Virtual FD

Senior finance leadership for businesses that have outgrown
the controller but not yet the full-time FD

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Many established businesses reach a stage where the finance function needs more than a financial controller can provide. Board-level strategy, capital structure thinking, banking relationships and investor conversations all require a different quality of financial leadership – but the business is not yet at the point where a full-time FD at full-time cost is the right answer. The gap is real and it tends to become visible at the moments of greatest pressure.

Our Virtual FD service places an experienced finance leader inside that gap, with the scope, seniority and commitment of presence calibrated to where the business actually is.

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Related services

How we deliver Virtual FD service

Each engagement is led by a senior finance professional with substantive operational experience, typically in roles equivalent to CFO or FD in businesses of comparable scale and complexity.

The match between the Virtual FD and the business is made deliberately, on the basis of sector, stage and the specific work the role will need to carry.

The shape of the engagement is set at the outset including the time commitment, attendance at board and investor meetings, ownership of specific work streams (cash forecasting, banking relationships, KPI design, scenario modelling, transaction support) and the boundary between the Virtual FD and any controller or finance manager in-house.

Behind the Virtual FD sits the rest of the Macalvin’s team, including:

  • Tax
  • Audit
  • Corporate finance
  • Payroll
  • And our wider advisory services

All accessible to you when the situation calls for it.

What you can expect from a Virtual FD engagement

Three things define how the service works in practice:

Genuine seniority in the room

The Virtual FD attends board meetings, leadership offsites, investor pitches and lender conversations in the capacity the role requires, with the standing and the substantive experience to operate at that level.

Defined scope reviewed regularly

The commitment is sized to the work and revisited as the business grows. The objective is to deploy senior finance time where it changes outcomes.

Backed by a full-service firm

Tax structuring, transaction support, audit preparation, payroll and the wider advisory practice sit behind the Virtual FD. The breadth of capability you draw on is the breadth of the firm, not the bandwidth of an individual.

Boards engage us in this capacity because they want senior finance leadership that is genuinely present in the decisions that matter – not a part-time resource on the periphery, but a trusted guide at the centre of the commercial conversation – without making the irreversible commitment of a full-time hire before the role has been properly defined.

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Here is what our clients have to say… testimonial icon


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Macalvins have been running the Payroll and Pension Plan for Hayes & Yeading United Football Club for over 10 years.… Read More

Bernard Bitmead

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I love the people of macalvins. they are warm and very dependable. and that what matters to me in any… Read More

SUJOY GHOSH

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I have been MaCalvins for the past 6 years and I have found them excellent in every department. They manage… Read More

John Gill

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I’ve been with MaCalvins since 2013, they are managing my company business accounts and my personal tax returns in a… Read More

Taghreed Altuhafi

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Excellent service and understanding of our business needs

Kanesh Rajani

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Thank you Macalvins for excellent service over the years

S Hodzic

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I have been with Macalvins for the past 3 years and have found them to be polite, courteous and professional… Read More

Nilip Vithlani

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I’ve been with Macalvins for 9 years, and they’ve always done a good job on My Accounts.

Nick Breakell

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We have used Macalvins for all our accounting needs including audits and payrol since the beginning of time – nothing… Read More

Tracey Jannaway

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I appointed Macalvins when I first started my business in 2013 and have found their expertise to be invaluable. Initially,… Read More

Angela Taylor

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Why choose Macalvins?

With our team, you get precision, continuity and the kind of considered advice that comes from people who know your numbers as well as you do.

As a Top 100 UK accountancy firm with international reach through PrimeGlobal, Macalvins brings that depth of expertise to every client, at every stage of growth.

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Frequently Asked Questions faq

How is the right Virtual FD matched to our business?

Through a structured introduction process. We discuss the business, the stage it is at, the immediate priorities and the longer arc the role is expected to serve. The candidate we propose has substantive experience in comparable situations and the match is confirmed in conversation between you and the prospective Virtual FD before the engagement is committed to.

How does the Virtual FD relate to our existing finance team?

As a senior leader of it. Where you have a controller or finance manager in place, the Virtual FD provides the strategic layer above them. Where the team is more nascent, the Virtual FD takes on a wider operational scope until the in-house capability is built out. Either configuration is workable, provided the boundaries are set deliberately.

When does the engagement transition to a permanent hire?

When the business has grown to the point where a permanent FD is the right answer — and not before. Part of the Virtual FD’s role is to help you make that assessment objectively, define the permanent role properly and support the transition once it is made. A clean handover at the right moment is a feature of the engagement, not the end of the relationship.

Mr. Jackson
@mrjackson
Mr. Jackson
@mrjackson