What is a Virtual Finance Director?

A Virtual Finance Director (FD) provides your business with senior financial leadership on a flexible basis — giving you access to expert support without the cost of a full-time hire. They work alongside your leadership team to manage your finances, support strategic decisions, improve cash flow, and drive growth.

How does a Virtual FD differ from a Full-Time FD?

Virtual FDs offer all the skills and strategic input of a full-time FD but work with your business on a part-time 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.

Why would an SME need a Virtual FD?

Many SMEs reach a stage where financial decisions become more complex — but aren’t yet ready for a full-time FD. A Virtual FD 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 Finance Director

What does a Virtual FD do day-to-day?

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.

Can a Virtual FD also act as a Non-Executive Director?

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

Can a Virtual FD help with fundraising or investment?

Yes — an FD 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.

How much does a Virtual Finance Director cost?

The cost depends on the scope and frequency of support your business needs, but prices typically start at £1,200 +VAT per month. At Secantor, we tailor every engagement. Our FDs typically work with clients from 1 to 6 days per month. Contact us for a no-obligation discussion to get a proposal aligned to your business needs and budget.

Do I still need an accountant if I hire a Virtual FD?

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

Is a Virtual FD suitable for my business size?

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, a Virtual FD can help bring clarity and control.

How quickly can a Virtual FD start?

We can often place a vetted, accredited FD in your business within a matter of days. Every Secantor FD 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.

What makes Secantor different?

Unlike many providers, we don’t just offer FDs or NEDs — we deliver the complete boardroom package. Our Finance Directors 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.

How do I hire a Virtual Finance Director?

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.

Virtual Finance Director Services For SMEs

A Virtual Finance Director provides experienced senior financial leadership to SMEs on a flexible remote basis. Businesses gain access to improved financial visibility, forecasting, reporting and commercial insight without employing a full-time Finance Director.

For many growing SMEs, modern cloud accounting systems and remote working now make it entirely practical for senior financial leadership to be provided remotely . A Virtual Finance Director can support forecasting, management reporting, cash flow planning, profitability analysis and board-level decision making while working closely with the management team.

Many business owners continue managing financial leadership themselves for longer than they ideally should, often because they assume a Finance Director requires a full-time senior salary. A Virtual Finance Director provides a far more flexible and commercially practical solution.

At Secantor Business Services, our Virtual Finance Directors work closely with business owners and leadership teams across the UK, providing practical financial support tailored to the needs of growing SMEs.

What Does A Virtual Finance Director Do?

A Virtual Finance Director typically helps businesses improve financial visibility, strengthen decision making and build greater commercial control across the organisation.

Support often includes:

management accounts and KPI reporting
budgeting and forecasting
cash flow planning
profitability analysis
pricing and margin reviews
board reporting
financial modelling
strategic planning support
funding and banking support
improving financial processes and controls
supporting internal finance teams

While much of the work can be delivered remotely, Virtual Finance Directors still become closely involved in helping directors understand performance, identify risks and make better commercial decisions.

Businesses looking for broader strategic financial leadership may also find our Fractional Finance Director Services or Fractional CFO Services helpful depending on the complexity and scale of the business.

Many SMEs appoint a Virtual Finance Director when:

the business has outgrown basic bookkeeping or accountant-only support
directors need better financial visibility
cash flow forecasting is becoming more important
profitability is unclear
reporting lacks consistency or detail
the owner is carrying too much financial responsibility
growth is creating operational and financial complexity
better commercial decision support is needed
the business cannot yet justify a full-time Finance Director

For many SMEs, a Virtual Finance Director provides a practical middle ground between basic finance support and employing a permanent senior finance executive.

Flexible access to senior expertise

Businesses gain access to experienced financial leadership without the salary, pension, benefits and long-term commitment associated with employing a full-time Finance Director.

Improved financial visibility

Better reporting, forecasting and management information helps directors make more informed decisions with greater confidence.

Cost-effective support

A Virtual Finance Director can often provide significant commercial value on a part-time basis appropriate to the size and needs of the business.

Better strategic decision making

Commercial financial insight helps businesses evaluate pricing, investment decisions, recruitment plans, growth opportunities and operational performance more effectively.

Reduced pressure on business owners

Many SME owners carry significant financial and operational responsibility themselves. A Virtual Finance Director provides experienced support, challenge and structure to help directors manage growth more effectively.

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Other Terms Often Used

Businesses sometimes use different terms when searching for flexible senior financial support, including:

Part-Time Finance Director
Outsourced Finance Director
Fractional Finance Director

While the terminology varies, the underlying objective is usually the same — gaining access to experienced financial leadership without employing a full-time Finance Director.

You may also find these pages helpful:

Frequently Asked Questions: Virtual Finance Directors

A Virtual Finance Director (FD) provides experienced senior financial leadership to a business on a flexible remote basis. They help SMEs improve financial visibility, forecasting, cash flow management, reporting and commercial decision making without employing a full-time Finance Director.

A Virtual Finance Director provides the same type of senior financial expertise as a full-time FD but works with the business on a flexible part-time basis. This allows SMEs to access experienced financial leadership without the cost and commitment of a permanent full-time hire.

Many SMEs reach a stage where financial management becomes more complex but do not yet require a full-time Finance Director. A Virtual FD helps businesses improve financial control, forecasting, profitability, reporting and strategic decision making in a cost-effective way.

Typical responsibilities include:

management accounts and KPI reporting
budgeting and forecasting
cash flow management
profitability analysis
board reporting
financial modelling
funding support
improving financial controls
supporting finance teams
helping directors make commercially informed decisions

The terms are often used interchangeably. In practice, both provide flexible senior financial leadership on a part-time basis, although a Virtual Finance Director usually delivers much of their support remotely using cloud systems and online meetings.

Yes. Virtual Finance Directors are particularly well suited to growing SMEs that need experienced financial leadership but do not yet require or wish to employ a full-time Finance Director.

Yes. Cash flow forecasting is often one of the most important areas where a Virtual FD can support an SME. Better forecasting helps businesses improve financial visibility, reduce risk and plan growth more effectively.

Yes. A Virtual FD can help prepare forecasts, financial models, funding presentations and management information to support discussions with banks, investors and lenders.

Yes. The roles are different and complementary. Accountants typically focus on compliance, tax and statutory reporting, while a Virtual Finance Director provides ongoing strategic and commercial financial leadership within the business.

Costs vary depending on the level of support required, but many engagements start from around £1,200 +VAT per month. Most SMEs use a Virtual Finance Director for between one and six days per month.

This depends on the requirements of the business and the availability of suitable Finance Directors, but support can often begin within a relatively short timeframe.

Some experienced Finance Directors also provide Non-Executive Director support, particularly where businesses would benefit from additional strategic challenge, accountability and board-level guidance.

Secantor Business Services provides experienced Finance Directors, CFOs and Non-Executive Directors who work as part of the management team rather than as external consultants. Our focus is on practical commercial support tailored to the needs of SME businesses.

The first step is usually an introductory discussion to understand your business, current challenges and the type of financial support required. This helps determine the most appropriate level of Finance Director support for your business.

Secantor Business Services supports SMEs across the UK with experienced Finance Directors, CFOs and Non-Executive Directors who work as part of the management team rather than external consultants.

Our approach focuses on practical commercial support, helping businesses improve financial clarity, strengthen decision making and build more scalable operations.

We work with owner-managed and privately owned businesses across a wide range of sectors and growth stages.

You may also find these resources helpful:

What Does A Finance Director Do In The First 90 Days?
Why Every SME Business Should Have A Finance Director
Benefits Of Management Accounts For SMEs
Financial Modelling Services For SMEs

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Ways Secantor Will Help You

Develop & Implement A Successful Plan

Optimise Your Finances

Develop A Strong Accountable Team

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The Value of an Interim Finance Director

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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

Virtual Finance Director Services For SMEs

Flexible Financial Leadership Delivered Remotely

What Does A Virtual Finance Director Do?

When Businesses Typically Use A Virtual Finance Director

“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”

The Benefits Of A Virtual Finance Director

Flexible access to senior expertise

Improved financial visibility

Cost-effective support

Better strategic decision making

Reduced pressure on business owners

Is A Virtual Finance Director The Same As A Fractional Finance Director?

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Other Terms Often Used

Frequently Asked Questions: Virtual Finance Directors

Why SMEs Use Secantor

Talk To Paul About Your Business Goals

Paul Gibbins

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

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?

“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”

Read Our Latest Blog Posts

Why Every SME Business Should Have a Finance Director

The Benefits of Management Accounting: Why Every SME Business Should Use Management Accounts

When Does An SME Need A CFO?

Our Services

We help you make strategic decisions

Non-Executive Director

Finance Director

Operations Director

Free Business Review