Women still make up a small minority of CFOs in private equity backed environments – particularly here in the UK. But, with research now proving that gender diversity in the boardroom brings real benefits to the bottom line, the PE community is now acting on this. It is time for prospective candidates to take advantage of this change by putting themselves forward.

There is plenty of opportunity for the CFO of a private equity backed business. The role of an incoming CFO will typically be to transform the finance function, with there typically being investment in technology and people to support that transformation. PE businesses will inevitably be growth focussed, so there is opportunity to get involved in international expansion as well as M&A activity. Of course, CFOs would be seen as a key appointment for PE and there would usually be sweet equity on the table, creating the chance to generate a capital gain on exit. Once a proven resource, PE are typically loyal to their CFOs and will seek to ensure that they are placed into new investments. A CFO who has worked effectively as part of a PE backed entity will be seen by the market as a valuable asset and it is an excellent way to build a CV rapidly.

Our guest speakers, Wendy Hart, Senior Partner, HMT and Tamsin Ashmore, CFO, Ultima Business Solutions and Valerie Kendall, Investement Manager at Westbridge will open up the discussion on what PE firms are looking for from their CFOs and how to engage with them.

To hear more about this subject and key highlights from the lunch, please click on the link below:

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