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Why did the value only become available once you found the door?
Why the CFOs and FDs who move fastest never stopped networking. A practical guide to building a network that works for you, before you need it.
When boards buy interim finance help, they buy reliability before they buy strategy
Why the CFOs and FDs who move fastest never stopped networking. A practical guide to building a network that works for you, before you need it.
The first hundred days of a deal are measured in numbers nobody trusts yet
Why the CFOs and FDs who move fastest never stopped networking. A practical guide to building a network that works for you, before you need it.
Why Senior Finance Leaders Should Never Stop Networking — Even When They Don't Need To
Why the CFOs and FDs who move fastest never stopped networking. A practical guide to building a network that works for you, before you need it.
Your term sheet is also a job description
Boards spend six weeks negotiating structure, then write a finance job specification in entirely generic language. The two conversations never meet. They should — because the terms you sign go a long way towards defining the finance function you now need.
CFO vs FD: The Difference Boards Underestimate
Two titles, used interchangeably, describing two different jobs. Ray Nicholls on the distinction boards underestimate and how to decide which your business actually needs.
The finance team isn't shrinking — it's being redefined, top to bottom
Finance leaders in roundtable discussion at the Richmond Finance Directors' Forum
The Quiet Difficulty of Being a Senior Finance Leader Between Roles in 2026
The senior interim finance market in 2026 is genuinely difficult — not just quiet. Ray Nicholls of Pitch Hill Partners examines what's driving it and what it means for CFOs and FDs navigating it.
Interim vs permanent CFO: how to decide
When a CFO leaves, most businesses answer the interim vs permanent question too quickly — and create a second problem before they've solved the first. Here's a clear framework for working out which structure is right for where your business actually is.
What the HSBC UK Corporate Tracker Tells Us About the CFO Agenda Right Now
The second edition of the HSBC UK Corporate Tracker reveals a mid-market that has come through the crisis period in better shape than expected. EBITDA has outpaced debt growth, leverage has improved, and companies are beginning to invest again. Here's what that means for finance leadership.
CFO salaries in PE-backed businesses: what to expect in 2026
When PE investment arrives, expectations on the finance function accelerate immediately. Here's a clear breakdown of what CFO compensation looks like in PE-backed UK businesses in 2026 — base, bonus, equity and the real cost of the hire.
What does an interim CFO actually cost in 2026?
Interim CFOs are not expensive. Leaving a finance leadership gap for six months is expensive. Here's a clear breakdown of what interim finance leadership actually costs in 2026 — and what you're really paying for.
UK Startup Creation Is Cooling — But the Real Story Is What Happens Next
The latest UK startup data paints a nuanced picture of the entrepreneurial landscape.
On the surface, new company formations dipped slightly in 2025. But beneath the headline, the UK business base continues to expand — and for founders, investors and finance leaders, that distinction matters.
For growing businesses, the question is no longer simply about starting up.
It is about surviving, scaling, and professionalising finance earlier in the journey.
UK Turnaround Demand Remains Firm — But the Real Pressure Is Beneath the Surface
The latest quarterly snapshot from the turnaround market paints a picture that will feel familiar to many UK boards and investors.
Activity in restructuring and turnaround remains robust.
Distress levels are edging upward.
And while insolvency numbers have softened slightly, the underlying pressure on UK businesses has not gone away.
For finance leaders and investors alike, the message is clear:
stress is building quietly rather than breaking loudly.
CFO Turnover Is Rising Globally — But the Real Risk Is Poor Succession Planning
Across global markets, one trend is becoming impossible for boards and investors to ignore:
CFO turnover is no longer an occasional disruption. It is becoming a structural feature of modern governance.
Recent global data shows CFO appointments reached a seven-year high in 2025, reinforcing that elevated transition levels are not a short-term correction but an enduring shift in leadership dynamics.
The Rise of Women Angel Investors — and Why It Matters for UK Growth
A recent report from Beauhurst highlights a quiet but meaningful shift taking place inside the UK’s early-stage investment ecosystem: the rapid growth of women angel investors.
At first glance, this might look like a diversity story.
But look a little deeper and it becomes something far more significant — a signal about how capital, innovation, and leadership are evolving across the UK economy.
UK Private Equity in 2025: Not a Slowdown — A Selection Event
UK Private Equity in 2025: Not a Slowdown — A Selection Event
Periods of market adjustment are often described in terms of decline:
fewer deals, slower momentum, weaker sentiment.
But the UK equity market in 2025 tells a more interesting story.
Deal volumes fell again — yet capital deployment held firm and average deal sizes increased.
In other words, activity didn’t disappear. It became more selective.
AI Gets Physical: What the Rise of Humanoid Robots Means for the Future CFO
The next wave of AI isn’t just software automating spreadsheets or dashboards. It’s humanoid robots stepping into factories, warehouses, healthcare and logistics, taking on repetitive, physical and often hard-to-fill roles.
What the World Economic Forum’s Jobs Report Means for Finance Leaders
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 makes one thing unambiguous:
the labour market isn’t evolving — it’s reshuffling at scale.
What does it say about my CV if I leave a job after a short stay?
What does it say about my CV if I leave a job after a short stay?
“It’s better to be a lion for a day than a sheep your whole life.”
— Elizabeth Kenny