Interim CFO Focused on Financial Governance, Cash Flow, and Value Creation
An Interim CFO (Chief Financial Officer) from Oak CEO supports you when you need to stabilize the finance function, secure liquidity, or prepare the company for transactions such as a sale, merger, or new financing.
Do You Need to Hire an Interim CFO?
How It Works:
- Fill in the form with your contact details and a brief description of your need for an interim chief financial officer.
- Our specialist, Christoffer Nielsen, will contact you within 24 hours on business days. You can elaborate on what support you want in the finance function.
- We’ll return with a cost proposal to engage an experienced temporary CFO.
Christoffer Nielsen
Phone: 076 3043437
Day to day, I work with business valuation and transaction advisory. I’m experienced in the actions that increase value.
Interim CFO – What Is It?
An interim CFO (Chief Financial Officer), also called a temporary CFO or acting CFO, is an experienced senior financial leader who steps into the organization on a short-term basis when the business requires stronger financial governance. Unlike a permanent hire, an interim CFO is brought in to quickly stabilize, lead, and improve the finance function during periods of transition, uncertainty, or accelerated growth.
They typically provide hands-on leadership in areas such as cash-flow management, reporting, fundraising, restructuring, or preparing the company for strategic events like mergers, acquisitions, or ownership changes. By combining deep financial expertise with an outsider’s perspective, an interim CFO can identify critical issues, implement best practices, and deliver measurable results within a limited timeframe—helping the company regain stability and increase long-term value.
Interim CFO vs. Fractional CFO – What’s the Difference?
An interim CFO steps in full-time but on a temporary basis, often during transitions like leadership gaps, turnarounds, or major transactions. They provide hands-on leadership to stabilize the finance function and deliver rapid results. A fractional CFO offers the same senior expertise but on a part-time schedule. Perfect for companies that need professional financial guidance without a full-time hire. They typically focus on improving reporting, securing funding, and supporting growth over time.
When Do You Need an Interim CFO?
The need typically arises for two reasons: urgent financial situations and planned initiatives.
1. Urgent Needs
When cash flow wobbles or the CFO departs on short notice, swift action is essential. A short-term CFO can immediately:
- Stabilize liquidity and produce a 13-week cash-flow forecast
- Rebuild confidence with the bank, board, and auditor
- Lead cost programs and implement clear financial governance during a crisis or turnaround
In these situations, an interim leader serves as a steady financial head who quickly sets structure, prioritizes the right actions, and frees up room to maneuver.
2. Strategic Decisions
In other cases, an interim solution is a deliberate choice to increase company value. Examples include:
- Preparation for a sale, due diligence, or IPO readiness
- Ownership transition or succession where the finance function must be professionalized
- A growth journey requiring a budgeting process, KPIs, and data-driven follow-up
- Post-acquisition integration focused on reporting, cash management, and synergies
Here, the acting CFO becomes a catalyst who creates transparency, a clear financial plan, and better decision support—making the company more attractive to investors and buyers.
Oak CEO focuses on the strategic side of the CFO role—driving company development, financial governance, and value-enhancing actions. While some interim CFOs work mainly on operational accounting, we emphasize creating long-term value and preparing the company for the next step.
How an Interim CFO from Oak CEO Increases the Value of Your Business
Financial Leadership Focused on Value Creation
With a background in business valuation and M&A, our interim CFO works closely with the leadership team to implement measures that increase profitability and cash flow. This may include improving working capital, establishing clear routines, sharpening reporting, or preparing the company for a change of ownership.
When the company faces change, turnaround, or even crisis, clear financial governance is needed. An interim consultant can step in quickly, establish control, and, together with management, lead the business from uncertainty to improved profitability. The goal is stability, predictability, and a plan that holds.
This often involves prioritization and sometimes tough decisions: streamlining the product mix, cost savings, price increases, or renegotiations. With a focus on key metrics and structure, the foundation for a sustainable turnaround is laid.
Examples of How an Interim CFO Can Work
We can provide a temporary chief financial officer in many situations. Imagine a mid-sized company heading toward an exit. Oak CEO appoints an Interim CFO who, over six months, will:
- Improve cash flow through tight working-capital management (inventory, receivables, supplier terms)
- Digitize finance processes and implement a monthly close with clear reporting
- Introduce SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for accounting, approvals, and follow-up
- Increase profit via pricing, cost discipline, and a better product mix
- Ensure orderly books and documentation ahead of due diligence
The result is a robust finance function, increased confidence among external stakeholders—and a higher valuation at sale. Our support doesn’t stop at the CFO role. Working closely together, we also offer an interim CEO and an interim M&A manager.
How to Set the Mandate for an Interim CFO
For a successful engagement, the mandate for your interim chief financial officer must be clearly defined from the start. Should the CFO have authority to sign contracts, approve investments, or renegotiate credit lines? Ambiguity erodes authority and risks slowing down the work.
Many things are usually self-evident, but the following points are worth clarifying:
- Should the interim CFO be able to recruit, reassign, or phase out resources in the finance team?
- Mandate to renegotiate banking terms, leases, major supplier agreements, and pricing models?
- Monetary limits for investments, purchases, and approvals, as well as parameters for external reporting?
With clear guardrails, owners and the interim professional can work effectively toward the same goals, strengthening control, increasing profitability, and elevating value.
Hire Us as Your Interim CFO
Oak CEO is your experienced interim chief financial officer who creates control and value in your finance function – reliably, quickly, and with a clear focus. Contact us to discuss the approach and timeline.
