Becoming The CFO
The First 90 Days And Beyond
Most books teach finance.
This one prepares you for the chair.
Becoming the CFO is written for professionals stepping into the CFO role for the first time—or standing one step away from it. It doesn’t assume brilliance. It assumes responsibility.
The book follows a simple, powerful truth:
The moment you become CFO, you stop managing numbers and start safeguarding the continuity of cash, credibility, governance, and trust.
Through the lived journey of a seasoned finance leader entering his first CFO role, the reader is guided across the most critical phases of transition:
the first 30 days of listening,
the next 90 days of stabilization,
the following 180 days of system-building,
and the first full year of leadership maturity.
Along the way, the book addresses what truly defines CFO success:
liquidity under pressure,
banking and treasury control,
working capital discipline,
capital allocation and capex decisions,
fund-raising, IPO readiness, and M&A judgment,
statutory compliance and governance,
cross-border tax and transfer pricing,
risk management and board communication,
and the quiet but decisive partnership between the CFO and an ambitious CEO.
This is not a motivational book.
And it is not a theoretical textbook.
Each chapter combines real-world context with clear action checklists—what a CFO must do in the first 30, 90, 180, and 365 days—so the reader can move from understanding to execution without confusion.
At its core, Becoming the CFO is a transition playbook.
It shows how finance leaders grow from skilled professionals into enterprise stewards—how organizations scale responsibly, and how ambition is balanced with discipline.
For first-time CFOs, aspiring CFOs, senior finance leaders, and boards onboarding new finance heads, this book serves as a steady guide through the most consequential year of a financial leader’s career.
Because the CFO’s role is not to predict the future.
It is to ensure the company survives long enough to reach its goals.
Why This Book Matters
Drawing on over two decades of corporate experience, Becoming the CFO distills more than 380 practical insights across 22 tightly constructed chapters, decoding what truly defines success in the CFO role. It extends beyond technical finance to address the real leadership shifts—building trust with the CEO, aligning investor expectations, navigating boardroom pressure, and leveraging data-driven analytics and AI for sharper decisions. Designed to prepare finance leaders to lead from day one and grow well beyond the first ninety days, this book is not just a manual of tasks—it is a mirror for leadership evolution.
Status: In development