Fractional CFO · Financial Advisory · Dhaka

The CFO your business
needs — without the
full-time cost.

I work with mid-sized Bangladeshi businesses that have outgrown their accountant but are not yet ready for a full-time CFO. Strategic financial leadership, deployed on a fractional basis.

Book a consultation → How I work
Firoz Alam, Group CFO and Fractional CFO Advisor
Group CFO · Est. 2003
— 22 years of CFO practice
Financial Governance Bank Restructuring Cash Flow Planning Feasibility Analysis Board Reporting Budget Systems IFRS Advisory Fundraising Support M&A Readiness Financial Governance Bank Restructuring Cash Flow Planning Feasibility Analysis Board Reporting Budget Systems IFRS Advisory Fundraising Support M&A Readiness
The practitioner

Two decades at the finance helm of one of Bangladesh's most diversified conglomerates.

For over two decades, I have sat at the financial centre of a large Bangladeshi conglomerate — leading groups through growth, consolidation, restructuring, and the quieter operational work that never reaches the newspapers. Fifteen strategic business units. Fifteen business models. One finance function holding it together.

That experience has taught me what mid-sized businesses actually need from a CFO — and what they do not. They do not need more spreadsheets, another ERP implementation, or a twenty-page dashboard. They need clarity: about where cash is going, which product lines earn real margin, which bank relationships are worth keeping, and how to speak credibly to lenders and investors.

I work with a small number of committed business owners each year — typically running businesses between BDT 5 crore and BDT 100 crore in annual revenue — who are ready to treat their finance function as a strategic lever rather than a compliance obligation.

Firoz Alam
Group CFO
Fractional CFO Practice
What I do

Four ways to work together.

Each engagement is tailored, but most clients begin with one of these four. I work with a small number of businesses at a time to protect the quality of attention each one receives.

01 — Retainer

Fractional CFO Retainer

An ongoing engagement where I function as your part-time CFO — typically 20 to 30 hours per month across finance leadership, board reporting, banking relationships, and strategic decisions.

  • → Monthly board and investor reporting
  • → Cash flow and budget oversight
  • → Bank and lender relationship management
  • → Finance team coaching and supervision
02 — Project

Finance Transformation

A defined project to rebuild a specific part of your finance function — typically 3 to 6 months — where you need senior expertise to design and implement, not just review.

  • → Budget and planning system rollout
  • → Bank restructuring and debt negotiation
  • → Financial governance and policy framework
  • → Fundraising preparation and pitch
03 — Assessment

Feasibility Analysis

A rigorous, scored assessment of whether a business, new venture, or investment decision is actually viable — before the capital is committed. A 6 to 8 week engagement producing a Board-grade decision document.

  • → New business or SBU launch evaluation
  • → Factory expansion and capex decisions
  • → Acquisition target assessment
  • → Reopening or restructuring analysis
04 — Advisory

Board & Special Situations

When you need an experienced voice at the table for specific decisions — board meetings, critical negotiations, or moments where getting the finance right matters most.

  • → Board advisory and attendance
  • → Acquisition and divestiture support
  • → Crisis response and turnaround
  • → Owner transition and succession
Selected engagements

Work that's been quietly consequential.

Below are a few illustrative examples — names and specifics are protected by confidentiality, but the situations and outcomes are real.

i
Debt Restructuring

Restructuring BDT 2,375 Cr of classified debt across 16 lenders

Scope Group-wide
Lenders 16 banks & NBFIs
Status Central bank filed

Led the design and execution of a group-level restructuring proposal spanning 16 lenders, reconciled to a single master file of liabilities. Coordinated a specialist investment bank to file the formal restructuring application with Bangladesh Bank.

ii
Budget System Design

Moving a 15-SBU conglomerate to a unified July–June budget framework

Entities 15 SBUs
Business models Mfg · Retail · Projects · RE · Media
Outcome Single consolidation

Designed and rolled out a single budget template covering manufacturing, retail (grocery), engineering projects, real estate, and media — each with the line items relevant to that model, but rolling up to a common P&L and cash flow for the Group.

iii
Strategic Exit

Closing a loss-making business unit against founder resistance

Cumulative loss BDT 151 Cr / 16 years
Outcome Board-approved closure

Built a data-driven feasibility assessment and board brief that scored the business 9 out of 100 on commercial viability — converting an emotional reopening debate into a disciplined governance decision protected by documented CFO dissent procedures.

iv
Governance Framework

A Group Finance Policy where none existed

Document GFC-001, 48 pages
Scope All SBUs & cost centres

Drafted and shepherded the Group's first formal Finance Policy — covering delegation of authority, capex approval thresholds, bank and cash management, inter-company transactions, and financial reporting standards.

How I work

A deliberate, four-stage engagement.

Good CFO work is not about producing more reports. It is about asking the right questions, in the right order, and then doing the disciplined work that follows from honest answers.

i
Discovery

Understand the real question

A 90-minute conversation, no obligation. We establish what you actually need help with — often different from what you first described.

ii
Diagnosis

See the business clearly

Two to three weeks inside your numbers, your governance, your banking. You get a written assessment of what I find, before we commit.

iii
Design

Build what's actually needed

A tailored engagement scope — retainer, project, or advisory — with clear deliverables, timelines, and success measures.

iv
Delivery

Do the work, with discipline

Weekly check-ins. Monthly written updates to the owner. Transparent reporting on progress, obstacles, and decisions needed.

Insights

Writing for business owners who want to understand their finances.

Occasional notes on running the finance function of a growing business — written for owners, not accountants.

Published in Dhaka Tribune
Op-Ed · Dhaka Tribune · November 2024

Navigating financial challenges — a survival guide for Bangladeshi businesses.

The business environment in Bangladesh is increasingly challenging. Rising costs, changing interest rates, geopolitical instability, and shifting government policies have left many companies struggling. The lifting of the 9% cap on interest rates two years ago has added significant pressure, with rates now ranging from 14% to 17%. Combined with inflation, supply chain disruptions, and a tightening liquidity situation, this has pushed many otherwise sound businesses into distress. Here is a practitioner's guide to navigating these difficulties — from debt restructuring and cost discipline to divestiture decisions and long-term financial governance.

Read the full article →
Leadership · 11 min read

Why your accountant is not your CFO — and when that distinction starts to cost you.

Bangladeshi SME owners often conflate two very different functions. The distinction becomes obvious only when you try to raise capital, sell, or navigate a crisis.

Banking · 9 min read

How to talk to your bank when the conversation gets difficult.

A structured approach to lender engagement during classification, restructuring, or renegotiation — without losing leverage or dignity.

Governance · 8 min read

What a Group Finance Policy should actually contain.

Twelve sections that separate a professionally-run company from an owner-dependent one. Adapted from a framework built for a 15-SBU conglomerate.

— Credentials, networks, and publications
MBA, IBA, University of Dhaka
ACCA DipIFR (in progress)
Published — Dhaka Tribune Op-Ed
Bangladesh Angels Network
Group CFO · 22 years

Let's have a conversation.

If you are a business owner wrestling with a finance problem you cannot quite name, a 90-minute call is usually the best way to start. No obligation. No slide deck.