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Chief Financial Officer — CV Example

A template for CFOs who drive financial strategy and steward shareholder value.

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What Does a Chief Financial Officer Actually Do?

A Chief Financial Officer leads the financial strategy of the organisation — overseeing financial planning, risk management, reporting, and capital allocation. CFOs report to the CEO and the board, and are often the primary relationship owner with investors, auditors, and banks. Day-to-day the role is a mix of strategic decisions (should we raise debt or equity, do we acquire this company) and operational oversight (is the month-end close on time, why is gross margin down). It is one of the most board-facing roles in any business.

Helen Davies
Chief Financial Officer
📍 London, UK✉️ helen.davies@email.com
Summary

ACA-qualified Chief Financial Officer with 16 years of experience in SaaS and technology businesses. Led Series B–D fundraising totalling £85M and IPO readiness programme. Oversee £120M revenue business with team of 30 across finance, legal, and compliance.

Work Experience
Chief Financial Officer at Darktrace plcMar 2020 — Present
  • Oversee all finance, legal, and compliance functions for £120M ARR cybersecurity SaaS business
  • Led IPO readiness programme and subsequent £1.7B LSE listing with zero material audit findings
VP Finance / Finance Director at Funding CircleJan 2014 — Mar 2020
  • Progressed from VP Finance to Finance Director during Series B–D fundraising totalling £85M
  • Built finance team from 3 to 18, implementing NetSuite ERP and Adaptive Planning FP&A
Skills
ACA QualifiedIPO / FundraisingIFRS ReportingSaaS Metrics (ARR/NRR)FP&A / TreasuryInvestor RelationsERP (NetSuite)Board Governance

What Recruiters Look For

CFO CVs must demonstrate strategic financial leadership, fundraising experience, and board governance. Include revenue scale managed, capital raised, audit outcomes, and financial transformation delivered.

Key Skills to Include

ACA/ACCA qualification, IPO/fundraising, IFRS reporting, SaaS metrics (ARR/NRR/LTV), FP&A, treasury, investor relations, ERP implementation (NetSuite/SAP), and board governance.

Common Mistakes

Listing accounting tasks instead of strategic impact. At CFO level, show how you shaped business strategy through financial leadership. Include capital raised, valuation achieved, and strategic transactions led.

Formatting Tips

Two pages. Use an executive format. Lead with a Career Highlights section showing fundraising, IPO, or M&A outcomes. Include board directorships and non-executive roles.

Average Salary — Chief Financial Officer

United States
$200,000 – $380,000
United Kingdom
$160,000 – $290,000
Germany
$150,000 – $270,000
UAE / Dubai
$160,000 – $300,000
Canada
$170,000 – $300,000
Australia
$170,000 – $300,000

Figures in USD. Ranges reflect mid-level experience (3–7 years). Senior roles and major metro areas typically sit at the top of these bands.

Top 5 Interview Questions — Chief Financial Officer

1Walk me through how you managed a complex capital raise or M&A transaction.
Structure the story: the strategic rationale, your role in the process, the advisors involved, and the outcome. Boards want to know you can operate in high-stakes financial situations.
2How do you build a financial model that actually drives business decisions?
Talk about the assumptions that matter most, how you stress test them, and how you make the outputs accessible to non-finance leaders. A model nobody uses is worthless.
3Describe how you have strengthened financial controls in a previous role.
Name specific controls you implemented — revenue recognition policies, procurement sign-off limits, three-way invoice matching. Show you understand risk, not just reporting.
4How do you communicate financial performance to a board that has varied financial literacy?
Show you adapt — bridge from EBITDA to cash, visualise the burn rate, use the story behind the numbers. The best CFOs make finance understandable without dumbing it down.
5Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult recommendation to the CEO or board.
Pick something real — recommending a cost restructuring, flagging a funding runway issue, or opposing an acquisition. Show courage in your financial judgment.

How to Tailor Your CV

Public companies and pre-IPO growth businesses (think Revolut, Monzo, or Klarna pre-listing) want CFOs with audit backgrounds (Big Four trained) and experience with investor relations and statutory reporting. Private equity portfolio companies want CFOs who are hands-on with financial modelling, covenant compliance, and EBITDA improvement. Early-stage startups want CFOs who can build a finance function from scratch — hiring their first FP&A analyst, setting up NetSuite, and managing a Series A or B fundraise. List your CPA/ACA/ACCA/CFA credentials and any board or audit committee exposure prominently.

Related CV Examples

📊Chief Executive Officer→📊Chief Operating Officer→📊Financial Analyst→

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