Your business is making financial decisions it cannot fully see — a fractional CFO changes that within 30 days.
Growing businesses reach a point where financial complexity outpaces internal capability. Management accounts arrive late. Cash flow forecasts are unreliable. Investors ask questions the finance function cannot answer with confidence. The board makes strategic decisions with incomplete financial information — and the CEO spends more time firefighting financial uncertainty than leading the business.The problem is rarely the quality of the people involved. It is the absence of senior financial leadership: someone who has built financial infrastructure in comparable businesses before, who knows what investor-grade reporting looks like, who can challenge the numbers with the authority of a CFO and the commercial instincts of a business builder.A fractional CFO from Leadership Services fills that gap within a week. No recruitment process, no notice period, no six-month onboarding. Your director takes full ownership of the financial function — board reporting, cash management, investor relations, controls — and delivers the financial clarity your business needs to grow with confidence. This is not consultancy. Your fractional CFO is accountable for outcomes, sits at your leadership table, and drives results.
Every fractional CFO engagement begins with a 90-day impact sprint. In the first three months, your director establishes financial clarity, fixes the foundations, and demonstrates measurable improvement — so you know the investment is working before any long-term commitment is made.
Financial landscape assessment: review of management accounts, cash flow position, controls framework, and board reporting quality. Identification of the three highest-priority financial risks and quick wins. First board-level financial update delivered by your fractional CFO — with clear, accurate, actionable insight.
Controls improvement and reporting upgrade: management accounts restructured to board standard, cash flow forecasting rebuilt for accuracy, and key financial controls implemented or strengthened. Investor or lender briefing materials updated to reflect current financial position with clarity and confidence.
Strategic financial direction established: 12-month financial plan aligned to business strategy, fundraising roadmap defined if relevant, and KPI dashboard operational at board level. The financial function is no longer reactive — it is a forward-looking strategic asset that gives the CEO and board genuine decision-making confidence.
Within 90 days, your business will have board-quality financial reporting, a reliable cash flow forecast, and a CFO who understands your numbers as well as you do — and can present them to any investor, board member, or acquirer with confidence.
A clear, board-aligned financial strategy covering capital allocation, growth funding, profitability improvement, and long-term planning. Your fractional CFO translates business goals into a financial roadmap that gives the CEO, board, and investors the confidence and clarity to make high-stakes commercial decisions with precision.
End-to-end support for equity and debt fundraising, including financial modelling for investor decks, due diligence preparation, data room management, term sheet negotiation, and ongoing post-investment reporting. Your fractional CFO becomes the primary financial interface between your business and its investors or lenders.
Timely, accurate board packs, management accounts, and KPI dashboards that give your leadership team genuine financial visibility. Your fractional CFO presents directly at board level, ensuring financial information is correctly interpreted and used to inform strategic decisions rather than simply recorded and filed.
Active management of cash flow forecasting, working capital cycles, and treasury position. Identifies liquidity risks before they become crises, optimises debtor and creditor terms, and ensures the business always has a clear, accurate, forward-looking view of its cash requirements and available headroom.
Establish or strengthen internal financial controls, audit readiness, and compliance frameworks appropriate to your stage and sector. Reduces financial risk, improves reporting accuracy, ensures regulatory obligations are met, and positions the business correctly for growth investment, due diligence, or a future exit process.
Expert guidance through acquisitions, disposals, and exit planning. Your fractional CFO leads financial due diligence, build-up and valuation modelling, vendor negotiations, and closing mechanics — ensuring you realise the maximum achievable value from every significant commercial transaction the business undertakes.
Leadership Services
per month — no recruitment fees, no long-term contracts
Full-Time Hire
per year plus benefits, recruitment fees, and on-costs
A fractional CFO provides board-level financial leadership on a part-time basis. Their responsibilities include financial strategy, investor relations, board reporting, cash flow management, financial controls, and M&A support. Unlike a management accountant or bookkeeper, a fractional CFO operates at the strategic level — advising the CEO, presenting to the board, and making decisions that directly influence how the business grows, funds itself, and manages risk.
A fractional CFO from Leadership Services starts from £1,500 per month, with engagements typically ranging from £1,500 to £6,000 per month depending on the number of days required and the complexity of your financial needs. This compares to a full-time Finance Director or CFO salary of £130,000 to £200,000 per year in the UK, plus employer on-costs, benefits, and recruitment fees — making the fractional model significantly more cost-effective for most SMEs.
The terms are often used interchangeably in the UK market, and the roles overlap significantly at SME level. A Finance Director traditionally focuses on financial operations, reporting, and compliance, while a CFO is typically a board-level role emphasising financial strategy, capital markets, and investor relations. Leadership Services provides fractional professionals who operate at both levels, bringing CFO-quality strategic thinking combined with hands-on finance director capability.
Most engagements begin within two to four weeks of an initial conversation. There is no lengthy recruitment process, no notice period to wait out, and no onboarding delays. Once we understand your business context, growth stage, and priorities, we match you with a fractional CFO from our network whose sector experience and technical background are directly relevant to your situation. Many clients have their fractional CFO attending their first board meeting within the first month.
For most UK SMEs with turnover up to £50 million, a fractional CFO provides everything they need. A full-time CFO is typically only justified when the business has highly complex multi-entity structures, requires daily on-site financial leadership, or is preparing for a major public market transaction. Until then, a fractional model delivers the same strategic expertise, board credibility, and financial oversight — with the flexibility to scale the engagement as your business grows.
Our fractional CFOs and part-time finance directors have sector experience spanning professional services, technology, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, education, and not-for-profit organisations. We match each client with a director whose sector background, regulatory knowledge, and growth-stage experience are directly relevant to your business — ensuring they can make an immediate and commercially meaningful contribution to your financial strategy from day one.
Book a free, no-obligation discovery call. We’ll match you with the right director within 5 business days.
