The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
Head of Credit & Collections (from a large enterprise)
3-5 years in previous roleSkills to master
- Strategic credit policy development, global collections strategy, managing large teams of managers, executive reporting.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully reduced bad debt by a significant percentage in a complex environment.
- Led a major credit policy overhaul or collections transformation.
- Managed a team of 15+ professionals, including direct reports who are managers themselves.
- Regularly presented to senior leadership on credit risk and collections performance.
- 2
VP of Finance Operations (focus on O2C, from a smaller/mid-sized company)
4-6 years in previous roleSkills to master
- End-to-end O2C process ownership, system implementation (ERP/AR automation), cross-functional leadership, P&L management.
You're ready to move on when
- Owned the full O2C cycle for a company with annual revenue of £50M-£200M+.
- Successfully implemented or significantly upgraded an ERP or AR automation system.
- Demonstrated ability to influence across finance, sales, and operations.
- Directly managed a team of at least 10-15 finance professionals.
- 3
Management Consultant (specialising in Finance Transformation)
8-12 years in consulting, with focus on O2C/FinanceSkills to master
- Large-scale change management, process re-engineering, technology strategy, stakeholder management in complex organisations.
You're ready to move on when
- Led multiple finance transformation projects for large clients, with a focus on O2C.
- Proven ability to design and implement new financial processes and systems.
- Strong client relationship management and presentation skills at executive level.
- Experience managing project teams and delivering measurable results.