2023 Survey Report: The State of the PE Sponsor & CFO Relationship
We’ve got a problem. PE-backed CFOs, put simply, are more worried about their jobs than ever before.
Our third survey on The State of the PE Sponsor & CFO Relationship finds us in an uncertain economic environment. Interest rate fluctuations, erratic equity markets, and sustained geopolitical conflict laid the ground that a recession could be triggered at any time. A generation of CFOs who had never experienced anything like the current conditions—few were in senior positions during the Global Financial Crisis of 2008—face the daunting task of not just maintaining, but growing, a business.
For private equity sponsors and their management teams, the dynamic nature of this environment places greater emphasis than ever on alignment of strategic and financial interests, investment, and effort.
Conventional wisdom would hold that these factors would strain the PE sponsor & CFO relationship, but we found that PE teams and their portfolio CFOs are strongly aligned in many areas. This should be good news and set up an optimistic report full of best-in-class lessons from which any sponsor or CFO could learn.
However, despite the myriad areas where we see alignment, CFOs are standing on shaky ground, feeling less secure in their roles. In fact, PE-backed CFOs are more worried about their jobs than ever before.
Something needs to change. And this report identifies where that change is needed.
The State of the PE Sponsor & CFO Relationship identifies three areas of misalignment, serves as a roadmap to bring sponsors and CFOs closer together, and surfaces actionable advice from experts on how to build more effective relationships.
We understand the pressures facing PE-backed CFOs. Here, you’ll find a go-to resource for identifying problem areas and initiating resolutions. Dive in. A better way to work in finance awaits.
Download the full report.
