Rutherford Cross consultants, Kamran Chaudhry and Euan Bodie, recently welcomed senior finance professionals to the latest edition of our Navigating the World of Interim event series, designed to provide practical insights for those considering or already pursuing an interim career.
The session featured an engaging discussion with experienced finance leader, Kate Proctor, whose career has spanned practice, multinational organisations, high-growth scale-ups, and interim leadership roles. Having started her career in audit with KPMG before moving into senior finance positions with organisations including Diageo, Kate shared valuable perspectives on working across businesses of different sizes, sectors, and stages of growth.
Drawing on experience in FMCG, technology, and private equity-backed businesses, Kate offered a candid view of what it takes to succeed as both a finance leader and an interim professional in today’s market.
Adopting the Right Finance Lens in High-Growth Businesses
A key theme throughout the discussion was the difference between leading finance in an established organisation versus a scaling business.
Kate highlighted that while cash management is important in every organisation, it becomes particularly critical in a high-growth environment. Robust, short-term cashflow forecasting, contingency planning, and the ability to respond quickly to changing circumstances are essential.
High-growth businesses often move at pace, requiring finance leaders to make decisions with incomplete information while building processes, controls, and teams at the same time. In this environment, adaptability, initiative, and strong communication skills become invaluable.
Attendees also stressed the importance of transparency during the recruitment process. Honest conversations around expectations, challenges, and measures of success help both employers and candidates determine the right fit from the outset.
Lessons from Working Across Different Business Sizes
Reflecting on her experience in both global organisations and entrepreneurial businesses, Kate described the significant differences between each environment.
Larger organisations typically benefit from established processes, governance structures, and clearly defined responsibilities. Smaller businesses often require leaders to operate across a broader remit and become involved in areas beyond traditional finance responsibilities.
For professionals considering a move into a smaller organisation or interim role, adaptability remains one of the most important skills. Kate noted that successful leaders focus on influencing stakeholders, building relationships, and bringing people with them rather than relying solely on hierarchy or formal authority.
Culture and Flexibility Continue to Shape Career Decisions
The importance of culture and flexibility emerged as another major discussion point.
Kate explained that flexibility has become a key factor when assessing new opportunities and encouraged professionals to discuss expectations early in the recruitment process.
When joining businesses on an interim basis, cultural influence can still be significant. While the scale of that impact may vary depending on the organisation, building credibility quickly and securing leadership buy-in remain essential to driving meaningful change.
Kate shared that in her experience, smaller organisations rarely view interims as outsiders. Instead, they are often welcomed as experienced problem-solvers brought in to help achieve important business objectives.
Building a Strong Professional Network
Kate also emphasised the value of building and maintaining strong professional relationships.
Despite describing herself as someone who is not a natural networker, she credited much of her career progression to relationships developed throughout previous roles and projects. Connections with finance professionals, investors, law firms, private equity contacts, recruiters, and former colleagues have all played an important role in creating future opportunities.
For finance leaders considering interim work, maintaining market visibility, investing in relationships, and continuing to expand professional networks remain critical for accessing opportunities and staying informed on market trends.
What Organisations Look for in Interim Talent
Drawing on her own hiring experience, Kate outlined several qualities that consistently stand out in successful interim candidates.
Organisations want people who can demonstrate initiative, deliver impact quickly, and operate with minimal supervision. Interim professionals are expected to hit the ground running and add value from day one.
While cultural fit remains important, commitment is particularly significant in interim appointments. Businesses want confidence that contractors will remain engaged throughout the assignment and deliver against agreed objectives.
Kate also highlighted the importance of reputation within the interim market, noting that professional networks are often closely connected and reliability quickly becomes part of an individual’s personal brand.
Getting Up to Speed Quickly as an Interim Professional
One of the most practical parts of the discussion focused on how interims can make an immediate impact in a new organisation.
Kate shared the importance of ensuring key information, system access, and stakeholder introductions are in place before day one. She also emphasised the need to understand how the business operates as quickly as possible by spending time with operational teams, observing processes, and meeting stakeholders across departments.
Being well organised, creating a structured onboarding plan, and investing in relationship building, all help accelerate the transition and enable interims to deliver value sooner.
Working Successfully with Private Equity Stakeholders
The discussion concluded with insights into working within private equity-backed businesses.
Kate encouraged finance leaders to develop a clear understanding of investor expectations from the outset and maintain open communication around priorities, risks, and opportunities. Strong relationships between finance leaders, managing directors, and investors are particularly valuable in fast-paced growth environments.
While accurate financial reporting remains fundamental, Kate emphasised that private equity investors can often add value beyond capital by providing strategic guidance, operational expertise, and commercial insight.
Her advice was simple: know your numbers, understand the story behind them, and focus conversations on actions and priorities rather than simply reporting results.
As the interim market continues to evolve, the discussion reinforced that success is rarely driven by technical capability alone. Adaptability, communication, commercial awareness, and the ability to build trust quickly remain the qualities that differentiate exceptional interim finance leaders.
If you would like to find out more about the senior finance interim market or attend future events, please contact Kamran Chaudhry: [email protected], Euan Bodie: [email protected] or Christina McLean: [email protected]
