Portfolio Company CFO Leadership Accelerator

Over the past 10 years, there’s been a fundamental shift in the strategic and operational rigor required to be a portfolio company CFO. With unprecedented increases in CFO turnover and hasty transitions, we continue to see the same leadership gaps impede a talented financial executive’s success in the role.

With the increasing need for portfolio company CFOs to be strategic partners in value creation, there’s no doubt that technical expertise is vital, but talented individuals need support to learn how to be effective leaders and navigate the nuances of partnering with investors.

That’s why we’ve developed the Portfolio Company CFO Leadership Accelerator, a leadership summit designed to accelerate the development of private capital portfolio company CFOs.

Expert Advisors

Led by a faculty of world-class portfolio company CFO veterans alongside leadership advisory experts, leveraging a breadth of perspectives.

In Context

Portfolio company finance executives get the opportunity to fine-tune their leadership style and develop insight into best practices for succeeding as a portfolio CFO.

Elite Peer & CFO Mentor Network

A network of peers and a cadre of portfolio company CFO mentors create an inclusive, supportive, and challenging experience.

Attendee Leadership Development

Assessment and development for the portfolio company finance executive to generate transformative leadership insights.

How we’ll help finance executives develop as leaders

The Portfolio Company CFO Leadership Accelerator will guide finance executives through four modules designed to broaden their knowledge and develop new leadership skills, led by experienced portfolio company CFOs and leadership experts.

Preparation

Participants take part in a 360 Leadership Assessment to better understand their strengths and growth areas. Supported by experienced RRA Advisors, leaders translate assessment insights into a concrete Leadership Dashboard that serves as a development roadmap for the program.

Module 1: Influencing Stakeholders

There is a direct connection between the CFO and their relationship with the CEO, private capital investor, and external stakeholders and an organization’s performance. A new CFO must quickly build stakeholder trust and position their team for success. In this session, we will explore the intricacies of stakeholder dynamics, influential communication and create specific plans for how to engage stakeholders, garner support, and build trust.

Module 2: Establishing Finance as a Strategic Partner

Leaders will deepen their understanding of the core principles of value creation and portfolio company strategies through insights from seasoned experts. They will refine their ability to assess the impact of key business decisions and cultivate an owner’s mindset, positioning themselves as trusted partners to both the CEO and private capital investors. In this module, participants will develop the strategic leadership skills necessary to drive financial outcomes and align business goals with broader organizational objectives.

Module 3: Gaining Immediate Traction as CFO

With mounting pressure to deliver as a strategic partner, transitioning into a new CFO role has become an increasingly difficult task. Without proper onboarding and mentorship, newly appointed CFOs can often face a myriad of common pitfalls. Here we introduce the critical actions needed to gain immediate traction as CFO, and face common “speed traps” head-on, for example stylistic and operating cadence differences of varying CEOs and private capital firms.

Module 4: Impactful Leadership

Fine-tuning what type of CFO, one wants to be requires intentionality in what one says, does, measures, and prioritizes. When there is alignment in the legacy one wants to leave, executives create clarity for those they lead. In this module, we’ll work back from the legacy finance executives want to leave as a portfolio company CFO, leveraging their personalized leadership dashboard, to define their purpose, and how they can develop a best-in-class finance team around them to deliver impact.

Developing a Peer Network

Leaders will reconnect with a peer group from the program to support the application of learning and insights to concrete business challenges. Leaders will also have the opportunity for a follow-up coaching session with their RRA Advisor to continue to build out and refine their Leadership Dashboard.