Relationship capital – your most critical early investment

This is one of nine insights in our guide to navigating your first 100 days as a new CFO. Discover more insights here.

In your first 100 days in a new CFO role, the relationships you build will be your strategic enabler. Your ability to gain buy‑in and lead change later depends on the depth of trust you establish now across the business. 

Leadership spotlight: Look beyond the org chart

Every organisation has a different structure of stakeholders. Someone less senior in your former role may be a key influencer at this organisation. There is no set list of who you “must” meet, but there is a consistent principle: look past job titles and understand the real influence each person has on your financial landscape and the strategic direction of the business. 

What you really need to understand is:

• What success looks like for them: whether that’s cost discipline, growth, ESG progress, operational resilience, career development, or something else entirely.
• Where their influence comes from: not just the formal authority they hold, but the informal networks they’re part of.
• How they work best: the cadence, format, and communication style that helps them think clearly and make decisions.
• What they expect from you: the insights, reassurance, or challenge they want, and how often they want it.

CFO perspective: 

“I think one of the most the most important things I did during my first 100 days was to listen and learn from all individuals within the organisation, whether that’s someone working on the shop floor, answering the phone, Senior Management and/or the Board. Take time to get to know people and fully embed yourself into the business.”   

Engaging the C-suite and the Board  

Your relationship with the leadership team and the Board is founded in these first months. This is when you establish yourself as a credible leader, not just the owner of the numbers. It's difficult to change perceptions later.

In our recent Finance Leaders Barometer, CFOs overwhelmingly agreed that applying a 'level of healthy tension' is essential to ensure informed decision‑making (94%). Yet fewer than half actually experience it, with many reporting the level of challenge in discussions is too low (40%). Your early actions can set the expectation for constructive challenge, or inadvertently suppress it. 

Take the time to clarify expectations

In your initial meetings with the executive team and Board members, focus on understanding their individual and collective vision and priorities, and their expectations of how you can help them achieve these goals.

Be proactive and transparent   

To build trust, proactively anticipate the expectations of senior stakeholders and identify potential financial risks and opportunities, instead of waiting for them to come to you with their questions or concerns.  

CFO perspective: 

“In your first few weeks, I think you really need to dig into the motivation for the change. If  bringing in a new CFO was a proactive change, you need to understand what the expectations are and what they need to happen that isn’t being done. Alternatively, they could be looking to replace like-for-like, and you need to understand what means for your role as well.” 

Act as a strategic adviser  

When preparing for your first Board meeting, remember that your role isn’t to present the finance team’s numbers. It is to interpret what the numbers mean, connect them to the broader strategy, and offer clear, concise recommendations about the path ahead.

Getting investors on your side

If your business has external investors, their confidence is a critical asset and you become one of its primary custodians. 

Here are three things to keep top of mind during your first 100 days. 

Review existing investor relations  

Speaking to your CEO about your company’s investor relations strategy before meeting with them to understand expectations and tailor your messaging to their priorities and concerns from the get-go.  

Adopt an investor mindset   

What investors will expect from you is clear and concise explanations of your financial performance, transparent communication about progress and any roadblocks, and insight on how the finance function underpins the business strategy. Not granular detail. 

Proactively reach out to investors  

Introduce yourself to investors and establish an ongoing dialogue. This can include  
scheduling calls or meetings to discuss the company’s financial performance, and any challenges facing the business.  

Building these relationships with investors will put you in a strong position to understand their interests and alleviate concerns – making it easier for your business to maintain access to capital. 

CFO perspective:

“If you're moving to a PE-backed business, ask the PE-house to introduce you to a CFO that currently works for them. Have the confidence to do that, because they will understand how that PE house works and what their expectations are. Although each company may be unique, it can help you understand what is required from a CFO’s perspective.” 

Anonymous 

Another perspective: 

“Find out in your first 20-40 days or so what information investors want, and how often you should connect – because it shouldn’t be just at board meetings – and how they want to receive information. Have those conversations early on to establish what they really want, because it might not necessarily be what’s been done historically.”  

Anonymous

Operational edge: Efficiency that earns its keep 

Your relationships set the stage. Now it’s time to focus on the engine room. In the next insight, we explore how newly appointed CFOs can sharpen operational discipline, optimise processes, and create finance functions that are not just efficient, but strategically indispensable.