Fractional CFO at Collingwood

Oxford Global runs pharmaceutical and life sciences conferences, operating for roughly 20 years with FY26 revenue of approximately £7.6m, almost entirely from sponsorship. The portfolio has been streamlined from more than 20 smaller events to 8-10 larger ones across the UK, Europe and the US, with a commercial leadership team recently rebuilt ahead of a planned exit by 2030.

The fractional CFO will join from January 2027, reporting to the CEO and attending all board meetings. The first year focuses on building event-level gross profit reporting, customer economics including acquisition cost and lifetime value, cohort-based retention tracking, a rolling cash forecast, and a three-year integrated plan tied to the exit value the shareholders are targeting. The role also covers exit planning, vendor due diligence readiness, and implementing AI-enabled automation within a small finance team. Note: This listing is a public preview. Visit the source link for full details and to apply.

• Own the three-year integrated plan and the value case for exit, with annual milestones through to 2030
• Build and maintain annual budgets and rolling full-year forecasts as year one of the three-year plan
• Manage cash strategy, the 12-to-18-month cash forecast and banking relationships
• Prepare and present the monthly board and shareholder pack, including commentary, judgements and recommendations
• Lead exit planning, covering the equity story, quality of earnings, and management of the sale process through the data room and vendor due diligence
• Oversee adoption of AI and automation across the finance function, including tool selection, team training and data security controls

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA)
• CFO or Finance Director experience at board level in a business with external shareholders, private equity investors or an independent Chair
• Direct involvement in a sale or investment process from the company side
• Proven record of building management reporting that influenced leadership decision-making
• Experience with events, sponsorship or forward-booked B2B businesses is a strong advantage
• Practical experience using AI tools in a finance function to improve reporting speed and quality

Collingwood is an advisory firm supporting Oxford Global, a profitable conferences business serving the pharmaceutical and life sciences sector. Oxford Global has operated for approximately 20 years, delivering large-scale sponsored events with pre-arranged one-to-one meetings across the UK, Europe and the US, with shareholders planning a sale of the business by 2030.