2026 Report: CFO talent trends

<sub>This blog is taken from a section of our Finance Leaders in Tech Report 2026. To read the report in full, click here.

‍</sub>Within this cohort, 55% of CFOs surveyed said they would be looking for a new opportunity in the next 12 months. Although not a staggering majority, we believe that this data point demonstrates a general feeling of stagnation within the European technology market. Whilst investment activity across VC and PE remains relatively comparable to 2024 and 2023 levels, the exit market remains subdued, extending realistic timelines for later-stage CFOs and their teams. Muted growth and reduced exit opportunities naturally have a big impact on CFO job satisfaction, which is evident in our data.

Most popular reasons for CFOs seeking a new role:

Growth in their current business has stalled

Over the last few years, we have seen a number of companies hire experienced CFOs to help course-correct following the heady heights of 2021-2022. We regularly hear from CFOs who have spent time building solid foundations and preparing organisations for sustainable growth, and renewing focus on realistic exit scenarios. Many CFOs in our network are now faced with maintaining the status quo against a challenging macro backdrop, lacking a path to drive meaningful growth and expansion.

Looking for an opportunity to improve their compensation package

According to our data, 56% of respondents have not received a pay rise in the last 12 months and 65% will be seeking one in 2026. This highlights an interesting shift where cash is becoming king once more within CFO compensation packages, as faith in equity value has wavered, and finance leaders are seeking enhanced security from their base salary. Amidst uncertainty around valuations, regular reviews of equity packages have become less frequent, and many CFOs in our network have commented on how they are prioritising healthy base salaries to mitigate the ongoing risk of seeing equity deliver real value over the long term.

“On compensation, we see a divergence in the market here and would treat the return to cash as a symptom. Great founders and boards still have the ability to build trust in the equity portion of their offering in a way that CFOs resonate with. We do think though that different personalities and life stage will call for different risk appetites and finding a misfit here as early as possible in the selection process is important. Misalignment on this between CFO and company can have catastrophic consequences.” Tamas Varkonyi, Co-Founder of EquityPeople.

To increase the likelihood of returns from an exit event

Many CFOs have had to re-evaluate their company’s strategy following outsized fundraising and now unrealistic valuations post-2021. Achieving sustainable profitability at lower growth rates, having raised capital to fulfil a different scenario, can lead to complex cap tables and potentially a less financially rewarding, delayed exit event. Several CFOs in our network are watching burgeoning sectors like AI and defence, which are attracting high levels of funding with more realistic valuations and greater perceived paths to exit.
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Change in ownership structure has led to a different, less favourable environment

Obtaining institutional funding after the pre-pandemic boom became more challenging, so scale ups in the European ecosystem needed to get more creative about where they secured capital. Anecdotally, we’ve seen a marked increase in the number of secondaries taking place, introducing new stakeholders and, in some cases, new owners. CFO’s take their relationship with the founder or CEO and board team extremely seriously, citing it as critical to their success in their role, so friction within these relationships can be challenging to the overall success of a CFO in-post, sometimes leading them to seek new opportunities elsewhere.

Zoning in on a regional view, according to our data, over 70% of CFOs in Central Europe are looking for a new role in 2026. The biggest ecosystem within this region is Germany, where the market outlook is nuanced. According to research by Deutsche Bank released in July 2025, the German startup market is showing signs of growth but also facing a range of challenges from capital availability, antiquated governmental policies and a lack of exit activity. According to a poll conducted by Bitkom, Germany’s digital association, one in four tech startups is considering leaving Germany due to these concerns.
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CFO Relocation Appetite

Talent mobility is a hot topic internally at Altima, particularly as Europe’s leading technology companies often favour hybrid working, so there is an expectation that the CFO spends some time every week in person with the team. In the later stages, tech leaders want to ensure they have the best CFO candidate in the market, and often that means engaging with individuals who would need to relocate to take the position. According to our data, 53% of CFOs surveyed say they would be willing to relocate for the right role.

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Our data indicates that almost 70% of respondents spend three to four days in the office each week, demonstrating that hybrid working patterns have become the norm across the tech industry. This was the clear preference for this cohort too, with 76% stating a hybrid model was their preferred cadence. Success as a CFO is intrinsically linked to building good relationships throughout an organisation, specifically with the founders or CEO and the leadership team. CFOs in our network regularly comment on the challenges of building strong relationships remotely. While it’s more common for a hiring team to begin their search local to their HQ, expanding the search to include candidates who might relocate is a viable option for those with the budgets to cover the costs associated with a CFO relocated for the position.
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Our data suggests that CFOs based in the Nordics and Southern Europe were the most willing to relocate across Europe, likely due to the opportunities available in these markets compared to other, more established ecosystems, like the UK and Germany. British CFOs were the least willing cohort to relocate, again likely reflecting the density of opportunities across London. Language capabilities could also be a factor here, as few British CFOs are bilingual, therefore restricting their ability to work and live in other countries.

When assessed by CFO tenure, the responses showed that unsurprisingly, CFOs at the beginning of their career and later in their career (10 years +) were the least open to relocation. 69% of CFOs with between 2-9 years’ experience said they would be open to relocating for the right role, reflecting a desire to gain broad experience once they have spent some time within their first CFO role.

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Mike Powell, Search Partner at Altima comments, “Although this data looks promising, in our experience at Altima, it can be incredibly complicated to relocate a CFO for a new position. There are many factors to consider including, financial pressures, such as navigating new tax systems, familial and social upheaval, and the practicalities of adjusting to a new culture.We tend to see strong interest in top roles where a CFO would need to relocate, but that does wane somewhat when these factors are properly considered. In our experience, top tech firms will start their search locally or remotely and expand out from that point if they are unable to find the right candidate close to where they are based.”

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_{This blog is taken from a section of our Finance Leaders in Tech Report 2026. To read the report in full, click here.}

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