real engagement, reviewed by me. Technical depth is assumed; judgement is what is being tested.
Reference in the market
References taken from founders and boards they have actually reported to.
Fit against the mandate
Sector, stage, systems and temperament. A strong CFO in the wrong company is still the wrong answer.
How engagements are structured
A written mandate first: what the CFO owns, who they report to, the days a week, and the outcome the engagement is judged on. Contracting runs through PIR Partners, so you hold one relationship rather than several. Either side can end it on notice, and the mandate is reviewed quarterly.
How fast a placement happens
A shortlist within a week of the mandate being agreed, where the bench holds a fit. Interviews in the following week. Most placements start within three to four weeks; interim cover can move faster where the situation demands it.
Where nobody on the bench fits, I will say so rather than send an approximation.
Tell me about the mandate
A short conversation is enough to establish whether the bench holds the right person, or whether this is work I should do myself.