Finance leadership at the moment of need.
An interim mandate is not a stopgap. It is a deliberate deployment of senior expertise into an institution at a specific moment of need — providing continuity of financial governance while the permanent appointment is confirmed, or while the institution works through a period of strategic or operational transition.
An interim appointment is not a temporary fix. It is an opportunity — to stabilise the institution's financial management, address the structural issues that surface during leadership transitions, and deliver an appointment-ready finance function to the successor.
Most institutions treat an interim appointment as a matter of operational continuity — keeping essential functions running until the permanent CFO is in place. This underestimates what a well-structured interim mandate can accomplish. Leadership transitions are the moments when financial management weaknesses become visible, when strategic decisions are deferred, and when the relationship between the finance function and the board is most exposed.
CB Advisors provides interim financial leadership as a substantive mandate, not a holding arrangement. The principal brings the depth and institutional experience of a former bank director to every engagement — providing not just continuity, but the active financial management and advisory capacity the institution needs at a critical moment.
Every interim mandate passes through four phases — from a rapid diagnostic at the point of transition to a structured handover that sets up the permanent appointment for success.
Rapid Diagnostic
Within the opening days of the engagement, an independent assessment of the institution's financial management state at the point of transition — open audit items, pending regulatory submissions, the current state of the reporting cycle, and any immediate matters requiring attention before the interim mandate can move into active management.
Stabilisation
Immediate implementation of the priority actions identified in the diagnostic: resolution of outstanding audit and regulatory items, restoration of day-to-day financial management disciplines, and establishment of the reporting and control environment on which the active mandate depends. Stabilisation is complete when the institution is operating under normal financial management conditions.
Active Financial Leadership
Full execution of the CFO mandate — financial reporting, regulatory liaison, board and supervisory board engagement, budget management, and strategic financial advisory to senior management. CB Advisors operates as a full member of the executive team, with the depth and institutional experience of a former bank director applied to every decision.
Transition & Handover
The interim mandate is structured from the outset with a defined endpoint. As the permanent appointment approaches, CB Advisors manages the knowledge transfer, documents the finance function's current state, and structures a handover that gives the incoming CFO the institutional foundation to be effective from day one.
The principal deliverables of a full interim leadership mandate. Scope is confirmed following the diagnostic phase and may extend or contract based on the institution's specific circumstances.
- Interim CFO and CFO-ad-interim placement
- Crisis financial management and operational stabilisation
- Finance function restructuring and team capacity development
- Regulatory liaison and supervisory authority engagement
- Transition planning and structured handover to permanent appointment
- Financial institutions navigating planned or unplanned CFO transitions
- Regulated entities requiring financial continuity during structural change
- Institutions under supervisory corrective action requiring immediate senior capacity
- Banks, credit unions, and investment funds during merger or restructuring
- Government-linked entities requiring interim financial stewardship
Interim mandates are subject to principal availability and are accepted on a selective basis. CB Advisors does not maintain a bench of associates — every interim engagement is led personally by the principal.
Leadership
at the moment of need.
Interim mandates are subject to principal availability and accepted selectively.
Initial conversations are confidential and without obligation.