Fractional C-Suite Roles
The fractional model applies across all C-level positions. Each role can be engaged part-time to provide strategic leadership in its domain. Here's the complete landscape:
Fractional CFO
Financial strategy, fundraising, reporting, and compliance
Fractional CMO
Marketing strategy, brand, and growth leadership
Fractional CTO
Technology strategy, architecture, and engineering leadership
Fractional COO
Operations, scaling, and efficiency optimization
Fractional CHRO
People strategy, culture, talent, and HR leadership
Fractional CRO
Revenue strategy across sales, marketing, and customer success
Fractional CEO
Overall leadership, often for transitions or specific phases
Why Companies Choose Fractional C-Suite
The fractional C-suite model has become mainstream for growing businesses. Research from the ScaleUp Institute shows that access to senior talent is one of the top challenges for scaling companies—fractional executives solve this.
Cost Efficiency
- Pay only for time needed
- No equity dilution required
- Avoid expensive mis-hires
- Flexible scale up/down
Experience Access
- Senior talent at your stage
- Battle-tested expertise
- Multiple company experience
- Best practices across sectors
Flexibility
- Start quickly (weeks not months)
- Adjust commitment as needed
- Exit without complexity
- Test before permanent hire
Objectivity
- External perspective
- No political baggage
- Challenge assumptions
- Focus on outcomes
When to Engage Fractional C-Suite
Post-Funding Scale
You've raised capital and need senior leadership to deploy it effectively, but can't afford or justify full C-suite yet.
Specific Capability Gap
You need expertise in finance, marketing, or tech that doesn't exist in the current team—without permanent hire.
Strategic Inflection Point
M&A, IPO preparation, market expansion, or major pivot—times when senior leadership is critical.
Board/Investor Expectation
Investors want C-level expertise on the team, but the company isn't ready for full-time hires at that level.
Building a Fractional C-Suite
Some companies engage multiple fractional C-suite executives simultaneously, creating a part-time leadership team. This works when:
- Clear CEO leadership: A full-time CEO coordinates the fractional team
- Defined boundaries: Each executive's scope is clear and non-overlapping
- Communication rhythm: Regular leadership meetings keep alignment
- Complementary skills: The mix covers company's key capability gaps
Summary: Fractional C-suite provides access to all C-level roles (CFO, CMO, CTO, COO, CHRO, CRO, CEO) on a part-time basis at £800-£1,500/day—delivering 50-70% cost savings vs permanent hires.