Glossary
Office of the CFO and Controllership Support in Vancouver
Most Vancouver companies searching for CFO services do not actually need a CFO. They need the finance function that sits underneath one: a close that lands on a set date, financial statements they can rely on, cash flow they can see coming, and someone accountable for all of it.
That is what we provide, and we describe it as Office of the CFO and controllership support rather than as a fractional CFO, because the distinction is real. Treewalk is a Vancouver CPA advisory firm, and this is one of our largest teams.
What this actually covers
The engagement is the accounting function of your business, run by our team rather than hired into yours.
- The monthly close, on a fixed date rather than whenever there is capacity
- Financial statements prepared and reviewed, not just exported
- Reconciliations and controls, including who has access to what
- A reporting package each month covering cash flow, the balance sheet and the profit and loss
- Cash flow forecasting and the governance conversations that come with it
- Journal entries made monthly, rather than once a year when an external accountant arrives
That last point is the one that changes how a business feels to run. Where a company has bookkeeping but no controllership, the adjusting entries that make the financials correct often happen only at year end. Every monthly number in between was approximately right at best. See what a controller does.
Why we say Office of the CFO rather than fractional CFO
An honest distinction, and one we hold to deliberately.
A CFO decides where a business is going: capital structure, financing, the board conversation. A controller is accountable for whether the numbers are right. Most private companies asking for a CFO are describing a controllership gap, and selling them a CFO would be selling the wrong thing.
We provide true CFO and principal accounting officer support for public companies, where the demands are different and genuinely executive. For private companies our offer is the Office of the CFO and controllership layer. If what you need is a strategic CFO for a raise or an exit, we will say so rather than take the engagement.
A team, not a single hire
The structural argument for using a firm is continuity.
One person is one calendar. They take holidays, they get sick, they leave, and they have only seen the situations they have personally seen. Our controllership team is a group of CPAs who do nothing else, with a named lead on your file and people behind them.
They are deliberately hands-on. They make the journal entries rather than only reviewing someone else’s, and they work inside your accounting system. Because the same team works across many companies, the tooling is better than a single in-house hire would build, including automation across accounts payable and receivable.
| Option | What you get | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time CFO | One executive, all year, fully loaded cost | Large or complex companies needing a CFO full time |
| Full-time controller | One person owning the close | Enough complexity to justify a permanent seat |
| Solo contractor | One person, one calendar | Simple, stable needs, accepting key-person risk |
| Office of the CFO support | A team with a named lead and cover behind them | Companies needing the function without the headcount |
For context on the alternative, published market data on Vancouver CFO salaries gives a useful reference point, and remember that base pay sits before bonus, benefits and payroll costs. We do not publish our own rates, because the right structure depends on scope, and we would rather scope your situation than have you anchor on a number that does not fit it.
When companies come to us
After an acquisition
The most common trigger by far. We repeatedly see a buyer inherit a finance function built for the previous owner, carrying more seniority than the business needs at its size, or depending entirely on someone who is leaving. Where we ran the quality of earnings before closing, we already know the business, its risks and where the gaps are.
Coming off a transition services agreement
Carve-outs need a standalone finance function quickly while an expensive parent-company arrangement runs in the background.
Outgrowing bookkeeping
The books are accurate and the reporting still is not usable. That is a controllership gap, not a bookkeeping one.
Losing the person who knew everything
A departing controller or long-serving bookkeeper takes undocumented process with them.
Do you need someone local?
Partly. The work itself is done in your accounting system and does not require anyone in the room.
What being a Vancouver firm actually gives you is context: BC payroll and employer health tax, provincial sales tax treatment, the local lender and advisor landscape, and the ability to sit down together when something warrants it. For companies here with a transaction, a lender conversation or a board on the horizon, that context matters more than proximity does.
What we do not do
Treewalk has no audit or tax practice, and that is by design rather than by accident. We do not provide audit or attest services, and we are not your auditor. For tax we work alongside a specialist rather than taking it on.
That constraint is also why the model works. Advisory work is the main business rather than a sideline to an audit practice, so the people running your close are not pulled onto something else in busy season. Where you need audit readiness rather than an audit, that we do: preparing the file, the working papers and the reporting so the process goes smoothly. See IFRS financial statement preparation.
Frequently asked questions
What do CFO services in Vancouver actually include?
It depends what you are buying. Ours is the finance function: the monthly close, financial statements, reconciliations and controls, a reporting package and cash flow forecasting, with a named senior lead accountable for it. Strategic CFO work for private companies is not what we offer.
What is the difference between this and a fractional CFO?
A fractional CFO is a part-time executive focused on direction, financing and strategy. Office of the CFO and controllership support is the function underneath that: making sure the numbers are right and the reporting is usable. Most companies asking for the first actually need the second.
Do we still need this if we have a bookkeeper?
Usually yes, and they are complementary. A bookkeeper records; controllership reviews, reports and forecasts. Businesses that have only ever had bookkeeping typically have accurate data and no usable reporting.
How much does it cost compared to hiring?
Less than a full-time hire once benefits and payroll burden are counted, and we scope rather than quote from a list. The salary data linked above is a useful reference point for what the full-time alternative costs.
Can you work with our existing accountant or bookkeeper?
Yes, and that is the usual pattern. We commonly run alongside an existing arrangement while the close is stabilised, then take on more as the process proves out.
Do you work with companies outside Vancouver?
Yes, across British Columbia. The work is done in your accounting system, so location is rarely the constraint.
Does Treewalk audit financial statements?
No. We do not provide audit or attest services. We prepare and support, and we work alongside your auditor rather than being them.
Where to next
If your month-end is late, your reporting is not telling you anything, or you have just acquired a business and inherited a finance function built for someone else, the first question is which layer you actually need rather than how quickly you can hire. Our private company team runs this for businesses across BC. Read outsourced controller services for how the engagement works and the month-end close process for what a disciplined close looks like. To talk through your situation, email Avnit Sekhon at avnit.sekhon@treewalk.com.
