Market report
What boards now expect from a first-time CFO
8 min read
We asked 62 chairs what changed in the last three years. The answers say a lot about who gets the job now.
We asked 62 chairs what changed in the last three years. The answers say a lot about who gets the job now.
The technical bar has not moved. Everything around it has.
Reporting, controls and audit experience remain the entry ticket. Boards also need someone who can explain a difficult quarter plainly, assess a funding decision and challenge an investment case. Build these expectations into the brief before the market map begins.
Deputy CFOs deserve a serious look.
A deputy or divisional CFO may bring experience at a scale the business is about to reach. Explore which decisions they owned personally and where they relied on the group team. Discuss the support they will need through a first board cycle.
A practical next step
Before starting your next appointment, agree the outcomes, the evidence you will assess and the support the new leader will need. Bring those decisions into the first conversation with your search partner.
WRITTEN BY
Maya Okafor
Maya spent eleven years in finance leadership before she ever ran a search.
Further reading
Hiring guide
How to write a search brief that attracts the right people
5 min read
A useful brief makes the hard choices before the first candidate conversation.
Leadership
Why senior hires fail in the first 90 days
6 min read
The appointment is only the beginning. Clarity, sponsorship and early conversations set a new leader up to succeed.
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