For a senior finance professional, a useful network has three parts: people you meet in person at events and peer groups, a visible presence online so people know what you do before they meet you, and relationships you keep warm by helping others first. Senior startup finance roles are often filled by direct approach and referral, so the people in that network are usually how you hear about them.
How senior finance roles at startups actually get filled
Senior finance roles in startups are often filled before, or instead of, a job ad: through a referral from an investor, a CFO or a past colleague, or a direct approach from a specialist recruiter. That applies to a venture-backed company's first head of finance and its first CFO alike.
My own work runs the same way. A big share of what I do comes by referral: startup CFOs, investors and past clients pointing me to people, and pointing people to me. Back in April 2024, at my previous firm, I wrote that “the vast majority of my placements come from personal connections without relying on advertising”. As of August 2026, referral is still a major source of my work at Story Recruitment, which I founded in January 2026. Through my accounting and finance network across Australia, credibility and trust are often built with people I have never spoken to before, so candidates who are otherwise passive are open to a conversation about a role I am recruiting for.
I have written up separately how CFO jobs in Australia are really filled. If nobody in the right circles knows you, a first-CFO search for a Series A fintech can start and finish without you hearing about it.
| Networking when you need a job | Networking all the time | |
|---|---|---|
| When you start | When you need a new role | Years before you need one |
| What you ask for | A job, or a referral to one | Advice, an introduction, or nothing at all |
| How you hear about senior roles | When they are advertised, if they are | Through a founder, investor, peer or recruiter first |
| What people remember about you | That you got in touch when you wanted something | That you helped them, or introduced them to someone useful |
The path to becoming a CFO in Australia.
Get in the room: in-person events
Nothing builds rapport with a founder, investor or peer like meeting them face to face. Events put you in front of founders, investors and peers you would never meet through your own company.
I am a big advocate for being present online, and I will come to that. But in May 2026, a few weeks after Sunrise, I wrote that “IRL events are where it's at” and that “there's just no replacement for the level of rapport and relationship you can build at an in-person event.” In the weeks after Sunrise I was going to one event a week, including a startup community catch-up and a CPA event. Rooms full of founders, VCs and builders were where the real conversations happened.
For a senior finance professional who wants to work in startups, that is the room to be in. Finance-only events have their place, and I cover CFO seminars and professional development separately. If the seat you want is inside a startup, put yourself where founders are.
Build a peer group of finance leaders
A peer group is a small, regular gathering of people at your level who share what is working and what is not. For a CFO or head of finance, often the only senior finance person in the company, it is the closest thing to having colleagues.
My CFO Track guest Sammy Michaels, who oversees finance, legal, IT and compliance at Octopus Deploy, helped build a quarterly meetup for tech CFOs in Australia that now has a wait list. When I shared his episode in April 2026, he credited that group with cutting out 80 per cent of the problems he would otherwise have to solve alone.
I host The CFO Track, a podcast of candid interviews with Australian CFOs, and the CFO Track Community alongside it: a network of CFOs across tech, fintech and deep tech, with internal and market-facing events. You can request to join on the CFO Track page.
Stay visible between events
A low-maintenance digital network means people know what you do and how you think before they meet you. For most finance professionals in Australia that means LinkedIn: a profile that says what you have done, and occasional posts about what you see in your seat.
I think CFOs are better placed to build a credible presence online than almost anyone. They sit across strategy, capital and operations, and founders, operators and other finance leaders want to hear what they think. Done consistently, better candidates come to you without fees and, as I put it in June 2026, “future roles find you before they're advertised.” I use my own content as the test case: in the 12 months to June 2026 it brought circa 15k engagements, 2 million impressions and $500k in inbound or warm revenue.
How to set up your CV and LinkedIn so the right people find you.
Give before you ask
The networkers people remember are the ones who help without keeping score. Making introductions, sharing what you know and answering a question from someone more junior is what turns a contact into a relationship.
“At its core, I'm a connector.” I wrote that in February 2026, after a Financial Controller who was happy in their job told me they were unsure where their development went from there. I knew a past guest of The CFO Track who would suit them, suggested they listen to the episode first, and an hour later they came back keen, so I made the introduction. No placement or fee, just two people connected.
It works the same for you. Every interaction either improves, damages or maintains your reputation, and it's a small world: you never know when you will connect with someone again. When you move on from a business, your reputation is the only thing you take with you.
How to reach out when you are looking
When you are ready for a move, start with the people who already know your work, then widen out. Keep the first message short, honest and about advice rather than a role.
This is the order I set out in December 2024. Start with previous colleagues, who have seen your work ethic and may now be in hiring seats, and with mentors or ex-managers who can vouch for you. Then move to industry contacts from events and leaders at businesses you have worked alongside. Send a message to reconnect, share your situation honestly, and ask for guidance, not just a job. Most people genuinely want to help.
If the next seat you want is the first finance hire (head of finance or FC) or the first CFO at a venture-backed Australian startup, that is the market I work in. You can tell me where you are in your career and I will give you a straight read on the roles I am seeing.
Common questions
Why is networking important for finance professionals?
Because at senior level many roles are filled by direct approach and referral before they are advertised, if they are advertised at all. A network also gives a head of finance or CFO peers to test decisions with, which matters when you are the most senior finance person in the business.
Where should a senior finance professional network in Australia?
In person, at startup and founder events where VCs and builders attend, at professional body events, and in small peer groups of finance leaders who meet regularly. Online, mainly LinkedIn, so people know your work before they meet you.
How do CFO roles at Australian startups get filled?
Many are filled through referrals from investors, CFOs and past colleagues, or by a specialist recruiter approaching candidates directly through their network. Strong candidates for these seats are often passive and not applying for roles, so being known in the right circles matters more than watching job boards.
How do you network without sounding transactional?
Help first and ask second. Make introductions with nothing in it for you, share what you know, and when you do reach out for yourself, ask for guidance rather than a job. People remember who helped them.
Is LinkedIn enough for networking in finance?
It is a strong start, because it lets people learn what you do before they meet you, and consistent posting can bring roles to you before they are advertised. It works best alongside meeting people in person, which builds a level of rapport that is hard to match online.
These guides set out how we see it, drawn from the searches we run and the finance leaders we work with. They are general information about the market, not financial, accounting or legal advice, and they are no substitute for advice on your own circumstances.