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CFO Market Insights 2025: Industry Expertise, Rising Compensation, and Step-Up Candidates

A Conversation with Lisa Gordon, Bespoke CFO Practice Partner

by Eric Walczykowski​

February 20, 2025,,
CFO Market Insights 2025

In a world where private equity mega-deals are becoming the norm and initial public offering (IPO) markets are being stirred back to life, finding the right chief financial officer (CFO) has never been more critical – or more challenging.

I recently sat down with Lisa Gordon, our newest Finance Practice partner, to dissect the trends reshaping the financial leadership landscape in 2025. From skyrocketing compensation packages to the rise of step-up candidates, we're seeing seismic shifts in what both private equity firms and CFO candidates want. Here's what’s important.

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The CFO Evolution: Expanding Scopes, Market Pressures, & Rising Compensation

Watch my full conversation with Lisa

The CFO Evolution: Expanding Scopes Market Pressures, and Rising Compensation 

Hot CFO Market Trends

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    Industry Expertise is a “Must-Have”

    Private equity firms are increasingly prioritizing industry expertise in their CFO searches. What was once a "nice-to-have" has become a "must-have." Why? Because when your CFO speaks the same industry language as your board from day one, you're already ahead of the game.

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    A Surge in Step-Up Candidates

    We have noticed an increase in client openness to step-up candidates: VP and SVP finance executives ready to make the leap to CFO. Over 20% of our CFO candidates have been step-ups since 2023 with 90% of them still thriving in their CFO role today. Step-up candidates have got something to prove and they’re ready to make an impact from day one.

Hot CFO Candidate Trends

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    Compensation Increases & Retention Incentives

    In the latter half of 2024, our analysts saw a 13% bump in compensation for startups in the 0-50M annual recurring revenue (ARR) range. We've also been seeing firms offer competitive retention bonuses to ensure CFOs stay in seat through exits. Having your financial quarterback drop out while you're on the 10-yard line doesn’t look good from the perspective of potential investors or buyers. Firms are willing to stack on extra cash to ensure they stay put.

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    Strategic Leadership Beyond the Numbers

    Today's CFOs are strategic operators who drive real value. They're increasingly selective – scrutinizing growth rates, margins, and investment theses before considering moves. They've evolved from traditional financial stewards into key architects of business transformation, actively shaping strategy and driving operational excellence.

We don't just fill seats – we place transformational leaders who deliver results.

Our Finance Track Record

Our 82% conversion rate from first call to meaningful discussion proves we understand what motivates these leaders. Our numbers tell the story: 420+ placed finance executives driving $77B in enterprise value, 81+ successful exits, 94-day average time-to-close, and a 9.5 NPS score. We don't just fill seats – we place transformational leaders who deliver results.

Our average days to close for CFO searches is 94 days, significantly lower than the industry average. How do we do this? We leverage tools like our Executive Index, an AI powered comprehensive talent mapping platform that combs through nearly 700,000 verified and qualified candidates based on criteria from any given scorecard. And our functional pod structure means that our Finance Practice is solely focused on finance roles. Our finance partners, Lisa, Katelyn, and Nick, and their team are in the market all day, every day. They know what to look for when searching for that perfect fit.

WATCH THE INTERVIEW

The CFO role continues to evolve at breakneck speed and the winning formula is clear: deep market expertise, a proven track record, and the ability to move at the speed of private equity.

Whether you're a private equity firm looking for your next financial architect or a CFO ready for your next challenge, one thing's certain – the landscape has changed, but our commitment to finding and placing exceptional finance leaders hasn't. In a market where every day counts and every hire matters, we're proud to be setting the pace for what's possible in executive search.

Ready to Win the Race for Top Finance Talent?

Connect with our Finance Practice today.

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Bespoke Partners Named in Top 10 of the “Top 49 Retained Executive Search” 2-Years Running by C-Suite CV Secure.

Authored by:

  • Eric
    Chief Executive Officer

    Eric is passionate about building high-performing teams that value doing their best, working together, overcoming adversity and learning.

    As a proven growth executive, Eric has served as CEO, President, Board Member, Investor and Advisor for technology companies that achieved over $4.5B in successful exits.

    Eric brings to Bespoke Partners significant professional services experience from Deloitte and Andersen, as well as the high-growth client executive perspective for private equity-backed technology companies.

    Eric earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS in Business from Fresno State University.

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