Built for the Moment: Delivering Interim Financial Leadership to an Innovation-Driven Company

The Client

Headquartered in Athens, Georgia, our client is a high-growth technology company at the forefront of redefining how lenders assess creditworthiness. Their patented Passport® platform and proprietary analytics—such as the Residual Knowledge Income Index™ (RIKI™)—offer groundbreaking ways to evaluate true ability to pay (ATP®), enabling more inclusive and accurate credit decisioning.

A HousingWire TECH100™ honoree, the company serves customers across the banking and investment sectors through best-in-class platforms and data-driven products. As they prepared to bring a new product to market, they required seasoned financial leadership to support this pivotal stage of growth.

The Challenge

The client was entering a high-stakes phase of scaling innovation and preparing for the commercial launch of its next-generation credit technology solution. To navigate this growth while maintaining strong financial oversight, they needed a sophisticated Interim Head of Finance capable of owning the finance function from end to end.

This executive would serve as a key partner to the Board and leadership team—responsible not only for overseeing accounting and FP&A, but also for managing investor communications, capital strategy, and process improvements across a dynamic finance function. Proficiency with Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) was preferred.

Key responsibilities included:

• Leading day-to-day financial operations and close processes
• Enhancing financial systems, reporting, and forecasting
• Developing investor-ready models and presentations
• Partnering with banks and managing external relationships
• Supporting strategic planning, budgeting, and scenario modeling

The client sought a candidate with a strong track record in Tech, Fintech, or SaaS environments—someone who could blend strategic thinking with executional excellence and thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative, and remote-first environment.

Our Approach

We targeted finance executives with proven experience in high-growth technology, fintech, or SaaS companies—especially those who had served as Controllers, Heads of Finance, or strategic FP&A leaders. Candidates with deep functional expertise in accounting, financial modeling, and cross-functional planning were prioritized, as were those familiar with enterprise systems like D365.

Given the role’s complexity and the client’s preferred Eastern Time overlap, we focused on professionals with a demonstrated ability to lead remotely, communicate with boards and stakeholders, and implement financial infrastructure under evolving business demands.

The Placement

We placed a visionary finance executive with over 15 years of experience leading finance and operations across Fortune 500 companies and high-growth startups. Her background included:

• Strategic financial leadership at Coca-Cola, BellSouth Telecommunications, and SaaS firm CINC Systems
• Managing multimillion-dollar budgets and financial operations for startups, nonprofits, and privately held companies
• Leading a $25M budget increase through successful grant strategies while at Community Sponsorship Hub
• Achieving a 7% gross margin increase and 300% team expansion while managing a $15M capital plan at NOFO, LLC
• Driving a 25% revenue increase through financial controls and scenario planning at SR Residential Homes and CINC Systems

She brought a powerful blend of financial strategy, FP&A, accounting, process optimization, and team-building expertise—all critical for this high-impact interim role. Her deep familiarity with SaaS models, coupled with her proactive, hands-on leadership style and comfort with D365, made her uniquely qualified to lead during a period of rapid innovation and scale.

The Outcome

The Interim Head of Finance quickly became a trusted partner to the executive team, improving financial clarity and strengthening operational controls during a critical phase of growth. She established discipline across core processes, enhanced forecasting capabilities, and ensured readiness for investor conversations and capital planning discussions.

Her ability to bridge strategic finance and daily operations helped lay the groundwork for the company’s successful go-to-market push—aligning its financial infrastructure with the bold innovation at the heart of its mission.