INTHEBLACK May 2026 - Magazine - Page 29
“During my time as a fractional CFO, I found the flexibility to be incredibly
rewarding both for myself and for the organisations I supported. The role
enabled me to step into companies at pivotal moments during scale-ups,
restructures or investor conversations and offer strategic input without
the long onboarding curve of a full-time hire.”
ASIF IQBAL FCPA, REDTONE GROUP
finance skills — they can also be valuable
mentors for junior finance workers.
He points to recent research from PwC,
which shows that the adoption of AI tools
removes the structured, repetitive tasks that
traditionally helped entry-level workers
build confidence and understand
workplace culture.
“While they might be able to use
AI to perform certain aspects of the
role very effectively, they may lack
the experience that typically comes
with time on the job,” he says.
“This may increase demand for
experienced professionals to
mentor younger workers, and
we may see more companies
turning to fractional or virtual
CFOs in a mentoring capacity
to help support and guide lessexperienced finance staff.”
THE BENEFITS OF
FRACTIONAL WORK
While permanent full-time
work brings a sense of stability
and financial security, the
fractional option allows workers
to diversify their income stream,
which can reduce risk.
This is part of the appeal for
Gen Z workers, with data from
freelance platform Fiverr showing
67 per cent of the generation believe
multiple streams of income are essential
for a sense of financial security. However,
Haxby believes the appeal of fractional work
spans generations.
“Many experienced people are looking
for high-impact work without
the constraints of a
full-time role,”
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