Hire the CFO your company deserves.
When you're ready for a permanent, in-house CFO, hire through the people who do the work. We know what great finance leadership looks like, so we find candidates, pressure-test them on real financial judgement, and place the right one on your team.
Why founders search with us
- Run by finance operators who've sat in the CFO seat
- We test real financial judgement, not résumés
- A network built through actual finance work
- You only pay on a successful placement
Not a generalist recruiter. A finance team that hires finance leaders.
We've done the job
We run finance functions every day. We know what separates a great CFO from a good-looking résumé, and we screen for it.
Judgement, tested first-hand
Candidates are pressure-tested on real financial scenarios and decisions, so you see how they actually think before you hire.
A finance network
Our shortlist comes from a network built through real work, operators, CFOs and finance leaders, not a job-board dragnet.
Aligned incentives
Our fee is success-based and quoted upfront. If we don't place the right person, you don't pay.
The people who'll actually run your search
Not an anonymous desk of recruiters, finance operators who've built and run the function you're hiring for.
Zoya Mirza, CPA
Runs finance for Aura's client companies and leads every CFO search, from brief to placement.
Connect on LinkedIn →
Mathi Selva, MBA
Brings the operator and strategy lens to every mandate, and helps pressure-test candidates on real decisions.
Connect on LinkedIn →
Jacques Amzallag
Connects founders to the right finance leaders through our network and manages the search relationship end to end.
Connect on LinkedIn →From brief to placed, four clear stages
Brief
We define the mandate, stage, scope, comp, and the profile that fits your board.
Search & shortlist
We tap our network and market-map to a curated shortlist of real candidates.
Evaluate
We assess financial judgement first-hand, not just résumés, so you hire with confidence.
Place
We manage offers, close the hire, and support onboarding so they land well.
We hire on judgement, not just a résumé
Every candidate is measured against the same structured bar, so you compare like for like and hire with confidence.
A structured scorecard
Before we search, we agree the exact criteria you'll hire against, so every candidate is scored the same way, not on gut feel.
A real financial case study
Shortlisted candidates work through a live financial scenario, so you see how they actually think under real conditions.
Deep reference checks
We speak with people who've worked alongside them in finance seats, not only the references they hand us.
Board & team fit
We assess how they'll operate with your board, founders and team, the part that makes or breaks a CFO hire.
Senior finance leadership
Aligned with your outcome
quoted upfront.
You'll know the fee before we start. No placement, no fee, our incentive is to put the right CFO in the seat, not to churn candidates.
Start your CFO search →Our placement guarantee
If your new hire leaves within the first six months, we re-run the search at no additional fee. Our incentive is a CFO who stays, not just one who signs.
Are you a finance leader?
If you're a CFO or senior finance leader open to the right mandate, we'd like to know you. Join our network and we'll reach out when there's a fit.
Straight answers
How is your fee structured?
Success-based and quoted upfront. You'll know the exact number before we start, and there's no fee unless we place someone you hire.
Retained or contingent?
Success-based, you pay on a successful placement, not simply to begin the search.
How long does a search take?
It depends on the mandate, seniority, compensation, location and how defined the role is. We'll give you a realistic timeline in the brief before you commit, and keep you updated as we go.
Do you guarantee the hire?
Yes. If your new hire leaves within the first six months, we re-run the search at no additional fee.
What roles do you place?
Senior finance leadership, CFO, VP Finance, Head of Finance, Financial Controller and FP&A leads, plus interim and fractional CFOs.
Is my search confidential?
Always. Every mandate is run discreetly to protect your company and the candidates involved.
Can you cover the role while we search?
Yes, through our 911 CFO service we can place a senior interim CFO so the function keeps running during the search.