CFO Market Trends Report 2025/26

For Private Equity & Growth Investors

Access the CFO Report

The CFO report has returned, this time with the depth the market demands.

A comprehensive CFO intelligence report built from leadership data, diligence insight and market evidence across PE-backed businesses

Following a period of investment & the integration of Peoplewise & Confidas People, this report brings together CFO compensation, behaviour, risk and performance in

one place.

The CFO report has returned, this time with the depth the market demands. A comprehensive CFO intelligence report built from leadership data, diligence insight and market evidence across PE-backed businesses

Why this reports exists

This report has been designed as a decision-support asset that brings together CFO impact, timing, behaviour and reward in a single, evidence-based view.

What Insights to Expect

Market data
Salary, bonus and equity benchmarks across CFO roles in PE-backed businesses.
Leadership and behaviour
How CFO performance shows up under pressure, and why capability alone is not enough.
Risk and timing
What diligence and portfolio data tell us about when a CFO change helps, and when a delay costs value.

The result is a CFO report designed for decisions, not reference.

This report brings together three lenses that rarely sit in one place:

Market data
Salary, bonus and equity benchmarks across CFO roles in PE-backed businesses.
Leadership and behaviour
How CFO performance shows up under pressure, and why capability alone is not enough.
Risk and timing
What diligence and portfolio data tell us about when a CFO change helps, and when a delay costs value.

The result is a CFO report designed for decisions, not reference.

To Receive Your Copy of The CFO Market Trends Report 2025/26

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Key Themes from the data

CFO impact shows up earlier than most boards expect
Performance signals are visible within the first 12–18 months, well before formal intervention typically happens.
Timing of CFO change separates outcomes
Higher-performing businesses act earlier and more decisively than those that delay
Compensation has shifted toward certainty
Cash pay has increased, variable reward has narrowed, and equity remains common but more tightly structured.
CFO success is not individual
Outcomes are shaped by team design, access to specialist capacity and behaviour under pressure.

The report draws on CFO placements, leadership assessments, diligence insights, and structured survey data across PE-backed, privately owned, and listed organisations.

The data has been reviewed for consistency and relevance, and the findings have been presented in aggregated form.

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