Interim CFO Services 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.

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Do You Need to Hire an Interim CFO?






    Get Started:

    1. Fill in the form with your contact details and a brief description of your need for an interim chief financial officer.
    2. 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.
    3. We’ll return with a cost proposal to engage an experienced temporary CFO.

    Christoffer Nielsen

    Phone: (737) 232-0838

    Day to day, I work with business valuation and transaction advisory. I’m experienced in the actions that increase value.

    Christoffer Nielsen

    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 Interim CFO Services?

    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.

    Stabilizing a Growing Company with an Interim CFO

    Coworker in need of the direction from an interim CFO.

    The term interim CFO is often used synonymously and interchangably with fractional CFO, despite the difference.

    A fractional CFO is generally the right definition when the company previously has not had a CFO or any C-suite other than the CEO/owner.

    An interim CFO is generally the right definition, when the company has a CFO previously, but said person is on parental leave or incapacitated or leaves abruptly or similar.

    An interim CFO generally does the same thing as the regular CFO, unlike the fractional CFO that is more tasked with building financial discipline.

    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 Interim CFO Services Can Work in Practice

    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 of our services 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.

    Strategic, Operational, or Somewhere in Between?

    When defining the ideal Chief Financial Officer (CFO) profile, it’s helpful to distinguish between operational responsibilities and strategic leadership—and how that balance shifts with company size.

    1A — Operational CFO (Mid to Large Company)

    In a mid-sized or larger organization, an operational CFO typically functions as the senior leader overseeing the finance and accounting function. This version of the role is hands-on with:

    • Managing controllers, accountants, and bookkeeping teams
    • Coordinating audits and liaising with external CPAs
    • Ensuring accurate reporting, compliance, and internal controls

    This CFO is still senior, but heavily rooted in the mechanics of financial operations.

    1B — Operational CFO (Small to Mid-Sized Company)

    In a smaller company—especially where there is only one in-house bookkeeper or where accounting is outsourced—an operational CFO often wears many hats. They may:

    • Oversee or directly manage bookkeeping and monthly closes
    • Implement financial systems and processes
    • Ensure tax, compliance, and reporting are handled correctly

    Here, “CFO” often means a blend of strategist and doer, with strong involvement in day-to-day financial tasks.

    2A — Strategic CFO (Mid to Large Company)

    A strategic CFO in a mid to large company is less involved in transactional work and more focused on shaping the company’s financial future. Typical areas include:

    • Financial planning, forecasting, and scenario modeling
    • Capital structure, fundraising, and managing relationships with banks and investors
    • Supporting M&A activity and long-term growth initiatives

    This role is clearly positioned on the strategic side of the spectrum.

    2B — Strategic CFO (Small to Mid-Sized Company)

    For smaller organizations, a strategic CFO still brings that higher-level focus, but adapts it to a more hands-on environment. Key responsibilities often include:

    • Improving the quality and credibility of financials (e.g., moving from basic or unaudited reports to robust, audit-ready statements)
    • Tightening working capital management, cash flow, and inventory control
    • Building reliable reporting to support the owner and leadership team
    • Partnering closely with the CEO on key financial decisions

    In this context, the CFO helps professionalize the finance function, reduce risk, and support valuation growth—without losing touch with the operational realities of the business.

    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.

    Hire Us

    Frequently Asked Questions

    An interim CFO is a seasoned finance leader brought in temporarily to guide a company during a transition, crisis, or change in leadership. They ensure financial stability, oversee critical decisions, and maintain operational continuity while the organization searches for a long-term solution or navigates a high-pressure situation.

    You can fill the following functions temporarily with our interim CFO services:

    • Chief Financial Officer
    • Interim Group CFO or Group Finance Director
    • Interim Head of Finance / Finance Manager
    • Interim Head of Controlling or Finance Transformation Lead

    For companies needing fast, high-caliber financial leadership, Oak CEO provides top-tier interim CFO services. Our executives bring deep experience in finance, valuation, and turnaround management, stepping in quickly to stabilize operations, strengthen reporting, and drive value creation. With a hands-on, outcome-focused approach, Oak CEO delivers the leadership needed to guide your business through transition with confidence.

    We combine hands-on experience in finance functions with deep value-creation expertise. Our background in business valuation, turnarounds, exit preparation, and mergers & acquisitions in Texas and other locations in the US, Sweden, and Norway, enables us to set the right priorities quickly.

    • During an urgent vacancy in the finance function
    • Before a sale, due diligence, or succession
    • For a turnaround, financing need, or transformation program
    • When the company scales and needs better reporting and control

    At Oak CEO, we place great emphasis on the value-enhancing aspects of the role, creating control, profitability, and predictability.

    We work across virtually all industries but always with privately held companies, often family-owned.

    We primarily work with owner-managed companies with $1.5–30 million in revenue, but we can also take on engagements outside that range for strategic needs. However, we do not work with small retail shops, restaurants, venture-capital firms, tech startups, or publicly listed companies.

    Start by identifying the specific financial challenges you need to address, such as stabilizing cash flow, improving reporting, navigating a crisis, or preparing for a sale. Look for an interim CFO with proven experience in similar situations and the ability to step in quickly. Once you select a candidate, align on scope, authority, timelines, and reporting expectations to ensure fast, effective impact during the transition period.

    Hire an interim CFO when your business faces a financial leadership gap, major transition, or urgent situation that requires immediate senior expertise. They are especially valuable during CFO departures, turnarounds, cash-flow crises, restructurings, or when preparing for an audit, sale, or investment. An interim CFO provides fast, stabilizing leadership to keep the company on track while long-term plans are put in place.

    An interim CFO strengthens financial health by stabilizing cash flow, tightening budgets, improving forecasting, and upgrading financial reporting. They quickly identify inefficiencies, implement cost controls, and enhance financial discipline across the organization. In high-pressure situations, they provide the strategic guidance needed to protect liquidity, restore confidence, and put the company on a more sustainable financial path.

    An interim CFO typically costs $10,000 to $30,000 per month, depending on experience, the complexity of the situation, and whether the engagement is full-time or part-time. Daily or hourly rates generally range from $150 to $400 per hour, with higher rates for urgent turnarounds or M&A-related work.

    Interim CFO engagements typically last 3 to 9 months, depending on the company’s needs and the complexity of the situation. Some assignments are shorter, focused on immediate stabilization, while others extend longer to support transitions, turnarounds, or major strategic initiatives until a permanent CFO is hired.

    A permanent CFO is responsible for the finance function over a longer period, whereas an interim professional—who can be engaged on a time-limited assignment—steps in quickly to stabilize, implement, or develop critical changes. With an interim solution, the focus is often on value-enhancing improvements and transparency, while a permanent CFO carries the long-term operational responsibility.