Finance and management

CFO CV: example and template

This example is for finance directors, board members for finance and controllers applying for a CFO role at medium and large companies, including foreign-owned ones.

The board and headhunters read a CFO's CV like a summary of the company's results. Show scale, decisions and outcomes: financing, costs, liquidity, profitability and the team.

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Example CV: CFO

All the details in this example are fictional. Treat it as a model of layout and wording, and replace the content with your own experience.

Robert Jankowski

CFO, board member

Katowice +48 123 456 789 robert.jankowski@example.com linkedin.com/in/robertjankowski

Professional profile

Finance director with 15 years of experience in finance, including 7 years as CFO of manufacturing companies with revenue of up to PLN 600 million. I am responsible for the budget, liquidity, financing and reporting to the owners. I led a debt refinancing that cut interest costs by PLN 4 million a year.

Work experience

CFO, board member

01.2019 - present

Manufacturing group, revenue PLN 600 million, Katowice

  • Leading the finance function, 35 people in accounting, controlling, treasury and tax.
  • Refinancing debt, cutting interest costs by PLN 4 million a year.
  • Introducing rolling budgets and board reports 5 days after month-end.
  • A working capital programme that released PLN 45 million in cash.
  • Taking part in the acquisition of a competitor and integrating its finances.

Financial controller, then deputy finance director

05.2011 - 12.2018

Foreign-owned manufacturing company, Gliwice

  • Group reporting under IFRS.
  • Investment and product line profitability analysis.
  • Leading a controlling team of 6.

Education

Finance and banking, master's degree

2004 - 2009

University of Economics in Katowice

Executive MBA

2016 - 2018

Kozminski University

Skills

  • Corporate financial management
  • Budgeting and forecasting
  • Liquidity and working capital
  • Debt financing and bank relations
  • IFRS reporting
  • Mergers and acquisitions

Qualifications

  • ACCA, member
  • Executive MBA, 2018

Languages

  • English: C2
  • German: B2

Additional information

  • Supervisory board member of a subsidiary

I hereby consent to the processing of my personal data for the purposes necessary to carry out the recruitment process, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (GDPR).

How to write a CFO CV

Professional summary

In a few sentences, give your years of experience, the scale of the companies, your scope of responsibility and 1 or 2 key achievements with amounts. It is the only part every supervisory board member will read.

Financial controller with 10 years of experience, including 3 years as deputy finance director of a trading company. I am responsible for the budget, reporting and bank relations. I am looking for a CFO role.

Experience: duties and achievements

For each role, give the size of the company, the size of the team and results in money. Describe decisions that affected the company: financing, costs, investments, acquisitions.

Weaker: Managing finances.

Better: Leading the finance function, 35 people in accounting, controlling, treasury and tax.

Weaker: Negotiating with banks.

Better: Refinancing debt, cutting interest costs by PLN 4 million a year.

Weaker: Improving liquidity.

Better: A working capital programme that released PLN 45 million in cash.

Skills worth listing

List the areas of finance you are responsible for. Under personal skills, show leadership and partnership with the CEO and owners.

Professional skills

  • Financial strategy
  • Budgeting and controlling
  • Treasury and financing
  • Reporting and standards
  • Tax and risk
  • Transactions and investments

Personal skills

  • Leadership
  • Partnership with the board
  • Negotiation
  • Decision-making
  • Communication with owners

Qualifications

List ACCA, CIMA, chartered auditor status, an MBA and supervisory board seats. At this level there is no need to list short training courses.

Your first CFO role

If you are a controller, chief accountant or deputy director, describe the board-level tasks you already do: bank relations, the budget, reports for the owners.

Show one project that affected the whole company, with an amount. It is the strongest argument in a conversation with a headhunter.

Tailoring your CV to the job offer

A listed company looks for reporting and investor relations, a family business for order in its finances and partnership with the owner, and a foreign-owned company for group reporting. Move what the offer is about to the top.

The most common mistakes on a CFO CV

Questions and answers

What should a CFO put on a CV?

The scale of companies, scope of responsibility, team size, results in money, financing, transactions, qualifications and languages.

How long should a CFO's CV be?

Usually 2 pages. Describe older roles briefly and give the most space to the last 10 years.

How do I show results without revealing company data?

Use public data, rounded figures or percentages, for example "cut financing costs by 15%".

Does a finance director need an MBA?

Not always, but it helps, especially at large companies. Experience and finance qualifications, such as ACCA, matter more.

Create a CFO CV in the builder

In the CV Majster builder you enter your details step by step and see right away what the document looks like. You can copy the wording from this page and adapt it to yourself. The finished CV as a PDF costs a one-off PLN 5, with no subscription, and you see the preview before you pay.

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See also

Resume examples for similar jobs

Career guide

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