Corporate Virtual CFO Service

A Virtual CFO (vCFO) provides companies with strategic financial oversight without the cost or commitment of hiring a full-time executive. At Dezan Shira & Associates, our vCFOs act as senior finance advisors—supporting budgeting, reporting, financial planning, compliance, and internal controls across one or multiple markets in Asia.

The service is modular and scalable. Clients can engage us on a project basis, during transitional phases, or for long-term oversight. We work alongside your internal finance and operational teams, integrating with existing systems and aligning with both local compliance and global reporting standards.

Companies often struggle with financial oversight during growth, restructuring, or leadership transitions. Hiring a full-time CFO may not be feasible—or necessary—especially for lean or expanding businesses operating across multiple countries.

A project-based or interim vCFO is ideal when:

Opening or scaling operations in new Asian markets

• Managing a CFO vacancy or leadership gap
• Navigating regulatory change, audit, or restructuring
• Preparing for fundraising, acquisition, or investor reporting
• Consolidating finance functions across multiple jurisdictions

The flexibility of our service allows companies to secure senior financial leadership when and where it’s most needed.

Our vCFO services are structured to support critical finance functions across both operational and strategic levels. These may include:

• Budget creation and financial forecasting
• Cash-flow monitoring and liquidity planning
• Monthly or quarterly management reporting
• Tax structuring coordination with local experts
• Review of internal controls and compliance
• Board-level reporting and investor support

Clients can choose a full-scope engagement or focus on specific deliverables based on their internal capabilities.

Hiring a full-time CFO—particularly across multiple markets—can be costly and time-consuming. Many companies find themselves underutilizing senior executives for day-to-day tasks that don’t require full-time leadership.

Our Virtual CFO model is structured to reduce fixed costs while providing access to experienced finance leadership. Engagements are scoped around deliverables, not headcount, allowing clients to manage expenses without sacrificing capability or control.

Our vCFOs are supported by a regionally distributed team with in-depth knowledge of local compliance, tax reporting, accounting standards, payroll regulations, and cross-border transactions.

This allows us to manage reporting, filings, and regulatory engagement in countries such as China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore—while maintaining visibility and alignment with HQ financial frameworks.

Yes. Integration is a key part of our approach, especially for companies operating with global or regional finance teams.

We typically align with your internal operations through:

• Access to ERP and accounting systems (e.g., SAP, NetSuite)
• Coordination with local or group controllers
• Participation in financial close and reporting cycles
• Standardized reporting aligned to your group formats
• Use of secure, shared systems for document access and review

This ensures transparency and seamless collaboration with your team.

Yes. One of the key benefits of engaging a vCFO through Dezan Shira & Associates is direct access to our in-house tax, legal, HR, payroll, and IT teams.

This cross-functional support means your vCFO can coordinate with our specialists on complex issues such as transfer pricing, local tax audits, intercompany agreements, compliance reviews, or HR planning—without the need to manage multiple vendors or advisors.

We offer flexible engagement models depending on the company’s size, maturity, and internal capacity:

• Short-term projects: Support during transitions, audits, or leadership gaps
• Monthly retainers: For ongoing oversight, planning, and reporting
• Hybrid models: Combining retained hours with project-based deliverables
• Fully customized scopes: Based on operational regions and reporting complexity

Engagement terms are clearly defined from the outset, with the ability to scale up or down as your needs evolve.

Fast-growing companies or international firms expanding into Asia often don’t have the in-house financial leadership needed to manage multi-jurisdiction operations, local compliance, and reporting demands.

The vCFO model works best for:

• Foreign-invested companies without a full finance team in Asia
• Regional subsidiaries reporting to overseas HQs
• Mid-sized businesses scaling operations or entering new markets
• Companies undergoing restructuring, funding rounds, or M&A activity

Our support is particularly relevant for firms with group-level complexity but lean local resources.

We follow a structured onboarding process to ensure smooth engagement. This typically includes:

• Initial scoping call to understand goals and internal capacity
• Review of existing reports, budgets, and system access
• Introduction to internal stakeholders and assigned teams
• Setup of document sharing and communication protocols
• Confirmation of timelines, reporting formats, and deliverables

Clients receive an onboarding checklist and designated point of contact to manage the transition.

Events like audits, capital raises, or restructuring introduce significant pressure on finance teams—especially if documentation is fragmented or reporting structures are inconsistent.

Our vCFOs provide stability and leadership during these high-stakes periods by:

• Preparing financial summaries and investor reports
• Managing audit deliverables and coordinating with auditors
• Evaluating cash runway, forecast scenarios, and investor decks
• Advising on restructuring models and finance controls

This support helps ensure accurate reporting and strategic alignment during key business inflection points.