During Series A, B, and C funding rounds, a CFO shifts from ‘helpful’ to business-critical- a vital and yet often overlooked hire.

Here are 10 ways bringing in a CFO before funding, is one of the smartest decisions a business owner can make.

Female representation in financial management services has been increasing - women hold 15% of Senior Investment roles, up from 12% in 2023. 

Despite this, private equity continues to face a persistent divide in diverse leadership, particularly among emerging fund managers, with structural barriers still restricting the number of women launching and scaling funds.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, we held a small, intimate roundtable event - Empowering Women in Finance.

The discussions were chaired by three female leaders themselves – Gemma Smith, Partner at Trace Recruitment, Ellie Prideaux, Manager at Trace Recruitment and Jaiya Bhandari – a CFO-level finance leader and transformation consultant, women’s leadership & wellbeing advocate.

It may safe to say that being a Chief Finance Officer in the UK at the moment is a bit of nightmare…

Managing a corporate financial budget has always required careful planning and financial discipline, however, the current economic and political environment has made this responsibility significantly more complex for CFOs.