Case Study Series - CFO Leadership During Rapid Growth

Client Profile

A privately held, growth-oriented organization based in the GTA, experiencing accelerated growth across operations, multi-sites & headcount, and organizational complexity.

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The Challenge

The company was entering a new phase of growth—one that required stronger financial leadership at the strategic level.

While the incumbent CFO had served the business well historically, their strengths were rooted primarily in HR oversight and financial maintenance. As the organization scaled, it became clear that the role now demanded a different skill set—one focused on forward-looking financial strategy, decision support, and leadership at the executive table.

It was less about finding a better CFO, and more about defining what the role needed to become.

The transition needed to be handled thoughtfully and discreetly, without disrupting momentum.

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The Risk

This was not simply a replacement hire.

The organization faced several critical risks:

• Hiring another technically capable CFO without true strategic depth

• Disrupting momentum during a period of rapid growth

• Losing confidence at the leadership and board level

• Making a reactive hire instead of a future-ready one

The wrong decision could slow growth, strain leadership alignment, disrupt the team culture, and create longer-term challenges that would be costly to unwind.

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Our Approach

Verriez partnered closely with ownership and senior leadership to redefine what the CFO role needed to become—not just what it had been.

Key elements of our approach included:

• Clarifying expectations around strategy, forecasting, capital planning, and executive presence

• Identifying candidates with proven experience supporting growth-stage organizations

• Assessing leadership style and the ability to influence beyond the finance function

• Ensuring alignment with the company’s culture, pace, and long-term vision

Rather than prioritizing speed or availability, we focused on readiness for scale.

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The Outcome

The company successfully appointed a CFO who brought:

• A strong strategic mindset and commercial orientation

• The ability to partner effectively with the CEO and leadership team

• Experience navigating complexity during periods of growth

• A shift from “keeping the books” to using financial insight to drive decisions

The transition strengthened leadership confidence and positioned the organization with the financial leadership required for its next chapter.

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Why This Matters

Growth can expose gaps.

This case demonstrates the importance of recognizing when a role must evolve—and having the discipline to make the right leadership decision at the right time.

For this client, the CFO hire was not about replacing a person.

It was about aligning financial leadership with where the business was going next—both short and long-term.

This is a conversation we’re having more often with leadership teams as organizations grow.