A first-100-day framework for PE-backed CFOs

Most CFOs step into a PE-backed role mid-sprint. The champagne’s gone, the deal thesis is baked and the board’s already thinking about the exit. That leaves little time to ease into the role.

This playbook helps newly backed CFOs focus energy where it matters most – earning credibility, establishing control and building momentum on the path to value creation. It’s the strategic guide many wish they had before their first board meeting.

Start by setting the tone.

The CFOs who succeed in PE environments define the finance charter early. They earn trust by communicating their plans and priorities. And they focus first on the handful of levers that shape board confidence fast:

• Investor reporting that’s timely, grounded and repeatable
• Real-time visibility into cash and margin – and what’s driving both
• Ownership of the systems that feed decision-making
• A shared understanding of priorities across CFO, sponsor and CEO

This playbook gives you a structure to flag issues early, prioritize your effort and drive execution where it builds board confidence fastest.

Download the first 100-day playbook

In the first 100 days, focus beats speed.

The pressure to move fast is real. But without a clear sequence, speed turns into noise and early missteps are hard to unwind.

What assumptions did the PE firm already price into the model? Where is finance expected to deliver leverage and where are the gaps that could slow it down? What assumptions about systems, visibility or working capital might break under pressure?

This playbook helps CFOs pressure-test what’s already baked into the plan and focus effort where it creates early results – without overwhelming the team or drifting off-course.

What’s inside:

• A five-pillar framework: SCALE-100, built for day 1 through day 100
• Tactical guidance: across mandate, visibility, systems, cash and team
• Thoughtful questions: to surface gaps early and avoid surprises later
• Practical insights: from CFOs and PE operators who’ve done it before
• Checklists and tools: to help you track momentum and stay focused

Download the first 100-day playbook

How you start shapes everything that follows.

We’ve seen what happens when CFOs try to build their plan from a few board notes and a loose idea of the deal thesis. It creates misalignment. Critical gaps show up at the wrong time. Internal trust slips before it’s even built.

This playbook is designed to help avoid that – to give you a structure for your first 100 days that anchors your role, clarifies your focus and signals control from the start.

Use it to define what the board expects, what finance owns and what levers you need to move before the next 30-day update.

Your first close, board meeting and investor update are already on the calendar. This helps you walk in with control.

Download the first 100-day playbook