Worth a read
Timely food for thought
How to Find the Right CFO, the Right Way, Right Away
My CEO clients are always asking me, “How long will it take to find a CFO, Dave?” By industry standards, an executive-level search takes between four and five months to complete, on average. This is backed by search industry statistics, as well as data from our...
A Great CFO Search Consultant: A Head Above “Headhunter”
When you think of the word “headhunter,” what comes to mind? I generally have a distaste for the cannibalistic title as it engenders a scene of a crowded, bullpen-type work environment with individuals working furiously to fill open job orders—like the penny stock...
CFO Recruiters: Creating Value on Both Sides of the Search Process
Interesting conversation yesterday with a top-tier public company CFO. He was musing about the search process and about how UN-informed so many CFO recruiters are when they call with supposed opportunities. Recently he was called about a supposed “confidential” search...
CFO Compensation: What Does Being in the Top Quartile Mean?
For those CEOs and HR folks who rely on salary surveys to help determine the right range of base and bonus pay for a new CFO hire…or for candidates who are looking for the right CFO compensation offer, consider the following. Salary surveys are notoriously outdated...
Advice for Financial Professionals: How to Get on a Board of Directors
Very interesting conversation with a current board audit committee Director and a former Big4 partner last week. He currently sits on three boards: two public, one private. We had a far-reaching conversation on the role of an independent director, and his thoughts on...
On Measuring Value Created by Placed CFOs
My good friend and colleague Nilofer Merchant (www.nilofermerchant.com) is a strategy consultant, prominent speaker and Ted Talk presenter. She coined the idea of a “walk and talk meeting” which we had last week. During our walk and talk she asked me an intriguing...
How to Become a Successful CFO
I’m asked by a lot of young financial professionals what it takes to become a successful CFO. There is certainly no one right answer or one path to the top rung of the financial ladder. However, early on in your career there are distinct avenues you can follow to...
Arnold Partners CFO Placements Help Push Silicon Valley IPOs to 55 since Q1
According to the Silicon Valley Business Journal (10/30/15), Silicon Valley has had 55 companies IPO since Q1 2014. Arnold Partners placed 10% of the CFOs in those companies, creating over $7B in market capitalization. While only half of the 55 companies are trading...
A Great CFO Hire on Paper vs. a Great CFO Hire: A Tale of Two Clients
I had a client last year that kept falling in love with candidates he could not attract to his company. There was nothing wrong with his company; in fact, I think it will prove to be very successful. However, it was earlier stage than some CFOs want to get involved...