Part-Time CFO Services London | Strategic Finance for SMEs

Why Every SME Needs a CFO

Most SMEs reach a tipping point where compliance accounting alone isn’t enough. A CFO gives you strategic foresight — aligning finance with business goals, controlling risk, and unlocking profit. With a Secantor CFO, you’ll benefit from:

Long-term financial planning to support business growth
Cash and working capital oversight to ensure resilience
Management information that enables better decisions
Board-level strategic input to support you and your investors

Our CFOs embed directly into your team — acting like a trusted internal leader, not an outsider. Learn more in our article How Can a Fractional CFO Transform Your Bottom Line?.

Interim CFO

When you need stability during change, our interim CFOs step in fast to provide continuity, oversight, and momentum through:

Business restructuring or turnaround
Acquisition, sale or investment readiness
Leadership gaps, maternity cover or recruitment delays
Major financial projects or audits

Whether you're based in London or the surrounding counties, our CFOs bring national expertise with local insight — helping over 1,000 UK SMEs improve profitability, plan for exit, and build long-term value.

With over 20 years supporting SMEs in the capital, Secantor has a proven track record of delivering part-time CFOs that make a difference. Our team is trusted because we offer:

Technical excellence – Delivered by experienced board-level professionals
Practical support – Embedded into your team for real impact
Tailored solutions – No off-the-shelf models, just what works for you
Director oversight – Ensuring consistency, challenge and value

✅ Expert Advice You Can Rely On

You’ll work with a proven business professional — fully qualified, commercially experienced, and focused on driving profit and growth.

✅ A Trusted Working Relationship

We match you with the right expert — someone who fits your team and earns your trust as a long-term partner, not just a service provider.

✅ Tailored Support for Your Business

We take time to understand your goals, challenges, and industry — then deliver practical advice that fits your business.

✅ Dependable, Consistent Delivery

We do what we say we’ll do — on time, every time. You can count on us to follow through and stay focused on results.

✅ Clear, Proactive Communication

We keep you informed, respond quickly, and talk in plain English. You’ll never be left chasing updates or wondering what’s happening.

Hiring a full-time Chief Financial Officer (CFO) can be expensive — but that doesn’t mean you have to go without strategic financial leadership. With a part-time CFO, you get access to experienced, board-level financial insight on flexible terms. You only pay for the support you need — whether it’s a few days a month or a few days a week. At Secantor, our CFOs have supported hundreds of UK SMEs across sectors, bringing commercial acumen, fresh thinking and proven best practices to every engagement.

What Does a Part-Time CFO Do?

Our part-time CFOs take ownership of your financial function — from day-to-day control to long-term strategy. We work alongside your team to build confidence, improve profitability, and prepare your business for investment, sale or growth.

Typical CFO responsibilities include:

Designing and developing an effective internal finance function
Recruiting, training and mentoring finance staff
Providing hands-on financial oversight and technical leadership
Building 3–5 year financial forecast models (P&L, balance sheet, cashflow)
Producing and interpreting monthly management accounts
Providing analysis and commentary on business performance
Identifying profitability drivers by product, customer, channel or geography
Driving operational improvement and cost efficiency
Securing funding and managing investor or lender relationships
Creating short- and long-term cashflow forecasts to prevent surprises
Improving working capital and balance sheet control
Delivering financial governance and internal control frameworks
Supporting transactions, M&A activity and due diligence
Leading major financial projects including systems implementation
Providing interim CFO cover during transition periods

We don’t just advise. Your Secantor CFO becomes part of the team — building trust, driving performance, and delivering results.

Frequently Asked Questions: Part-Time CFOs

A Part-Time CFO is a senior financial expert who works with your business on a flexible basis, providing high-level financial strategy, oversight and board-level input. They offer the benefits of a full-time CFO without the permanent cost.

They lead financial strategy, produce and interpret management accounts, build financial models, manage risk, guide funding decisions, support acquisitions or exits, and ensure your board has timely, accurate financial insight.

Part-time CFOs offer all the skills and strategic input of a full-time CFO but work with your business on a fractional basis — typically a few days per month. You get the benefit of experienced financial oversight, planning, and reporting without the overhead of a permanent hire.

Many SMEs reach a stage where financial decisions become more complex — but aren’t yet ready for a full-time CFO. A Part-Time CFO gives you the expertise to make informed decisions, plan ahead, secure funding, improve profitability, and avoid surprises. It's a cost-effective way to build a stronger, more resilient business. To dive deeper why not read our blog Why every SME business should have a CFO.

Typical responsibilities include: producing and interpreting management accounts, building financial forecasts, managing cash flow, budgeting, advising on funding, supporting board meetings, training your finance team, and helping you make financially sound business decisions. Learn more about our Part-Time CFO services.

Yes. At Secantor, many of our CFOs also act as Non-Executive Directors (NEDs). Our CFOs are commercially experienced, strategically minded, and have strong corporate governance expertise — making them well placed to contribute at board level.

Part-Time CFOs are ideal for SMEs with growing complexity but without the need for a full-time finance leader. At Secantor, we typically support businesses with £3m–£50m turnover, though some clients are smaller and others larger.

The roles often overlap, and the title is often used interchangeably. In very large organisations, a Finance Director typically focuses on internal financial control and reporting, while a CFO adds a layer of strategic foresight, often acting as a key advisor to the CEO or owner and supporting investor relationships. However, in most SMEs, one individual covers all aspects of strategic financial leadership, so the role is in effect the same.

Fees vary depending on the time commitment and complexity. Our Part-Time CFOs typically cost from £1,200 +VAT per month. We tailor each engagement to match your business stage, budget and goals. Contact us for a personalised proposal.

Yes — because their roles are different. An accountant operates outside your business and focuses on compliance, tax, and reporting. A Part-Time CFO works inside your business to provide strategic financial leadership. The two roles complement each other. Your CFO will often manage the relationship with your external accountant and ensure their advice is implemented effectively.

We typically work with UK SMEs with £3m–£50m turnover and 30–250 employees — but we also support ambitious smaller businesses preparing for growth or investment, and we serve larger companies too. If you’re experiencing growing complexity in your finances or strategic decisions, a CFO will help bring clarity and control.

Yes — a CFO plays a crucial role in preparing forecasts, engaging with investors or banks, presenting financial strategy, and structuring funding rounds. They bring credibility and clarity to the process.

We can often place a vetted, accredited CFO in your business within a matter of days. Every Secantor CFO is carefully selected and personally accredited to ensure they not only have the right technical expertise, but also the commercial experience and interpersonal skills to fit seamlessly into your team.

Our CFOs are personally accredited by Secantor Directors and chosen for their blend of technical expertise, commercial judgement and interpersonal skills. Our team have held senior roles in both large corporates and growing SMEs — and every engagement is backed by Secantor’s oversight to guarantee quality and results.

The easiest way is to book a call with one of our experienced advisors. We’ll learn more about your business, explain how we work, and scope your requirements. Following a visit to meet you personally, we develop an in-depth understanding of your business needs, allowing us to match you with a carefully selected CFO based on your requirements, culture, and priorities. No obligation — just a conversation to see if we’re a good fit for you.

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Free Business Review

No two businesses are the same. This is why we offer a free business review. We can arrange an initial chat with one of our experts to get things started. Then a couple of our team members will visit you to listen to the story of your business. From this meeting, we’ll be able to provide you with some interesting insights into your business from our independent experience. This will allow you to see how we work and help us to select the right expert for your business. Contact us to book a free consultation.

Why not read one of our short case studies to learn about Secantor's impact.

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Ways Secantor Will Help You

Develop & Implement A Successful Plan

Optimise Your Finances

Develop A Strong Accountable Team

Build Value In Your Business

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Exit Your Business Successfully

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The Value of an Interim Finance Director

Resolving Boardroom Conflict

What Does It Take to Build a Successful SME?

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Our Services

We help you make strategic decisions

Secantor provides expert financial and management support to SME owners and directors. Our commercially experienced team covers the following roles.

Non-Executive Director

Strategic support and experience to guide you as you make decisions and build value in your business. A NED acts as a sounding board for your ideas, improves business performance, holds you and your team to account and helps you achieve a successful exit.

✓ Strategic business planning

✓ Support strategic decision-making

✓ Set business goals and objectives

✓ Rejuvenate struggling businesses

✓ Manage growth effectively

✓ Implement best practice

✓ Sounding board for your ideas

✓ Set and communicate vision

✓ Hold you & your team to account

✓ Build an effective management team

Learn More

Finance Director

Expert financial leadership from a commercially experienced, qualified accountant. An FD will create financial plans, report your monthly performance against budget and interpret the figures to help you make sound decisions & improve profitability.

✓ Expert financial advice

✓ Interpret financial results a support decisions

✓ Develop & oversee your finance team

✓ Improve profitability & control costs

✓ Prepare management accounts

✓ Create 3-5 year financial plan

✓ Budget setting

✓ Source appropriate funding

✓ Cashflow forecasting & management

✓ Prepare reports & commentaries for your bank

Learn More

Operations Director

Strategic operational leadership to transform your people and business processes to improve efficiency and profitability. An Operations Director helps you build a strong management team, delegate operational actions and improve business performance.

✓ Develop strength in your management team

✓ Establish key performance indicators (KPIs)

✓ Hold people accountable to achieve results

✓ Process and quality improvement

✓ Help you delegate effectively

✓ Create clear job descriptions

✓ Identify and recruit talent

✓ Implement robust operational systems

✓ Establish clear goals and expectations

✓ Enable your team to achieve excellence

Learn More

Part-Time CFO Services in London for SMEs

Strategic Financial Leadership Without the Full-Time Cost

Work with Experienced, Commercially Focused CFOs from Secantor

Chief Financial Officer Services in London: Strategic Financial Leadership for SMEs

Why Every SME Needs a CFO

Our CFO Services in London

Part-Time CFO

Interim CFO

Why London-Based SMEs Choose Secantor for FD Services

Our 5-Point Commitment to You

✅ Expert Advice You Can Rely On

✅ A Trusted Working Relationship

✅ Tailored Support for Your Business

✅ Dependable, Consistent Delivery

✅ Clear, Proactive Communication

Why Use a Part-Time CFO?

What Does a Part-Time CFO Do?

Ready to Strengthen Your Financial Strategy?

Frequently Asked Questions: Part-Time CFOs

Talk To Paul About Your Business Goals

Paul Gibbins

“Secantor has made a world of difference - we are now in control. It's a very cost effective way for us to have high level management and strategic help”

Free Business Review

Want to Boost Your Business Profits?

Ways Secantor Will Help You

Develop & Implement A Successful Plan

Optimise Your Finances

Develop A Strong Accountable Team

Build Value In Your Business

Improve Operational Efficiency

Exit Your Business Successfully

“Secantor provided the senior business & financial support my fellow director & I needed at a very critical time for our company. I cannot recommend the incredible service we received highly enough”

Read Our Latest Case Studies

Achieving the Dream Business Exit

The Value of an Interim Finance Director

Resolving Boardroom Conflict

What Does It Take to Build a Successful SME?

Read Our Latest Blog Posts

Has Your Business Growth Stagnated? Here's How to Recover.

Thinking Of Exiting Your Business: What Are Your Options?

The Blueprint For Success: Why Every Business Needs To Write A Plan

Our Services

We help you make strategic decisions

Non-Executive Director

Finance Director

Operations Director

Free Business Review