Finance Strategy for High-Growth Companies: 6 Priorities for New CFOs and Finance Manager

In stable, mature economies, company growth tends to be steady and predictable. Significant surges are rare, especially when local markets are saturated, intense competition and well-established regulatory frameworks. Yet, under certain geopolitical and economic conditions, some regions experience extraordinary business booms — bringing opportunities and new challenges for finance professionals stepping into leadership roles.

We've seen this recently. The geopolitical turmoil of 2022–2023, characterized by trade restrictions on the one hand and persistent global demand on the other, triggered a significant shift in business dynamics. With its robust infrastructure, pro-business policies, and low entry barriers, the UAE emerged as a significant beneficiary. Many modest, family-owned businesses suddenly began scaling into multinational operations, expanding geographically and multiplying their turnover — not by 10–20%, but several-fold.

Operationally, these businesses adapted with impressive agility — meeting new demand, expanding services, and reorganizing logistics. But administratively, and particularly financially, the situation proved more complex. Many companies became (and remain) overwhelmed by the surge in data, transactions, and regulatory demands. While the evolution of local advisory services has been notable — particularly following the introduction of Corporate Income Tax (CIT) in the UAE in 2024 — skill gaps remain. In this high-velocity environment, a Finance Manager entering such an organization assumes a role of critical strategic importance.

So, where should a newly appointed Finance Manager or Director begin in a company undergoing hypergrowth? Here's a roadmap:

1. Finance Strategy Starts with Compliance

Your number one priority is compliance. Without it, no business ambition can survive for long.
Regulatory frameworks are catching up quickly in the UAE and other rapidly evolving jurisdictions. Many advisory firms that sprang up during the 2023-2024 boom did their best to support clients but often delivered only partial compliance solutions. Clients, many without sufficient in-house knowledge, believed they were fully covered — when they were not.

Therefore:

• Conduct an immediate compliance health check: tax registrations, financial reporting standards (IFRS is now mandatory for many companies), statutory audits, Economic Substance Regulations (ESR), Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO) declarations, VAT compliance, and now CIT.
• Select advisors carefully: Prioritize firms with proven experience supporting fast-growing companies. Insist on references and assess their capabilities across legal, tax, accounting, and risk — proper full-service support. Go beyond polished websites and marketing materials; look for substance. Evaluate their visibility and credibility through webinars, publications, and public engagements. Reputable firms, even if relatively young, will demonstrate depth through recognitions like ACCA Approved Employer status — a sign of professional rigour and commitment to quality.

Checklist: Ensure clear, timely tax filings, a transparent and auditable accounting system, and no hidden exposures.

2. Finance Strategy for Accurate Financial Reporting

Many fast-growing companies still rely on fragmented spreadsheets or outdated software. They manage operations successfully, but their financial reporting is chaotic.

You must:

• Implement an ERP system if it's not in place (even a lean version like Odoo or NetSuite initially).
• Set up monthly closing procedures, not just end-of-year reporting.
• Create internal management reporting: what happened (historical) and what is expected to happen (forecasting).

Key KPIs to establish from the start:

• Revenue and gross margin by geography/product line
• Customer acquisition costs and lifetime value
• Operating cash flow trends
• Working capital efficiency (DSO, DPO, inventory turnover)

Without disciplined reporting, management decisions become guesswork — and that's a fatal risk when scaling.

3. Finance Strategy Through Operational Financial Modeling

Historical financial data may be incomplete, unstructured, or inconsistent. Still, you'll be expected to answer critical questions: Where are we going? How do we get there?

Start with what's available. Gather and organize as much historical financial data as possible — even messy. Don't wait for perfection; your goal is to establish a baseline. Clean and consolidate the information to identify trends, recurring patterns, and red flags.

Construct a rolling financial model. At a minimum, build a 12–18 month rolling Profit & Loss and Cash Flow forecast. Integrate key business drivers:

• Revenue assumptions (by product, region, or client segment)
• Cost structures and variable margins
• Headcount planning and payroll projections
• Capital expenditure and financing needs

This model should be dynamic and updated monthly, not annually. Treat it as a living tool that evolves with the business.

Validate and stress test. Shadow commercial and operational teams to refine your assumptions. Run scenarios to assess the impact of delays, cost inflation, or aggressive growth. This builds confidence among leadership and shows that Finance can lead, not just report.

Establish your 'single source of truth.' A reliable, well-structured model builds credibility with founders, investors, auditors, and potential partners. But more than that, it helps shift the company mindset from reactive to proactive — from chasing numbers to managing the business strategically.

4. Finance Strategy for Cash Flow and Liquidity Management

Growth consumes cash faster than most founders expect — increased marketing, bigger teams, higher receivables, and longer working capital cycles.

You must build:

• A 13-week cash flow forecast — updated weekly. It can be embedded in the Financial Model but should be updated more often, so evaluate it carefully.
• A cash plan is broken down by supplier, customer, and payroll — detailed enough to know precisely when and where cash might run out.
• Multiple scenarios (worst case, base case, stretch case).
• Precise tracking of covenants if there's external funding.

Profit does not equal liquidity. You'll need to prove that over and over again.

5. Finance Strategy That Aligns Vision with Execution

Founders and owners often have bold ambitions — "double revenue," "enter new markets," "go public." But these visions, while inspiring, rarely come with a concrete, financially sound plan. That's where you come in. Your role is to connect high-level ambition with grounded financial strategy.

Facilitate structured strategic planning sessions. Create space for dialogue between leadership and operational teams. Help articulate the vision in clear, actionable terms — not just ideas but targets, timelines, and resource needs.

Turn ambition into numbers. Build financial scenarios to test and support (or challenge) proposed strategies. What happens to cash flow if you expand to three new markets? How do gross margins evolve under different pricing models? What's the breakeven point for a new product line?

Define what success looks like — financially. Translate abstract goals like "growth" into measurable outcomes:

• How much should EBITDA grow year over year?
• What are acceptable levels of working capital consumption?
• What return on invested capital (ROIC) justifies a significant new investment?

Become a strategic partner, not just a scorekeeper. Your job is not to passively track numbers — it's to guide the business. Use your financial insight to help leadership understand each path forward's risks, opportunities, and trade-offs. You are the navigator, helping chart the course and avoid costly detours.

 6. Finance Strategy Requires Building Key Leadership Competencies

This is not a back-office role anymore. The modern finance leader needs a blend of technical, digital, strategic, and people skills.

You must be:

• Solid in IFRS, tax, treasury, and modelling
• Proficient in BI tools (Power BI, Tableau, or even Excel dashboards)
• A strong communicator who translates data into action
• A builder of teams and systems
• A strategic advisor, not just a functional head

You will need to lead with both structure and flexibility — building a finance function that can scale as fast as the business.

Conclusion: Finance Strategy as a Career Accelerator in Hypergrowth

Stepping into a finance leadership role during a hypergrowth phase is one of the most challenging — and rewarding — experiences a finance professional can encounter. The environment is often chaotic, with rapid change, incomplete data, and shifting priorities. But amid that turbulence lies an exceptional opportunity: to shape a company's future, build its financial backbone from the ground up, and prove your professionalism and ability to drive the company's economic performance.

It's not about perfection — it's about priorities and progress.

• Start with compliance. Ensure that tax, legal, and regulatory obligations are understood and addressed. Getting this wrong can stall growth or damage credibility.
• Establish robust reporting. Bring structure and clarity to financial data so decisions are based on facts, not instincts.
• Build your operational financial model. This becomes the foundation for decision-making, forecasting, and strategic planning.
• Always protect cash flow. Growth consumes capital fast. Staying ahead of liquidity needs is critical for survival and success.
• Act as a strategic partner: bridge vision and execution. Use your financial insight to guide leadership, assess options, and drive sustainable growth.

Get these pillars right, and you won't just contribute to the company's trajectory — you'll accelerate your own.

At FinDep Consult, we've been in the trenches of hypergrowth. We understand this phase's complexity, urgency, and strategic decisions. Whether your business is navigating a sudden scale-up, entering new markets, or building its financial infrastructure from scratch, we have the experience, tools, and perspective to help you succeed. From implementing compliance frameworks to building robust financial models and acting as an interim CFO or strategic advisor, our team stands ready to support your next growth stage.

Growth is a challenge, but it becomes your most incredible opportunity with exemplary financial leadership. Let FinDep Consult help you seize it.

Anastasia Aleksenko

Managing Partner