Warehousing Value: Financial Leadership for a Distribution Portfolio

by: Aiah Lacson

A mid-market distributor needed steady financial leadership during a critical transition. We placed an interim CFO who built the annual plan, improved cash forecasting, and strengthened reporting—delivering tighter execution, clearer visibility, and a stronger foundation for growth.

Client Overview
The Challenge/Mandate
Search Strategy
The Placement
The Outcome

Client Overview

Our client is a leading private equity firm for middle-market companies. Based in Boston and New York, the client is a middle-market private investment firm with approximately $20 billion in AUM as of 12/31/2024. They focus on management-led buyouts, growth capital financings, and opportunistic credit and technology investments. The firm seeks to build companies with sustainable competitive advantages and excellent prospects for growth. Their Principals have a long history of working together, a deep specialization in the middle market, and a record of solid returns across multiple business cycles. The company brings a flexible approach to structuring each portfolio company investment and is comfortable working in complex scenarios that are difficult to underwrite.

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The Challenge/Mandate

Our client required an Interim CFO for one of their portfolio companies, a textile distribution business with $40M of EBITDA. The interim CFO was tasked with delivering on core priorities, including budgeting, supporting tuck-in acquisitions, FP&A, and CRO support. The role demanded an experienced finance leader with deep distribution knowledge and the ability to manage multiple financial initiatives in a dynamic private equity environment.

Search Strategy

We sought a highly experienced CFO with a background in distribution, supply chain, or logistics and a proven record in financial planning & analysis and M&A projects. Candidates needed to demonstrate strong operational finance expertise, an ability to drive transformation in private equity-backed businesses, and prior experience optimizing financial performance for middle-market companies. We targeted individuals with experience leading complex initiatives and improving finance functions in distribution-heavy environments.

The Placement

We placed a seasoned CFO and senior finance executive with extensive experience in consumer products, manufacturing, and private equity portfolio companies. Known for his collaborative and transformational leadership style, he had successfully built scalable finance and accounting teams and implemented process improvements across diverse industries. He previously served as an interim CFO and PE advisor, bringing Fortune 500 sophistication to middle-market businesses. His expertise included strategic planning, supply chain finance, margin improvement, working capital optimization, and managing divestitures, acquisitions, and portco exit transactions.

The Outcome

As Interim CFO, he assumed full responsibility for finance, treasury, accounting, and risk management. Within six weeks, he completed the company’s annual operating plan (AOP) from nearly start to finish and presented it to the Board. He introduced cash flow forecasting, identifying three critical liquidity pinch points, and worked with the PE firm to secure a temporary revolver facility backstop to manage unforeseen cash swings. Additionally, he began reporting the company’s performance to senior leadership, enhancing engagement and ownership of results. His efforts streamlined operations, optimized liquidity, and strengthened the company’s financial footing, ensuring the business was positioned for continued growth and PE value creation.