How quickly can a fractional CFO start working with a PE portfolio company?

Typically within one to two weeks. The first month focuses on understanding the current state of reporting, meeting key stakeholders and delivering a gap analysis with a remediation plan.

What does a fractional CFO cost compared to a full-time CFO hire?

A fractional CFO typically costs £1,500–£5,000 per month depending on scope and complexity, compared to £120,000–£180,000+ for a full-time CFO including employer costs.

Can a fractional CFO handle covenant compliance and lender reporting?

Yes. Covenant monitoring, lender reporting and compliance are core deliverables. This includes building covenant trackers, preparing lender packs and managing relationships with debt providers.

How does a fractional CFO work alongside an existing finance team?

The fractional CFO provides senior leadership and strategic direction to the existing team. They set reporting standards, review output quality, mentor junior staff and bridge the gap between finance and the board.

For PE portfolio companies

Your investors expect CFO-level reporting. Yesterday.

Board packs, covenant compliance, cash flow visibility and investor confidence — without a six-month recruitment process.

Book a confidential call → 30-minute diagnostic. NDA available if required.

The challenge

Post-deal reality for portfolio companies

PE investment brings capital, ambition and accountability. But the finance function often hasn't caught up.

Reporting gaps

Monthly management accounts are late, inconsistent or lack the commentary investors need to understand performance.

No senior finance leader

The bookkeeper or FC who served the business pre-deal doesn't have the experience to operate at board level.

Cash flow blind spots

Working capital isn't modelled. Covenant headroom isn't tracked. Cash surprises undermine investor confidence.

Integration backlogs

Post-acquisition entities aren't consolidated. Chart of accounts are misaligned. Nobody owns the transition.

Recruitment is too slow

A full-time CFO hire takes 3–6 months. Your reporting deadline to the board is in 3 weeks.

Ops team stretched thin

The PE ops team is juggling 10+ portfolio companies and needs each one to be self-sufficient on finance.

What we deliver

Board-ready finance from week one

Everything your investors expect, delivered by someone who's sat in their seat.

📊

Board packs & investor reporting

Monthly management accounts with variance analysis, KPI dashboards and narrative commentary. Quarterly board packs that tell the story your investors need to hear.

💰

Cash flow & covenant management

Rolling 13-week cash flow forecasts. Covenant compliance tracking and reporting. Lender relationship management and early warning systems.

📈

Budgeting & forecasting

Annual budgets, rolling forecasts and scenario modelling. Bottom-up P&L builds and sensitivity analysis for board approval.

🔗

Post-acquisition integration

Acquisition accounting, chart of accounts alignment, team transitions and consolidated reporting across multiple entities.

👥

Finance team leadership

Mentoring and directing your existing finance team. Setting standards, reviewing output and bridging the gap between operations and the board.

🔍

Due diligence support

Financial due diligence on bolt-on acquisitions. Vendor-side preparation for exit. Data room management and adviser coordination.

Track record

PE-backed experience across sectors

We've operated as senior finance leader inside PE-backed businesses, not just advised from the outside.

International Media Group

Fractional FD → Global Head of Finance

Built and scaled the entire finance function from start-up to $25m turnover and an $80m balance sheet in four years. Multi-entity, multi-currency group across the UK, US and Netherlands.

$25m Group turnover

$80m Balance sheet

10 Entities

3 Countries

Property & Innovation Hub

Interim Head of Finance

Head of Finance for a PE-backed property and operating company. Managed lender relationships, covenant reporting, new financing and investment cases for a £100m+ portfolio.

£100m+ Portfolio value

400k Sqft flagship

40+ Portfolio cos

How we engage

Operational from day one

Not a consulting engagement. We embed inside the business and own the output.

Diagnostic & scoping

30-minute call to understand the current state: reporting maturity, team structure, investor expectations and immediate priorities.

Week 0

Gap analysis & 90-day plan

Full review of the finance function. Deliver a clear remediation plan with prioritised actions, quick wins and a reporting roadmap.

Weeks 1–2

Embed & deliver

Take ownership of reporting, cash flow, forecasting and board communications. Work directly with your team and report to the CEO or PE ops partner.

Month 1 onwards

Transition or retain

Continue on a fractional basis long-term, or transition to a permanent hire once the function is stable and the role is clearly defined.

Flexible

Why fractional

Fractional CFO vs. full-time hire

For portfolio companies that need senior finance leadership now, not in six months.

	Fractional CFO	Full-time hire
Time to start	1–2 weeks	3–6 months
Annual cost	£18k–£60k	£150k–£250k
PE reporting experience	✓	Varies
Board-level communication	✓	✓
Flexible commitment	✓	✗
No recruitment risk	✓	✗
Multi-sector pattern recognition	✓	✗

FAQs

Common questions from PE ops teams

How quickly can you start?

Typically within 1–2 weeks of agreeing scope. We understand that PE timelines don't wait for recruitment processes.

What does a typical engagement look like?

Usually 1–2 days per week on a rolling monthly basis. Some engagements start more intensively (3–4 days/week) during the initial setup phase, then step down. We're flexible and adapt to the portfolio company's needs.

Can you handle covenant compliance and lender reporting?

Yes — it's a core part of what we do. We build covenant trackers, prepare lender packs, manage banking relationships and provide early warning when headroom tightens.

How do you work with an existing finance team?

We provide senior leadership and strategic direction. We set reporting standards, review output quality, mentor junior staff and ensure the finance function is aligned with investor expectations. We elevate the team, not replace them.

What if we need to hire a permanent CFO eventually?

That's often the plan, and we support it. We stabilise the function, define the permanent role clearly and can help with the handover. Some clients keep us on a reduced basis alongside a permanent hire for strategic projects.

Do you work with the PE ops team directly?

Absolutely. We report to whoever makes sense — the portfolio company CEO, the PE ops partner or both. We're comfortable operating at that level and understand what the PE house needs to see.