Category: CFO

What does strategic leadership actually look like at CFO level — and how is it different from running a finance function well? The Chief Financial Officer role in the UK has changed more in the last decade than in the three decades before it. Traditional …

By Adrian Lawrence FCA — Founder, FD Capital | Fellow of the ICAEW The businesses that come through crisis well almost always share the same trait: they had a CFO who had been in crisis before, and who acted early rather than reactively. The CFOs …

By Adrian Lawrence FCA — Founder, FD Capital | Fellow of the ICAEW Scaling breaks businesses more often than starting them does. The transition from £1m revenue to £10m, or £10m to £50m, is where most commercial ambitions either compound into durable success or unravel …

By Adrian Lawrence FCA — Founder, FD Capital | Fellow of the ICAEW The question we hear most often from UK business owners: “Does my business actually need a fractional CFO yet?” It is the right question, and the honest answer is that for many …

The Fractional CFO’s Role in PE Exits & Due Diligence By Adrian Lawrence FCA — Founder, FD Capital | Fellow of the ICAEW The 12 months before a PE exit compress the work of a hold period into a final sprint. Vendor due diligence providers …

The CFO’s Role in Fundraising & Investor Relations By Adrian Lawrence FCA — Founder, FD Capital | Fellow of the ICAEW Fundraising is the highest-leverage activity a CFO manages. A round closed at a strong valuation compounds across every future decision the business makes — …

The CFO’s Playbook for PE-Backed Businesses By Adrian Lawrence FCA — Founder, FD Capital | Fellow of the ICAEW Operating as a CFO in a PE-backed business is a specific role, not a generic one. The reporting cadence is faster, the board scrutiny is higher, …

Fractional CFO: Value Creation for PE Portfolio Companies By Adrian Lawrence FCA — Founder, FD Capital | Fellow of the ICAEW Value creation in private equity has changed. The leverage-driven returns of the 1990s and 2000s no longer clear the bar. Fund LPs expect operational …