Interim CFO Services in London for SMEs

An Interim CFO is a highly experienced senior finance professional who joins your business for a fixed period — often during times of change, challenge or transition. Whether you're facing a gap in leadership, preparing for investment, restructuring, or managing rapid growth, an Interim CFO provides immediate financial expertise, stabilises your finance function, and delivers focused results from day one.

An Interim CFO delivers the same high-level financial leadership as a full-time CFO — but on a short-term, fixed-period basis. Rather than a permanent appointment, an Interim CFO is brought in to handle specific challenges or transitions such as growth, restructuring, or leadership gaps. You gain immediate access to strategic financial expertise without the long-term commitment of a full-time hire.

SMEs often encounter periods of change where immediate financial leadership is critical — for example, during a restructure, funding round, acquisition, or gap in senior finance. An Interim CFO steps in quickly to stabilise finances, support decision-making, and drive results. They bring the insight and capability of a seasoned CFO without the delay or commitment of a full-time hire — helping you navigate change with confidence.  To explore the wider benefits of senior financial support, see our blog, Why every SME business should have a Finance Director

An Interim CFO provides hands-on financial leadership from the moment they join. Typical responsibilities include: stabilising the finance function, producing and interpreting management accounts, building financial forecasts, managing cash flow, budgeting, advising on funding, supporting board meetings, and coaching your finance team. Their role is to solve problems fast, improve financial visibility, and enable better business decisions.

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.

The cost depends on the scope and frequency of support your business needs, but prices typically start at £1,200 +VAT per day. At Secantor, we tailor every engagement. Contact us for a no-obligation discussion to get a proposal aligned to your business needs and budget.

Yes — because their roles are different. An accountant operates outside your business and focuses on compliance, tax, and reporting. An Interim 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 businesses too. If you’re experiencing growing complexity in your finances or strategic decisions, an Interim CFO can help bring clarity and control.

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.

Unlike many providers, we don’t just offer CFOs or NEDs — we deliver the complete boardroom package. Our CFOs are also capable Non-Executive Directors, and every member of our team is personally accredited by Secantor. We don’t follow a rigid model — we match the right expert to your business and they tailor their approach to suit your needs.

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 FD based on your requirements, culture, and priorities. No obligation — just a conversation to see if we’re a good fit for you.