The role of the chief financial officer (CFO) in private equity
(PE) and venture capital (VC) firms has seen significant evolution
over the past couple of decades, and looks set to continue to
develop as investors, regulators and other stakeholders demand
increasing levels of transparency around fund performance,
valuations, due diligence and compliance.
Not only has the number of a fund CFO's tasks grown –
with more investors to look after, and a larger number of back
office systems and processes to take care of, each growing in
complexity – there are increasing demands on the CFO in
several new areas.
The ultimate multitasker
Investors (Limited Partners, or LPs), regulators and even
portfolio companies have been taking a greater interest in back
office functions over recent years. They are looking for ever more
detailed information, not just on fund performance and returns, but
also in areas such as environmental, social and governance (ESG),
and portfolio
