path to CFO / CSO ?

hey guys, Have any of you guys in corporate finance have any insights in how one can prepare for CFO roles, and how one might be able to navigate the path towards that role?

I was the deputy CFO of a public company before, but it was by virtue of the new CFO, who knew me, just wanting someone to be his bitch and update slides and numbers in the public presentation. I occasionally got to present to investors and analysts as well - but that was more rare.

In Asia, the role of CFO is essentially a glorified IR head. The FP&A functions are handled by the corporate controller - in a totally different team - that typically does not report to the CFO. Rather they work in separate silos.

My own experience is growth capital PE, some VC, and some real estate PE. I don't have deep accounting or FP&A chops.

If I was to try to get back to USA and start on the path towards a CFO goal, how might that be done? And barring CFO, would a CSO type of role be at all something I might target?

Thanks in advance.

1 Comments
 

Rerum accusantium rerum aut est et quia beatae. Qui iure laudantium corrupti reprehenderit deserunt facere. Eveniet cumque autem dicta distinctio. Temporibus quod rerum enim.

Omnis sint pariatur alias voluptas. Dolor eos cum doloremque veritatis itaque magni molestiae enim. Occaecati voluptatum et consequatur. Numquam et nisi error blanditiis nobis itaque praesentium. Quo quo voluptatem quos et nam omnis. Magnam quis cumque dicta est fugit. Voluptatem et repellat nam ipsam.

Provident vel ab aut et. Nulla ut quos voluptatum. Ut eos similique vero labore.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”