I've sat in your chair.
Both of them.
Fifteen years as a CFO. One business built and sold. I help founder-led media, tech and consumer businesses turning over $2m–$25m see their numbers clearly enough to decide quickly — across the UAE, South Africa and Europe.
Founders call me when…
They can't see the business clearly
Revenue is up, but cash, margins and runway are a guess. The reports arrive, nobody reads them, and the next squeeze comes as a surprise.
Big decisions run on instinct
Hiring, pricing, a new market, a raise, a sale. Expensive calls made without a scenario in sight — and no one in the room to push back on the numbers.
They've outgrown the bookkeeper
The business needs CFO-level thinking, but not a full-time CFO salary. They want someone who has done it, not someone who has read about it.
Your accountant tells you what happened. Your CFO helps you decide what happens next.
Most advisers can read your financials. Few have made payroll out of their own pocket. I bring the CFO discipline and the founder's gut to the same conversation — because at this stage, the numbers and the person making the call are never separate.
Financial reality
Cash, margin and runway you can actually see — and a straight read on what the numbers mean for the decision in front of you.
A founder's perspective
I've worn both caps. I know why founders ignore reports, and how fast a good month can hide a bad structure.
Faster, better decisions
Not more reporting. Scenarios, a view, and someone who will tell you when the plan doesn't add up.
Straight to what matters
Every engagement starts the same way: an accurate picture of where the business really is.
The first call
Thirty minutes, no deck. You tell me where the business is; I give you a straight view of what I'd do first.
Diagnostic
A fixed-scope look under the bonnet: cash, margins, reporting, controls — and what's holding the value down.
The plan
The few things that move the needle, in order — a 13-week cash view, the right KPIs, and the decisions they unlock.
In your corner
I stay in it with you — inside the business a few days a month, or as a weekly sounding board. What we decide gets done.
Stories from the CFO's chair
Every metric needs a chaperone. My mobile provider offered me my usual data at half price. The catch? It had to go on a brand-new SIM. Because "new SIMs activated" was a KPI.
Read the postWe stopped paying sales commission on invoices. Only on cash in the bank. It was unpopular for a month or two. Then debtor days halved.
Read the postI've been given equity in almost every CFO role I've held. I've never once factored it into a decision. It ain't money until it's banked.
Read the postNot an accountant who has read about founders. A CFO who has been one.
I trained at PwC, qualified as a Chartered Accountant (SA), and have spent more than fifteen years as a CFO across fintech, media, retail and e-commerce — in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
At MultiChoice I drove content acquisition and production behind the Showmax 2.0 launch, and found R2bn in savings by rethinking how content money was spent. At Ezra I built the Dubai finance team from scratch and restructured a business that had run out of road. After hours, I built and sold EgoAmo Posters, a seven-figure DTC brand — which taught me what no CFO role could: what it feels like to make payroll out of your own pocket.
Finance, without the jargon
Keynotes, panels and founder workshops on the money decisions that make or break growing businesses. Available for conferences, accelerators and leadership events in the UAE, South Africa and Europe.
Book Russ to speakWhat founders say
"[Quote from a founder client — the specific problem, and what changed after working with Russ.]"
"[Quote from a former CEO Russ partnered with — what he was like in the room.]"
"[Quote from a founder Russ mentored or advised — the decision he helped them make.]"
Pick the seat you need me in
Fractional CFO
Finance leadership inside your business a few days a month. Reporting that gets read, cash you can forecast, and a CFO at the board table.
Book a callFounder Advisory
A sounding board from someone who has worn both caps. A weekly one-hour call, plus a line to me when a decision can't wait.
Message meExit Assessment
What your business is worth today, and what's holding the number down — before a buyer's due diligence finds it for you.
Get your assessmentRaise Ready
Twelve weeks, CFO-led, from business case to a live investor pitch. Small founder cohorts.
Join the waitlist[Newsletter name]
One story a week from the CFO's chair — the numbers founders don't talk about, and what to do about them.
Ready for a straight view of your numbers?
Thirty minutes, no deck. Tell me where the business is and I'll give you a straight view of what I'd do first. If I'm not the right answer, I'll tell you who is.
Book a 30-minute callI work with a small number of businesses at a time.