Fractional Finance Director Services In Reading

Reliable numbers, firmer control of cash and a finance function the whole team can trust

A fractional Finance Director gives a Reading business a share of a senior Finance Director's time and judgement, with the same advisor throughout. They join the management team, take responsibility for the finance function and help the directors decide as a director would, without the salary, recruitment or full-time commitment of a permanent hire.

Part-time, outsourced and virtual Finance Director are other names for the same service. Read the national guide to the Fractional Finance Director role, or browse our board-level support in Reading.

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What Does A Fractional Finance Director Do For A Reading Business?

A Secantor fractional Finance Director takes responsibility for the finance function of a Reading business as a share of a senior role, with the same person from the first meeting to the last. The areas of support typically include:

  • Control: monthly management accounts that arrive on time, a short set of measures the board follows and close attention to cash.
  • Understanding profit: margin by customer, product or contract, showing the business where it earns and where it loses.
  • Forecasting: a three to five year financial forecast model, with profit and loss, balance sheet and cashflow, alongside a rolling short-term cash forecast.
  • Lenders: working with the bank and other lenders so they receive clear, regular information.
  • The finance team: coaching the people who run the ledgers and reporting, and strengthening systems and controls.
  • The management team: a senior voice in the room when decisions are made, helping to build an accountable team.

Secantor does not provide bookkeeping or outsourced accounts, so your bookkeeper or accountant keeps the records and the Finance Director builds the reporting and planning on top. Part-Time, Outsourced and Virtual Finance Director are other names for the same service: Part-Time Finance Director, Outsourced Finance Director and Virtual Finance Director, each with a Reading page of its own.

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When Does A Reading Business Need A Fractional Finance Director?

A Reading business needs a fractional Finance Director when the owner is still the person who reads the numbers, chases cash and answers the bank, and the business has outgrown that arrangement without yet justifying a full-time Finance Director. Typical signs are management accounts that arrive late or cannot be trusted, cash that is tighter than the profit suggests, a lender asking for a forecast, or a bookkeeper who has reached the limit of what they can interpret. Our guide to why every SME should have a Finance Director sets out the case.

How A Fractional Finance Director Helps A Reading Business

A fractional Finance Director brings the discipline of a full finance function to a Reading business in proportion to its size. Because the same advisor stays throughout, they come to know the ledgers, the people and the lenders, so each month's reporting builds on the last and nothing has to be explained twice. The owner gains time and confidence, the finance team gains a senior person to learn from, and decisions on pricing, hiring and investment are made against figures that can be relied on. To see how the early weeks unfold, read what a Fractional Finance Director does in the first 90 days.

A fractional Finance Director discussing investment with an SME business owner

How A Share Of A Finance Director Works In Practice

Secantor begins by learning how the business runs, then proposes the Finance Director who suits you and your people, or more than one if you would like to choose. All of our advisors have held senior board roles themselves, and each is accredited by our directors. After you choose, the Finance Director joins your management team and is accountable for the finance function, with a senior Secantor director behind them, and the same person stays so that the work builds from month to month.

Choosing The Right Share Of A Finance Director's Time

How much time is right depends on the job in hand. As a rough guide:

Days a monthWhat it typically covers
1A regular review of results and an experienced second opinion for the owner
2Dependable monthly reporting, a current forecast and a watch on cash
4Raising finance, a recovery plan, a systems change or preparing for a sale
8A concentrated project, or rebuilding the finance function from the ground up

The time can be raised or lowered as the priorities change.

What Does A Fractional Finance Director Cost In Reading?

A fractional Finance Director from Secantor costs £1,200 a day plus VAT and expenses in Reading. The days are agreed in advance and you have full flexibility to increase or decrease them to suit your business needs, so the share of time follows the work. Our cost guide sets out pricing for the senior finance roles in more detail.

A fractional finance director interpreting financial performance with an SME management team
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Our 5-Point Commitment to You

✅ Expert Advice You Can Rely On: You'll work with qualified, experienced advisors who are focused on results.

✅ A Trusted Working Relationship: We select advisors who fit your culture, team and goals.

✅ Tailored Support for Your Business: No templates, just relevant, practical, hands-on input.

✅ Dependable, Consistent Delivery: We meet deadlines, keep promises and deliver lasting impact.

✅ Clear, Proactive Communication: No jargon. Just senior-level expertise, clearly delivered.

Working With Your Existing Team

A fractional Finance Director works with the bookkeeper, accountants and finance staff already supporting a Reading business, bringing the senior oversight and planning they lack. Your records stay where they are, and the reporting and planning are built on top of them. Where it helps, we can also introduce the lenders and professional advisors we know across the Thames Valley.

A fractional finance director creating a financial forecast model with an SMW business ower

Choosing Between A Fractional Finance Director And Other Roles

A fractional Finance Director is the right start when control, reporting and cash come first and you want the same senior person alongside the team. If the main questions are funding, strategy or a sale, a Part-Time CFO may suit better. When a post has fallen vacant or a deal needs a fixed period of cover, an Interim Finance Director works to a defined period, and an independent voice on the board is the job of a Non-Executive Director. Where the first need is timely monthly figures, a Management Accountant builds the reporting that the Finance Director then interprets.

Starting With A Free Business Review

A Reading owner can test the case for a Finance Director through Secantor's Free Business Review at no cost. After a short call we come to you to see how the business runs day to day, and you receive our independent view of where senior finance leadership would help most, with our recommendation of the right advisor.

Next Steps

Begin with the Free Business Review, or speak to a Secantor Director on a discovery call to talk through whether a fractional Finance Director is the right fit for your Reading business.

What Should A Reading Owner Know About A Fractional Finance Director?

What does fractional mean for a Finance Director?

It means a share of a senior role: you receive the experience and responsibility of a full Finance Director for a fraction of the time, with the same advisor throughout and no full-time salary.

Is a fractional Finance Director a consultant?

No. A consultant reviews the business and moves on. A fractional Finance Director from Secantor is accountable for the finance function, takes part in the larger decisions as a director would, and stays until they are delivered.

Will it always be the same person?

Yes, that is the point of a fractional role. We propose an advisor, or more than one if you would like to choose, and the one you pick stays with you, supported by a senior Secantor director.

Is a fractional Finance Director the same as a part-time, outsourced or virtual one?

Yes, these names describe the same ongoing service, and each has its own Reading page: Part-Time Finance Director, Outsourced Finance Director and Virtual Finance Director. Only an Interim Finance Director differs, because it is a fixed engagement.

Does a Reading business need a Finance Director or a CFO?

The two roles do different jobs: a Finance Director keeps the business under control, while a CFO helps decide where it goes next. We talk through what your business needs at the first meeting and propose the right starting point.

Do we still need our accountant?

Yes. Your accountant keeps the statutory accounts and the tax return, and the fractional Finance Director works above them on reporting, cash and planning, making sure their advice is acted on.

Not quite found the answer you need? Contact our team and we will get back to you personally.

Looking at other roles? See our Part-Time CFO and Non-Executive Director services in Reading.

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