Cathy Brown ACA | Fractional & Interim FD
I step in directly when a UK SME or mid-market business needs
experienced finance leadership without a full-time hire.
Fractional & Interim FD
Available now for 2-3 days a week, either as ongoing fractional support or interim cover during a transition.Over twenty years in finance, from audit at KPMG through to senior roles in private equity-backed and listed groups, including multi-entity businesses with revenues up to £1.3bn and over 100 legal entities. I bring the same rigour to a fractional engagement as I would a full-time role.
About
An ACA qualification means rigour and integrity are non-negotiable. An IBM Data Science Professional Certificate gives me a grounding in the technical layer. Training in ISO 42001, the international standard for AI management systems, means the governance side is built in from the start. Alongside all of that, months of hands-on, self-directed building means when I recommend a piece of automation, I've usually built something close to it myself first.
Beyond the FD chair
Alongside fractional and interim work, I help finance functions diagnose where AI and automation would improve their processes, and where it wouldn't. Where it makes sense, I remediate the underlying issues, build the automation, and put the governance framework in place to manage it responsibly - all informed by ISO 42001 (the international standard for AI management systems).I've watched this pattern repeat since the dotcom era. A new capability arrives, vendors rush to sell it, and businesses spend money before anyone has properly diagnosed the problem. AI is the latest version of that pattern - the businesses that get it right are the ones that diagnose before they spend.
The Finance Function Diagnostic
A focused, one-hour conversation with your FD, FC, or CFO to understand your finance function's current state in depth. I take that away and return within 5 working days with a detailed report: a clear, prioritised roadmap showing where AI and automation can streamline your processes, sequenced Kaizen-style, with any remediation work required ahead of automation built into the plan rather than treated as an afterthought.
If you're a smaller SME without a complex finance function and want a view of where AI and automation could help across the whole business rather than finance specifically, I also offer an AI Opportunity Diagnostic built for exactly that.
Finance Function Health Check
Where does your finance function currently stand? This free self-assessment takes under 10 minutes and covers what matters most - from close speed and controls to board reporting and AI adoption.
10 quick questions. See your result the moment you finish - no email required.
Want the complete picture? You can go deeper into all 12 areas from there, with 45 questions and a personalised written assessment sent to your inbox.
Prefer to just talk it through? Email me directly and I'll arrange a time to call, either now or after you've seen your results.
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