Portfolio company CFO recruitment
CFOs for private equity backed companies
Rainmakrr searches for CFOs and finance directors for companies owned by private equity.
A portfolio company CFO works to the sponsor’s reporting rhythm, the lenders’ covenants and a plan with an exit at the end of it.
If the business needs finance leadership for part of the week instead, you can hire a fractional CFO through Fractional Quest.
- Permanent CFOs and FDs
- Sponsor reporting experience
- Fractional and interim options
- Run by Fractional Quest Ltd
How a search runswhat we undertake
- 01BriefThe seat, the fund or company stage, and what the hire must deliverCall
- 02MapThe firms, funds and companies where that experience sitsResearch
- 03ApproachConfidential conversations with people who fit the briefOutreach
- 04ShortlistAssessed candidates, with references we take ourselvesReport
- 05OfferInterviews, offer and the notice period, managed to a start dateClose
First step15 min call
01/ the hold
The portfolio CFO, stage by stage
What a private equity backed company needs from its CFO changes across the hold period.
The Private Equity Reporting Group puts the average timeframe of private equity ownership of portfolio companies at 6.1 years (PERG, December 2025).
Pick a stage.
AFTER COMPLETION
Reporting, cash and the plan
The first months set up monthly reporting to the sponsor, a cash forecast the board trusts and the value creation plan.
The CFO also takes over the lender relationship and the covenant tests in the facilities agreement.
MID-HOLD
Running the plan
Mid-hold, the CFO supports pricing, cost, systems and acquisitions, and builds the finance team to match.
Buy-and-build strategies add integration work and more complex consolidation.
CAPITAL STRUCTURE
Refinancing and recapitalisation
Some sponsors refinance or recapitalise during the hold.
The CFO prepares the information lenders need and negotiates the terms with the sponsor’s advisers.
SALE OR IPO
Preparing for exit
At exit the CFO leads vendor due diligence, the data room and the numbers in the equity story.
For an IPO, the company must meet listing and governance standards such as the UK Corporate Governance Code.
02/ options
Permanent, interim or fractional CFO?
Three ways to fill the CFO seat in a PE-backed company.
→ An interim CFO can hold the seat while the permanent search runs.
→ A fractional CFO fits a business whose finance seat is not yet full time.
03/ profile
What sponsors look for
The experience a portfolio CFO search usually tests.
Use it to build your own brief.
0 of 11 ready
04/ guide
Recruiting a portfolio company CFO
The CFO is often the first leadership change a new owner makes.
The search starts from the investment case: what the plan needs from finance, and how the sponsor wants to see the numbers.
Duties and governance
A CFO who joins the board is a statutory director with the general duties in the Companies Act 2006.
UK Private Capital, the industry body formerly called the BVCA, counts over 12,900 private equity and venture capital backed businesses in 2025 (economic contribution report).
Interim and fractional options
When the seat is empty, an interim CFO can cover it while the search runs.
For smaller companies and add-ons, you can hire a fractional CFO for part of the week.
05/ questions
Questions, answered
The chief financial officer of a company owned by a private equity fund.
The role adds sponsor reporting, lender covenants and exit preparation to the usual CFO remit.
Yes, for businesses where the senior finance role is a finance director.
Yes, through Fractional Quest.
For part-time finance leadership, hire a fractional CFO.
Either can brief us.
Sponsors usually lead, with the chair and chief executive in the interview process.
Book a 15-minute call on this page, or email hello@fractional.quest.
15 minutes · video or phone
Book 15 minutes to talk through the hire
Tell us the seat, the fund or company, and the timing. We set out how we would run the search.
- 0115 minutes, video or phone
- 02We scope the role and the search
- 03A written search plan after the call
- 04Permanent, interim and fractional briefs
Pick a day that suits · live availability
06/ sources
Sources and further reading
Primary sources for the rules and figures on this page.