Interim CFO Leadership
A temporary or part-time head of finance who leads your team, supports management and keeps stakeholders informed.
- Vacancy & parental-leave cover
- Board, bank & investor dialogue
Interim & Fractional CFO · Europe
Senior CFO leadership, exactly when your company needs it.
Interim CFO for SMBs. I stabilize a finance function under pressure, help with a major transformation or lead an ERP project, and hand over a stronger, more efficient finance team when I leave.
Available for new mandates · Full-time, part-time or project-based · On site across Europe or remote
Interim CFO & Finance DirectorBased in Lisbon · working Europe-wide
30+ yearsin corporate finance and treasury
€200M+P&L responsibility
15+ countriesacross Europe and Latin America
4 SAP rolloutsled from finance
When companies call me
You need an experienced CFO, but not necessarily a permanent one.
Owners, CEOs and managing directors bring me in when finance has to perform at a higher level, quickly, without adding fixed headcount.
01
Your CFO has left, or is about to
Immediate cover so closing, reporting, banks and investors keep running while you recruit.
02
A major transformation is ahead
Restructuring, a merger or a turnaround needs a steady finance lead who has done it before.
03
Cash is tight or unpredictable
You need clear liquidity planning, working-capital levers and a credible story for your bank.
04
An ERP or SAP project is at risk
Finance needs an experienced lead to define requirements, steer partners and secure go-live.
Services
Interim CFO services for small and mid-sized companies
Strategic perspective with hands-on execution, from the boardroom to month-end close.
Financial Strategy & Budgeting
Turn business goals into clear financial plans, budgets and rolling forecasts that guide daily decisions.
- Annual budget & business plan
- Rolling forecasts & scenarios
Performance Reporting & KPIs
Management reports and key metrics that give a concise, decision-ready view of company performance.
- Monthly management pack
- KPI dashboards by unit & country
Cash Flow & Liquidity
Better cash visibility, working capital and liquidity planning, including dialogue with banks and investors.
- 13-week cash forecast
- Working-capital optimisation
Restructuring & Transformation
Turnarounds, reorganisations and integrations, with a finance function rebuilt to support the new structure.
- Restructuring & legal entity closure
- Post-merger integration & team build-up
ERP / SAP & Finance Projects
Lead finance workstreams in ERP and transformation projects and ensure a clean handover into daily operations.
- Requirements & partner steering
- Data migration & go-live
Track record
Results from 30 years in international finance
Selected outcomes from corporate and interim roles. Details and references available in a first call.
40%
shorter global budgeting cycle at Tetra Pak Group Financial Control
30%
cost reduction over five years as Finance Director, Northern Europe
6 countries
SAP R/3 rollout delivered on time across South Eastern Europe
6 countries
finance teams restructured and rebuilt across Latin America
Experience gained atTetra PakSidelDegussaBayernLB
Selected projects
Recent mandates and what they delivered
Three examples of the situations I am brought in for. More detail and references in a first call.
Restructuring and closure of a German subsidiary
- Situation
- An international packaging-equipment group decided to wind down its German entity, SIDEL GmbH.
- My role
- Interim General Manager with full responsibility for the restructuring, the legal closure process and stakeholders.
- Outcome
- Restructuring executed and the entity legally closed.
SAP R/3 implementation for financial transparency
- Situation
- SIDEL Conveying Solutions in Portugal lacked the transparency it needed in its financial processes and reporting.
- My role
- Led the SAP R/3 implementation from the finance side, aligning processes, data and reporting.
- Outcome
- SAP R/3 implemented, giving management a more transparent view of the business.
Rebuilding finance across Latin America
- Situation
- Sidel's finance functions in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Panama, Colombia and Peru needed restructuring, with legacy accounting and governance issues in Brazil.
- My role
- Regional Finance Director: restructured the local departments, built management teams and led the SAP R/3 deployment in Brazil.
- Outcome
- High-performing finance teams in place across six countries, SAP live in Brazil and legacy discrepancies resolved.
References
What former colleagues say
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Engagement models
Flexible CFO support that fits your situation
Full-time when it's urgent, part-time when you need steady senior guidance, or a fixed-scope project.
Interim CFO
Full-time · 3 to 12 months
Immediate leadership when a CFO position is vacant or a critical phase demands full attention.
- Vacancy & leave cover
- Restructuring or rapid growth
- Handover to permanent hire
Fractional CFO
Part-time · days per month
Senior finance leadership for growing SMBs that need a CFO's judgement, not a full-time salary.
- Budgets, forecasts & KPIs
- Monthly management meetings
- Bank & investor relations
Project CFO
Fixed scope · defined outcome
Targeted support for a specific challenge with clear deliverables and timeline.
- ERP / SAP implementation
- Finance process redesign
- Liquidity & cash programmes
My approach
From first conversation to a finance function you can rely on
Clear priorities and a realistic timeframe, so everyone knows what we are working towards.
Free introductory call
30 minutes to understand your business model, challenges and goals. No obligation.
Scope & priorities
We agree on objectives, time commitment and a realistic timeframe for the mandate.
Hands-on delivery
I work with management, your finance team and external partners, in meetings and in the numbers.
Clean handover
A stable, transparent finance function you can confidently hand to your permanent team.
About Dirk Miessen
An experienced finance leader who works with your team, not above it.
I support owners, CEOs and managing directors of small and mid-sized companies when they need experienced financial leadership but don't want to add permanent headcount yet.
I spent more than 25 years in senior finance roles at Tetra Pak, Sidel and Degussa, in Germany, Austria, the UK, Switzerland, Greece and Brazil. I was Finance Director for Northern Europe and for Latin America, led SAP rollouts across six countries and built treasury and finance teams from scratch. Since 2020 I work independently, most recently as Interim General Manager restructuring SIDEL GmbH in Germany.
I studied economics at the University of Cologne (Diplom-Volkswirt), live in Lisbon and work in German, English and Portuguese.
“Financial information should be a practical tool for decision-making, not just a reporting obligation.”
Interim CFOFinance DirectorMulti-country P&LBudgeting & forecastingSAP / ERPTreasury & FXRestructuringM&A integration
FAQ
Interim CFO: frequently asked questions
What does an interim CFO do?
An interim CFO takes over financial leadership for a defined period: leading the finance team, owning budgets, forecasts and reporting, managing cash and bank relationships, and steering projects until a permanent solution is in place.
What's the difference between an interim and a fractional CFO?
An interim CFO typically works full-time for a limited period, for example to cover a vacancy. A fractional (part-time) CFO works a few days per week or month on an ongoing basis. I offer both, plus fixed-scope projects.
How quickly can you start?
After an introductory call and a short scoping phase, most engagements can start within a few weeks, depending on availability.
Do you work remotely or on site?
Both. Usually a mix of remote collaboration and on-site presence for key meetings, team workshops and month-end or project milestones, for companies across Europe.
Which languages do you work in?
German, English and Portuguese fluently, with basic French. I have worked in finance roles across Germany, Austria, the UK, Switzerland, Greece, Portugal and Latin America.
Is it worth it for a smaller company?
Often especially so. A part-time CFO gives you senior expertise for a fraction of the cost of a permanent hire, exactly at the stage where better numbers and planning make the biggest difference.
Get in touch
Let's talk about your finance challenge.
Share a few details about your company and I'll get back to you personally to arrange a free, confidential introductory call.
- Free 30-minute call, no obligation
- Strictly confidential
- Direct contact, no agency in between
Thank you.
Your message has arrived. I'll be in touch personally to arrange a call.