The right expertise
at the right time

A fractional director, also known as an outsourced director, is an experienced finance professional who works with your business on a part-time, retained or project basis rather than as a full-time employee. Instead of carrying the cost of a single, permanent salary, you draw on senior-level expertise exactly when and where your business needs it, whether that is a day a week or ongoing support around specific projects.

For many small and medium-sized businesses, this model gives them flexible access to a high calibre of leadership that would otherwise sit well outside their budget.

One of the clearest advantages of outsourced director services is that you are working with someone who has already done the job, often across several sectors and business sizes. Rather than training someone into the role, you get an experienced individual who can assess your position, identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and start adding value immediately.

With a fractional director, you pay for the expertise itself, not for the employment overheads that sit around it. This alone makes outsourced service a more predictable and economically viable cost for most growing businesses.

A fractional director sits slightly outside the day-to-day business. This brings a more independent, less emotionally attached view, which can be exactly what is needed when difficult decisions are on the table.

For many growing businesses, particularly SMEs, the fractional director model offers senior strategic input without the overheads or the risk of a full-time appointment.

An Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) holds shares on behalf of the employees of a company. Many business owners choose a sale to an EOT as a succession option, rather than a sale to a third party or a conventional internal exit such as a management buy-out.

The ethos behind an EOT sale is that it preserves the culture and structure of the organisation and ultimately passes this value back to the employees who have helped create it.

Cura has experience of dealing with EOTs and can assist businesses looking to transition to employee ownership as an independent trustee. Working closely with the company accountants, solicitors and employees, Cura can help guide the business through the ownership transition so that everyone understands and appreciates the changes taking place.

Cura can also sit as the independent trustee on an Employee Ownership Trust board for established trusts. These trustee services are available to organisations other than EOTs, and we would be delighted to hear from any organisation that requires assistance.

Cura does not provide core accountancy support services such as bookkeeping, payroll, accounts and tax return preparation. Our services focus on bespoke, higher-level assistance for a selective client portfolio where we can add value to each business.

We have experience across a wide range of businesses and sectors. Please get in touch if there are other areas of your business where you require assistance and feel Cura could help.