Finance + Investor Relations Support Team
Finance + Investor Relations Support Team
We support CEO’s and CFO’s with a fully integrated finance team support offering so that you can focus on growing your business
Our approach
cdFirst consists of a team of experienced operators who have served as CFOs and senior finance leaders in both public and private companies, covering all aspects of the finance function.
1) Analyse
We work with your CEO, CFO and finance leaders to identify and address your business and finance team challenges and priorities, focusing on scalable solutions that grow with your business.
2) Execute
Experienced resources seamlessly integrate with your team to deliver the defined finance workstreams, either on a recurring fractional basis or interim project.
3) Evolve
We grow and scale with your business to provide the support you need with the engagement model that suits you best. Recurring workstreams may change over time as your needs evolve. With a deep understanding of your business, we'll always be available to support you when you need.
Flexible delivery models
Fractional outsourced role
The role (eg. CFO, Financial Controller, FP&A Manager) is outsourced to cdFirst. We will embed ourselves within your business and become an extension of your existing team, with the role delivered on a fractional basis.
Fractional support role
The role exists in-house, however extra recurring support is needed for some aspects. The delivery model is the same as the fractional outsourced model, however we would provide recurring support to your existing in-house role for specific aspects. For example, you may have an in-house CFO already in place but they require recurring support with particular aspects (eg. investor reporting) due to either a lack of experience in that area, or a lack of bandwidth.
Special projects
Delivering projects of a more ad hoc nature, such as systems implementations, capital raising, M&A, complex financial modelling, strategic reviews and more.
Services
-
Overall finance function ownership
Board, CEO & Shareholder reporting and interface
Finance Team Build - people, process, systems. Xero and Fathom certified plus significant experience with NetSuite and other reporting tools
Strategic Reviews & Planning
Development of commercial business cases and scenario models
Managing capital raising workstreams
M&A transactional due diligence and workstream management
Capital Management Strategy
-
Budgets & Forecasts
Complex Financial Modelling
Management Reporting & Performance Metrics
Commercial Financial Analysis
-
Month end close & reporting
Audit Support & Workstreams
Year End Financial Statements
ASX Appendix 4C/4D/4E
General Ledger Maintenance
-
Cash Flow Management and Controls
Debt Facility negotiation and execution
Covenant and other lender reporting
Forex Management
-
Tax Compliance
R&D Grant Workstreams
Employee Share Plans
-
Manage IR and market announcements
Manage quarterly business updates and investor presentations
Assist with Annual Report preparation and messaging
Manage company corporate communication calendar
Support inbound and outbound investor communications
Support broker and market analyst communications
-
Portfolio company reporting solutions for private equity, venture capital, other investment groups
Consolidated portfolio company reporting
Portfolio company investor reporting solutions
Partnering with portfolio company in-house teams to drive portfolio manager requirements
Scaling the finance function of portfolio companies
Transactional due diligence and workstream management
-
Transaction processing and bank reconciliation
Accounts Receivable
Accounts Payable
Payroll
-
Finance System implementations and integrations
Post merger integration support
Managing capital raising workstreams
M&A transactional due diligence and workstream management
Debt Facility negotiation and execution
Strategic Reviews & Planning
Finance support for offshore market expansion
-
cdFirst was born from two existing complementary service offerings that have been servicing entrepreneurial public and private clients for over 10 years:
cdPlus Corporate Services: Our company secretarial business, cdPlus, offers premium outsourced company secretarial and corporate governance services. Engaging cdPlus’ company secretarial services in tandem with cdFirst allows us to leverage the unique insights gained via the company secretarial engagement to optimise the efficiency and effectiveness of our finance and investor relations services.
Coghlan Duffy Lawyers: As a boutique law firm specialising in mergers and acquisitions, capital raisings, corporate and commercial law, tax advisory, and equity capital markets, Coghlan Duffy Lawyers brings the legal expertise that our clients need to succeed. Coghlan Duffy Lawyers’ commitment to providing practical, commercial legal solutions complements the comprehensive support offered by cdFirst.
Clients
some of our clients we are proud to work with include:
"We brought in cdFirst as a fractional CFO partner and they felt like part of Annexa from day one. They stood up a disciplined board‑reporting cadence and tuned our reporting and forecasting cadence so that we can analyse our performance with confidence. Their advice is practical and director‑aware, whether it’s assessing our growth levers, being a strategic sounding board or preparing materials ahead of monthly director sessions. The result is a strong finance function with clear actions every month and no surprises. Our partnership is the right blend of strategy and roll-up your sleeves execution we were after.”
- Matthew Owens & Jarred Spriggs, Directors, Annexa
“cdFirst were excellent at coming in and initially assisting with a review of pricing structures and financial processes. They have now become a trusted advisor as we deal with other financial issues. It has been beneficial for our companies to have high-level financial support from cdFirst whilst dealing with some complex financial issues and opportunities.”
- Hugh Lockie, Managing Director, Spective
“Working with cdFirst has been a great experience for our business. Their team has provided clear, practical financial and investor relations support, and worked seamlessly with us as an extension of our team. We value their professionalism and insight, and would confidently recommend cdFirst to other growing companies.”
- Alistair Michener, Director & Founder, Drawboard
“cdFirst has been an excellent partner for Drawboard, integrating seamlessly with our team and quickly understanding our SaaS subscription business.
”They have been particularly valuable in improving our reporting on recurring revenue and core SaaS metrics, helping us better leverage our billing software, industry analytics, and revenue recognition so that our performance is presented clearly and accurately to the leadership team, board and investors.
”Their analysis of cash flow and debt solutions has given us greater confidence in funding growth while managing risk, and we would strongly recommend cdFirst to other SaaS and technology companies seeking high-calibre CFO support.”
- Gene Michener, Director & Finance Manager, Drawboard
"cdFirst integrated as our CFO partner to design and implement a new reporting and forecasting cadence to our major shareholder, then stood up and managed the implementation of a new reporting and planning software. In addition to managing the monthly cadence with a large international parent company, they support us through ongoing initiatives including M&A integration, expansion of new business lines, bank funding, and supporting our audit and tax compliance processes. They strike the right balance between strategic initiatives and day-to-day matters, brief the board clearly and regularly, and keep the monthly rhythm tight.”
- Adam Langford, Managing Director - Ellis Air Group
"We have been working with cdFirst for a few years. I have been impressed with their diligent follow up on financial matters that needed attention. They are trustworthy, reliable and experienced. It has been an excellent working relationship and I would happily recommend them.”
- Dr Igor Lavrin, Managing Director & Founder - L&L Orthodontics and Urban Smile
Why cdFirst
The CFO portfolio is evolving rapidly and becoming increasingly broad. Additionally, the expectations of investors have amplified, demanding a more comprehensive understanding of a company’s financial health and growth potential.
Yet, it is often infeasible for a finance team to retain seasoned professionals with the expertise to effectively navigate the many fluctuating work streams.
A team of CA and AICD qualified, experienced operators who have served as CFOs and senior finance leaders in both public and private companies can seamlessly integrate with your executive team to support the delivery of regular work streams or special projects.
This provides a flexible, efficient and effective solution that helps your business scale and evolve over time
Key people
Ben Malone
Executive Director, EMBA, CA, GAICD
Ben has an extensive background in CFO and senior finance leadership positions within Australia and internationally.
He has diverse industry experience in both ASX listed and private companies.
Ben has expertise in building and leading high performing teams in organisations of all sizes and partnering with boards, executives, and other key stakeholders to drive decision making and business strategy.
He has significant experience in all areas of commercial, corporate and operational finance and strategy, including leading a number of significant transactions.
Ben is a Chartered Accountant and a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ben’s LinkedIn profile can be accessed here.
Contact us
Office Phone: 03 9614 2444
Please feel free to call us or make an enquiry using the form below
Our office
Level 13
440 Collins Street
Melbourne, VIC, 3000