April 24, 2025

How to Become an Interim CFO: Lessons from 3 Pros Who Have Made the Leap

How to Become an Interim CFO: Lessons from 3 Pros Who Have Made the Leap

Becoming an interim CFO requires more than financial expertise; it demands leadership, adaptability, and a proven track record across different business situations. Most interim CFOs build their careers through senior finance roles, then transition into project-based leadership where they can step in quickly, solve problems, and deliver immediate impact. Here, 3 successful interim CFOs share their tips and insights.

📋 Looking to hire an interim CFO? Visit our Interim CFO services page.  (This post is a career guide for executives exploring the interim CFO path.)

Making the leap from full-time finance professional to interim Chief Financial Officer isn’t just a career pivot—it’s a strategic reinvention. Whether you’re eyeing more flexibility, craving fresh challenges, or looking to leverage your financial expertise across multiple organizations, the interim CFO path offers high-reward opportunities. Demand for interim and fractional CFOs is soaring driven by market disruptions, private equity needs, and leadership gaps in existing companies.

But what does it really take to thrive in an interim role? InterimExecs CEO Robert Jordan spoke with three veteran interim CFOs who’ve successfully made the transition. Their insights reveal the mindset shifts, skills, and realities every seasoned financial management leader should know before stepping into the role.

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April 10, 2025

What Does a Fractional CFO Do? Responsibilities, Day-to-Day, and When to Hire One

What Does a Fractional CFO Do? Responsibilities, Day-to-Day, and When to Hire One

A fractional CFO does everything a full-time CFO does — financial strategy, forecasting, cash flow, investor reporting — on a part-time basis. Here’s what that looks like day to day, and how to know if your company needs one.

Hiring a fractional CFO is one of the smartest moves a growing company can make — especially when full-time overhead doesn’t yet make sense. But what exactly does a fractional CFO do? Whether you’re a founder, CEO, investor, or board member exploring financial leadership options, here’s a closer look at how part-time CFOs drive financial clarity, control, and strategy across all kinds of companies.

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March 26, 2025

When a Public Company CFO Leaves: Why “Now” is the Only Acceptable Timeline for Bringing in a Replacement

When a Public Company CFO Leaves: Why “Now” is the Only Acceptable Timeline for Bringing in a Replacement

CFOs at private companies may come and go with little fanfare or long-term damage to the organization. But the sudden departure of a chief financial officer from a publicly traded company can send a tidal wave of worry through investors, employees, and stakeholders alike.

The CFO is the financial compass, the strategic partner, the place where the buck stops when it comes to fiscal responsibility and reporting.

And when the CFO role at a public company is vacant, the urgency to fill the void is paramount. “Later” simply isn’t an option. Let’s delve into why a public company needs a strong CFO, and needs them now. And then we’ll explore why an experienced interim CFO for public companies is the right way to bridge the gap​.

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March 26, 2025

Interim and Fractional Executives: Join us on Instagram

Interim and Fractional Executives: Join us on Instagram

As the OG interim executive search firm — we have been doing this work since 2007 — we’ve seen the game change a lot. Our estimate is the number of executives seeking our interim and fractiona work has expanded hundredfold, but yet the vast majority don’t really know what it means to be an interim at it’s core. No disrespect here…it just comes with learning something new.

One of the most challenging aspects of this work is that even if you are successful, it’s lonely at the top. And many interims are solo operators. We’ve invested many years into building the RED Team of top interims from around the world, but there is another 99% of executives out there trying their hand at this work and we want to see them succeed.

So we’ve launched a new series on Instagram (@InterimExecs) digging into the ins and outs of how to succeed in the interim and fractional space, how to up your game as a leader, and what we are seeing in this growing industry.

In talking to thousands of you – interims, fractionals, CEOs, boards, investors – we’ve learned a few things that will resonate:

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November 19, 2024

How to Perfect Your Personal Elevator Pitch in 3 Easy Steps

How to Perfect Your Personal Elevator Pitch in 3 Easy Steps

Melissa Harris is a newspaperwoman-turned-marketing-exec who has perfected her elevator pitch and wants to help you perfect yours as well.

InterimExecs Chief Executive Officer Robert Jordan knows that the thousands of interim and fractional executives he has spoken with over the years need this. In fact, Jordan needed it himself. So he invited Harris, CEO of M. Harris & Co. to a Zoom chat during which she offered a Master Class on how executives can be far more effective in talking about themselves.

Here’s her 3-step approach to introducing yourself in a short, powerful, memorable way.

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August 22, 2024

How the Right ERP Strategy Can Improve Your Business

How the Right ERP Strategy Can Improve Your Business

It’s a common scenario: A company invests big bucks in a massive ERP implementation only to watch the effort stall. Or worse, fail altogether.

Maybe the problem is the lack of planning or ERP software curation. Maybe it’s not thinking ahead for future needs. Or maybe it’s not having an experienced ERP implementation executive who can make that integration sing.

For all that goes into ERP implementation — ERP, or Enterprise Resource Planning, is, after all, managing, streamlining, and tying together all essential business processes — strategizing every step should be a non-negotiable.

“ERP systems usually get replaced every seven to 10 years. I’ve been with some companies where they hadn’t replaced them for 25 years,” says Bruce Howard, an InterimExecs RED Team member and Interim CIO who has spent much of his career implementing ERP solutions.

“There’s a planning phase to bring all of the pieces together and make sure you’ve got a clear approach and clear people assigned. And then you need a methodology for the way you select systems and implement,” he says.

To better understand the components of a successful ERP implementation process and a clear look at how an ERP strategy can support business operations and better decision-making, we asked Howard and interim executives Tony DeLima and Alonso Vargas to walk us through the essential elements.

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June 20, 2024

Executive Search Services: Why Interim Executives Are Right for Fast-Growing Companies

Executive Search Services: Why Interim Executives Are Right for Fast-Growing Companies

Interim executives — experienced C-suite leaders who take on short-term roles — traditionally are found in turnaround situations, coming in to save companies on the brink. Or they are brought in to keep a company moving forward while a new permanent hire is identified and onboarded.

But there’s another leadership role that is tailor-made for an interim leader: Using their skills, experience and executive talent to guide fast-growing companies.

An experienced interim executive is the right leader for companies facing big points of change or growth. Interim and fractional executives often step in to address growing pains many organizations feel when they lack the systems and processes to scale. On the other hand, interim executives jump in as a key part of the diligence or post-acquisition integration strategy for companies and private equity firms leveraging an M&A strategy to expand.

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April 19, 2024

Maximizing Operational Efficiency: Interim COOs Offer Tips for Improving Process and Productivity

Maximizing Operational Efficiency: Interim COOs Offer Tips for Improving Process and Productivity

Operational efficiency. It’s the holy grail of business success. Chief Operating Officers are charged with creating operations management systems that root out inefficient processes, lower operating expenses, reduce lead times, and increase profit margins.

Two expert COOs, Steve Raack and Mike Bartikoski, are interim executives with repeated successes at mega-million-dollar corporations. They shared what they learned along the way during a wide-ranging webinar and Q&A moderated by InterimExecs CEO Robert Jordan.

Key Takeaways for Maximizing Operational Efficiency

  • Streamline workflows and track the right KPIs to boost efficiency.
  • Focus on core products and processes that drive the most value.
  • Don’t rely on tech alone—people and culture matter.
  • Align company culture with a multigenerational workforce.
  • Interim COOs offer fresh, unbiased insights to drive improvement.

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March 16, 2024

The Case for Hiring Part-Time or Fractional Executives

The Case for Hiring Part-Time or Fractional Executives

As businesses grow and scale, they often face the challenge of keeping up with operational demands while maintaining strategic leadership. This is where fractional executives come in. Offering high-level expertise on a part-time or temporary basis, fractional executives provide companies with the experienced leadership they need to drive growth, streamline operations, and manage change—without the commitment or expense of full-time hires. Part-time or fractional executives provide C-suite leadership, mentorship, and the operational upgrades needed to help a company break through the ceiling to growth.

Key Takeaways:

  • Fractional executives provide rock star expertise for a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire. 
  • There are no overhead costs such as health insurance and severance. 
  • The flexible engagement can be scaled up or down as needed.
  • Part-time executives are the answer for companies in growth or transition mode.
  • InterimExecs fractional executives can fill leadership gaps in as little as 48 hours. 

In this webinar, InterimExecs CEO Robert Jordan takes a deep dive into the question of when choosing a part-time or fractional executive is the best choice for a company.

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September 24, 2023

What Is an Interim Executive & Is It the Right Answer for Your Company?

What Is an Interim Executive & Is It the Right Answer for Your Company?

What is an interim executive? It’s a highly knowledgeable and deeply experienced C-suite executive ready to step into a company in need of superior leadership.

As veterans of the interim business, we know that pairing the right interim executive with the right company is a delicate balance. After all, private equity funds or venture capital funds get one use of their dollar. Just one. Fund managers have a sacred charge of evaluating opportunities and investing the funds they’ve been entrusted with by their limited partners in hopes of maximum returns.

Likewise, we get one chance to make a great match. We must identify the interim executive with the right skills and experience and catch that executive during the brief period of time they are in between assignments assessing the next opportunity they want to take on.

So how do we best deploy genius leadership when we only get one chance every day to maximize everyone’s time, unique skillset, and results? We start by being selective about our clients.

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