Interim CFO

When to bring in an interim CFO

A vacant seat

A CFO resigns in the middle of the annual closing, leaves for a competitor or goes on extended leave. Bridge assignments remain the market's primary use case: the interim CFO holds the position and secures the deadlines while leadership recruits the permanent hire without rushing, which is the best guarantee of getting a hire of this level right.

Cash pressure and refinancing

Covenants under pressure, credit lines up for renewal, preparing a raise or a renegotiation with lenders. These situations call for reflexes few sitting finance teams have had the chance to build. An interim CFO seasoned in restructuring knows what to do in which order, what to negotiate and how to restore lenders' confidence.

Transforming the finance function

An ERP migration, firming up reporting, structuring financial control, or compliance programmes such as the rollout of mandatory e-invoicing in France. The function has to keep producing while it transforms; the assignment format hands the programme to an executive who has already run it elsewhere.

Deals and capital events

A carve-out, a post-acquisition integration, preparing a disposal, a fund entering the capital. These operations run on a contractual timetable that will not move, and they call on skills the company will no longer need once the deal closes: vendor due diligence, carving out the accounts, investor reporting.

Structuring a fast-growing mid-market company

A company that doubles in size while its finance function stays artisanal. The interim CFO installs the processes, tools and team that will later allow a permanent CFO to be recruited into a properly defined role. Mid-market companies are in fact driving the market: their interim management activity grew 8% in 2025 according to France Transition.

Typical interim CFO assignments

The exact content depends on the situation, but the mandates entrusted to an interim CFO largely overlap:

• Secure monthly and annual closings and keep the accounts timetable on track with the auditors
• Take charge of cash: reliable cash forecasts, a working-capital action plan, the banking relationship
• Lead and upskill the accounting, consolidation and financial control teams
• Build or firm up management reporting and investor reporting
• Run a refinancing, a covenant renegotiation or a consensual restructuring process
• Lead the finance side of a carve-out, an integration or the preparation of a disposal
• Drive a systems migration: ERP, consolidation, e-invoicing

In every case the assignment ends with an organised handover: processes and decisions documented, transfer to the recruited CFO or to the internal manager stepping up. A professional interim CFO prepares their exit from day one.

The Bloomco approach

Bloomco selects its interim CFOs from a community of 6,000+ independent consultants and interim managers, on one primary criterion: the situation already handled, more than the sector. An executive who has already led a refinancing or a carve-out beats one from your industry who never has. Client references are checked before any profile is put forward.

The engagement is framed end to end: qualification of the need with your leadership, two to three profiles presented within days, an engagement letter setting objectives, scope of authority and milestones, then a Bloomco lead who follows the assignment at your side through to handover. Our teams operate from Paris, Lyon and Lille for large enterprises and mid-market companies.

Frequently asked questions

How quickly can an interim CFO start?

From first conversation to arrival on site, allow a few days to two weeks: qualification of the need, presentation of profiles, interviews, framing. Immediate availability is what the profession is built on.

How long does an interim CFO assignment last?

The average interim management assignment runs around seven months according to France Transition, and beyond eight months excluding bridge assignments. Think six to nine months as the order of magnitude, adjustable in days per week to the actual workload.

How much does an interim CFO cost?

The France Transition barometer puts the market's average billed rate at €1,333 per day excluding VAT for the first half of 2025. At Bloomco, executive functions range from €1,500 to €1,800 per day depending on seniority and how critical the situation is. Our day rate barometer details the ranges and what they cover.

Interim CFO or permanent hire?

Ask two questions: is the need permanent or tied to a situation, and can you wait six months? The two options combine well: the interim CFO holds the seat and structures the function while you recruit the permanent hire in good conditions. The difference with a financial consulting assignment is covered in our comparison interim manager or independent consultant.