Unexpected Leadership Gaps
Your CFO, Finance Director or Financial Controller has resigned, gone on leave or left unexpectedly leaving a critical leadership gap.
Finance Talent & Intelligence
Interim Finance Specialists
Cover unexpected departures, transformation projects, acquisitions and business growth with experienced interim finance professionals. Our Specialist team at Hutcheon Mearns are now part of Cooper Parry, bringing together deep local expertise with a broader, national reach.
For finance leaders who need support yesterday.
Our Interim Finance team help ambitious businesses quickly secure experienced finance professionals who make an impact from day one. Whether you need short-term cover, long-term support, stability through change, or expertise to drive transformation, we fill critical gaps fast.
From Finance Directors and CFOs to specialist project and transactional finance professionals, we support organisations across Scotland and the UK with solutions tailored to your business.
We are uniquely placed with an in-house team of qualified accountants who are career interims. This means we can move faster, mitigate the risk of a gap in the team and deliver the right skill for your business.
Find Interim Finance Support
Continuity you can count on.
Every Interim specialist is a Cooper Parry employee – committed for the full assignment and ready to flex as your needs evolve. You keep the momentum, the knowledge, and the confidence that nothing falls through the gaps.
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Reasons you may need Interim Finance Support
Business Growth & Transformation
You need experienced finance leadership to support expansion, investment, systems implementation or restructuring.
Private Equity & Investment Activity
Additional expertise is needed during fundraising, acquisitions, exits or investor reporting periods.
Increased Workloads
Audit preparation, year-end reporting or regulatory deadlines are placing a strain on your team requiring additional finance resource to maintain delivery and stability.
Specialist Skills Gaps
You need expertise that doesn’t exist within your current finance team.
Flexibility
We need flexible support. We don’t have the budget for a full-time hire but still need support on a part time or short-term basis.
Meet our Interim Finance Specialists
Stephen Barclay
Senior Specialist
- 20+ years’ experience across oil services and non oil sectors
- Expertise in internal/external reporting, financial control, compliance and IFRS 9/15/16
- Led consolidated and interim reporting at First Group and Petrofac
- Strong technical accounting and senior management engagement skills
Fiona Adam
Senior Specialist
- Industry experience including CHC Helicopters, Rever Offshore, and FD roles at AJT Engineering & Well Pro Group
- Specialises in financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, modelling and statutory compliance
- Experience in high yield bonds, IFRS conversion and corporate finance (fundraising & DD)
- Strong in process improvement, automation and Power BI enabled reporting
Stephanie Bird
Senior Specialist
- Background in PwC Audit & Tax, Group FC at O&M Movianto and Financial & Treasury Accountant lead at Copart
- Specialises in financial reporting, treasury, business partnering and corporation tax
- Strong Power BI and systems implementation experience
- Skilled in analysis, stakeholder management and process optimisation
Colin Beaton
Senior Specialist
- Extensive asset management background including Aberdeen Asset Management and Standard Life merger work
- Former FC at First State Investments and Finance Manager at Peterhead Port Authority
- Specialises in financial management, project finance and business integration
- Strong technical accounting and leadership through change
Morag Bruce
Specialist
- Audit trained at Hall Morrice, Audit Manager at A2B
- Senior industry roles covering management accounts, budgeting and cashflow forecasting
- Specialises in management accounting, audit support and financial reporting
- Strong systems expertise with practical, solutions focused delivery
Lynne Cochrane
Senior Specialist
- 12 years at Wood across FP&A, Group Reporting and integration projects
- Specialises in FP&A, business partnering and group reporting
- Strong Power BI capability and data driven decision-making focus
- Skilled in strategic analysis and project management across global teams
Fiona Cameron
- 20+ years’ experience including Finance Manager and Finance Director roles
- Specialises in financial accounting, budgeting, forecasting and management accounting
- Strong in process transformation and financial reporting
- Hands-on operator delivering robust controls and reporting improvements
Wendy Hunter
Senior Specialist
- Qualified at KPMG; senior roles in BI consultancy and Oil & Gas, including Finance Director at TAQA Well Completions
- Specialises in financial reporting, project accounting and FP&A
- Strong analytical and technical accounting capability
- Proven track record in automating management reporting and driving change
Emily McIntosh
Senior Accountant
- Audit trained at Johnston Carmichael; industry secondments in ERP migration and AP
- Specialises in statutory accounts, management reporting and VAT compliance
- Strong systems experience including Power BI, Xero, Sage and Silverfin
- Skilled in reconciliations, consolidations and internal process understanding
Catherine Mason
Senior Specialist
- Audit trained; 7 years at Worley as Senior Finance Manager and UK R2R lead
- Specialises in financial modelling, system implementation and group statutory reporting
- Strong governance, budgeting and reporting expertise
- Delivers process improvement and working capital optimisation
Kirsty Medine
Senior Specialist
- Experience across Lloyds, Scottish Building Society, John Menzies, DPD and Xplore Dundee
- Specialises in financial reporting, risk management and business partnering
- Strong systems and budgeting experience
- Known for technical knowledge and supporting senior leadership decisions
Vivien Penzes
Specialist
- Qualified at PwC; internal audit roles across UK, Norway and UAE
- Specialises in statutory audit, internal audit, SOX and technical accounting
- Strong year‑end reporting and financial statement preparation experience
- Highly technical, adaptable and strong in complex accounting treatments
Catherine Paterson
Senior Specialist
- Industry roles across CBES, Bristow Helicopters, Air Liquide and PDI
- Specialises in financial accounting, budgeting, forecasting and taxation
- Strong treasury, ERP optimisation and statutory reporting experience
- Skilled in process management, analysis and stakeholder leadership
Andrew Waters
Senior Specialist
- 30+ years’ PQE including senior roles at PGS Atlantic Power and First Group
- Specialises in FP&A, statutory/management reporting, M&A and valuations
- Strong in modelling, forecasting, scenario planning and SOX controls
- Hands‑on problem solver with deep technical accounting expertise
Interim Finance Professionals We Recruit
Whether you need strategic leadership or operational support, we can quickly connect you with experienced interim finance professionals who are ready to make an immediate impact.
- Interim Finance Directors – Strategic leadership to support transformation, growth and business change.
- Interim CFOs – Commercial expertise for fundraising, private equity, M&A, exits and growth initiatives.
- Interim Financial Controllers – Strengthen financial reporting, controls and day-to-day finance operations.
- Interim Heads of Finance – Experienced leadership to guide finance teams through periods of change.
- Interim Finance Managers – Reliable operational support to keep your finance function running smoothly.
Need exceptional finance talent?
Our team of finance experts will help you find the right people first time.
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Delivering Business-Critical Support
”Cooper Parry provided specialist support that was critical to the successful delivery of our Consolidation and FP&A system implementation. Their team worked closely with us, bringing strong expertise, flexibility, and professionalism to a business-critical project.
Their high-quality specialists strengthened our team, helped overcome key challenges, and kept delivery on track. They quickly understood our needs and added value from day one.
Cooper Parry played an important role in the project’s success, and we would confidently recommend them to organisations undertaking finance system implementations or wider transformation initiatives.”
– Duncan Brydson, Group Financial Controller, OEG
Let’s talk today
Want us to call you? Let’s start a conversation!
Get in touch with Katie Keay
Let’s talk today
Want us to call you? Let’s start a conversation!
Get in touch with Claire Clark
FAQs
We understand that interim finance requirements are often business-critical. In most cases, Cooper Parry can provide a shortlist of carefully matched interim finance professionals within 24–72 hours.
Unlike traditional recruitment models, our Interim Specialists are employed by us rather than sourced externally, enabling us to respond quickly with experienced professionals who can make an immediate impact. Whether you need an interim CFO, interim Finance Director, Financial Controller or specialist project resource, we can help you secure the right expertise fast.
An Interim Finance Director (FD) or Interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO) provides senior financial leadership on a flexible basis, helping businesses navigate growth, transformation, transactions and operational challenges.
Interim finance leaders typically:
- Provide strategic financial advice and commercial insight
- Lead and develop finance teams
- Improve cash flow management and forecasting
- Enhance financial reporting and controls
- Support mergers, acquisitions and fundraising activity
- Deliver finance transformation and change programmes
By combining strategic oversight with hands-on delivery, interim finance leaders can create immediate value and help businesses achieve their objectives faster.
Hiring an interim finance professional provides businesses with rapid access to experienced finance leadership without the commitment of a permanent appointment.
Benefits include:
- Immediate access to specialist skills and expertise
- Greater flexibility during periods of change or uncertainty
- Fast mobilisation and minimal onboarding time
- Independent, objective decision-making
- Support for projects, transactions and transformation programmes
- Reduced recruitment risk and long-term cost commitments
Interim finance specialists are particularly valuable for businesses undergoing growth, restructuring, acquisitions, systems implementations or leadership transitions.
The length of an interim finance assignment depends on your business requirements, but most engagements typically last between three and nine months.
Shorter assignments often provide cover for unexpected absences, year-end support or urgent projects, while longer engagements support finance transformation, acquisitions, business growth initiatives or senior leadership transitions. We remain flexible throughout the engagement to ensure support evolves alongside your needs.
Yes. We provide interim finance support across Scotland and the UK, helping businesses access experienced finance professionals whenever and wherever they need them.
With offices in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, we support organisations across Scotland, while our wider Cooper Parry network enables us to deliver flexible finance talent solutions nationally. Whether you require on-site, hybrid or remote support, we can connect you with the right expertise.
Absolutely. Supporting urgent and business-critical situations is one of our core strengths.
Whether you’re facing a sudden CFO departure, finance team capacity challenges, transaction deadlines, audit preparation, systems issues or a major transformation project, we can quickly deploy experienced interim finance professionals who are ready to add value from day one and maintain business momentum.
Businesses of all sizes use flexible finance talent solutions to access specialist expertise when they need it most.
Our clients include owner-managed businesses, private equity-backed companies, scale-ups and larger organisations navigating growth, change or transformation. Flexible finance talent can provide leadership, technical expertise and additional capacity without the need for a permanent hire.
An interim CFO or interim Finance Director can be invaluable during periods of significant business change.
Common scenarios include:
- Fundraising or investment activity
- Mergers, acquisitions and exits
- Rapid growth and scaling
- Finance transformation projects
- Leadership gaps and succession planning
- Cash flow challenges
- System implementations and reporting improvements
Interim finance leaders bring immediate expertise and objective insight, helping businesses navigate complex situations with confidence.