ABOUT The CFO Agency
Decisions, not just reports.
The CFO Agency is led by Laura Schiller, CPA, bringing more than 15 years of experience partnering with CEOs, executives and boards. Our focus is not simply producing reports, but helping business owners interpret the numbers and make better commercial decisions.
Our CFOs work exclusively for The CFO Agency and work with no more than four CFO clients at any one time. This ensures every client receives meaningful strategic support, responsiveness and the attention their business deserves.
Unlike many standalone advisory firms, The CFO Agency operates with the foundations of a CPA Public Practice and Registered Tax Agent firm. That means your CFO advice can be connected to practical accounting, tax and compliance considerations where required.
Our specialty is Fractional CFO Australia and Virtual CFO Australia support. If you only need CFO advisory, we provide that. If you want one seamless experience across CFO support, financial operations, tax and compliance, we can support that too.
“In my role I provide valuable financial insights and strategic recommendations that inform decision making.”
Laura was included in CPA Australia’s Integrated Report while leading finance business partnering initiatives. Her contribution focused on financial insight, strategic recommendations and decision support to the business.
This reflects the same philosophy that underpins The CFO Agency today - financial reporting should not simply explain what happened. It should help business owners understand what to do next.
Laura Schiller is a CPA qualified finance executive with more than 15 years of experience partnering with CEOs, executives, boards and founders across leading Australian organisations.
For business owners, the value is not just technical accounting knowledge. It is having someone who can look at the numbers, understand what they mean commercially, and help you make better decisions.
From presenting financial improvement strategies to boards and executive leadership teams, to identifying growth opportunities, improving reporting and helping organisations navigate complex commercial decisions, Laura has seen the challenges growing businesses face before and helped solve them.
Laura founded The CFO Agency to bring enterprise-level financial leadership, commercial insight and strategic CFO advisory to Australian SMEs that need more than historical reports.
Laura was included in CPA Australia annual reporting discussing finance business partnering, strategic recommendations and the role of commercial insight in supporting organisational performance.
“In my role I provide valuable financial insights and strategic recommendations that inform decision making.”
Behind your CFO is a team of experienced tax and accounting professionals who help ensure your financial information is accurate, compliant and ready for strategic decision-making.
Backed by a Master of Taxation, MBA and Bachelor of Laws, he has advised Australian businesses for more than 35 years. His experience spans the Australian Taxation Office, ASX-listed companies and public practice, providing clients with a rare depth of technical expertise. For growing businesses, that means access to sophisticated tax knowledge typically found only in large corporate advisory firms.
Backed by more than 25 years of experience in public practice and senior finance roles, he provides SME owners with expert tax, accounting and business advisory support. His expertise spans complex business structures, financial reporting and strategic tax planning, helping clients build stronger, more profitable businesses.
Registered Tax Agent with over 18 years' experience supporting Australian businesses and accounting firms. Manish specialises in tax compliance, financial reporting, bookkeeping and Xero-based accounting solutions.
Registered Tax Agent with experience supporting growing Australian businesses across tax, accounting and financial reporting. She helps SME owners stay compliant, maintain accurate financial records and build a strong financial foundation for growth.
The CFO Agency starts with strategic CFO advisory. For clients who want a more seamless finance function, your CFO is supported by a specialist tax, accounting and finance team selected for their experience with SMEs, founder-led businesses and high-growth companies.
This means your Virtual CFO Australia or Fractional CFO Australia support can remain focused on strategy, performance, cash flow, forecasting and management reporting, while a separate specialist team supports the accounting, tax and compliance work behind the scenes.
The tax team brings more than 20 years of tax and accounting experience supporting Australian SMEs. Their role is to help ensure your financial records are accurate, compliant and ready for the commercial analysis your CFO needs to produce meaningful monthly reporting.
Your CFO does not prepare the tax work. This separation provides your business with the same level of specialist expertise large corporate CEOs receive.
Your CFO remains focused on financial leadership, commercial insight and the decisions that improve business performance.
Hand-picked tax, accounting and finance specialists support the compliance and financial operations required by growing businesses.
Clients can engage CFO advisory only, or choose one connected finance function with accounting, tax and compliance support included.
The CFO Agency is built around strategic CFO advisory. For clients who want a more complete finance function, we can also provide specialist SME accounting, tax and compliance support through a separate team.
Your CFO remains focused on business performance, commercial insight, forecasting, cash flow visibility and management reporting.
Their role is to understand the numbers, question what they mean and help you make better business decisions.
Our tax and accounting support team can assist with bookkeeping, BAS, payroll, financial statements, tax compliance and ongoing financial administration for SMEs.
This support is backed by more than 20 years of tax and accounting experience, giving clients the option of one connected finance function.
Your CFO does not prepare the tax or bookkeeping work. This separation allows your CFO to review the numbers, ask questions, identify risks, advocate for your business and ensure the information is reliable before management reporting is produced.
The CFO Agency combines strategic CFO advisory with experienced tax, accounting and bookkeeping support — giving growing businesses access to a more complete finance capability.
CPA-qualified accounting support with experience advising Australian SMEs across tax and compliance.
Practical accounting and operational finance support to keep the numbers accurate, current and decision-ready.
Support across BAS, payroll, management reporting, tax compliance and business structuring for small and medium-sized businesses.
Strong CFO advice depends on reliable underlying finance systems. The tax and accounting team helps ensure the financial foundation is in place.
We begin by understanding your business, financial performance, reporting processes and strategic priorities. This includes reviewing cash flow, profitability, key drivers and the decisions currently facing the business.
We identify opportunities, risks and priorities before developing a practical financial roadmap. Depending on your needs, this may include cash flow forecasting, KPI reporting, budgeting, pricing analysis, management reporting or strategic planning.
Each month, we provide financial reporting, commercial insights and strategic guidance to help you make better decisions with confidence. As your business evolves, we adapt our support to keep financial visibility and accountability strong.
Clear answers about The CFO Agency, our enterprise finance experience, Virtual CFO Australia services and Fractional CFO support for Australian SMEs.
Most local accounting firms are engaged primarily for tax, compliance and bookkeeping. The CFO Agency was built for a different purpose: strategic financial leadership.
You are not hiring us for bookkeeping skills. You are hiring us for enterprise-level finance experience — the kind of experience that comes from working with CEOs, executives and boards, interpreting performance, identifying commercial risks and helping businesses make better decisions.
We can support tax, accounting and compliance where required, but our core value is CFO advisory: commercial insight, financial strategy, management reporting, forecasting, cash flow visibility and decision support.
The first question is: what is your actual finance leadership experience? Ask which companies they have worked for, what their role was, whether they sat in boardrooms, and whether they have advised executives on commercial decisions.
The second question is: can you give examples of strategic impact? A capable CFO should be able to explain how they improved profitability, cash flow, reporting, pricing, forecasting, risk management or decision-making.
The third question is: can I speak to someone who has worked with you? Ask for a real-life reference. Speak to that person about how the CFO contributed to the business, how they worked with leadership, and whether they produced meaningful commercial outcomes.
A common misconception is that a business needs to be large before hiring a CFO. In reality, a Virtual CFO or Fractional CFO can add value at different stages of growth.
We have worked with startups, founder-led businesses and larger SMEs. Sometimes the owner is excellent at their product, sales or operations, but does not yet have the financial knowledge needed to confidently interpret performance, manage cash flow or make strategic decisions.
A CFO can advocate for the business owner, translate financial information into practical decisions and help create the reporting, forecasting and accountability the business needs as it grows.
Our CFOs work with a limited number of CFO clients at any one time, with a maximum of five. This is intentional.
Our CFOs work full time within The CFO Agency and do not spend their time preparing tax returns or doing bookkeeping. Their role is to embed within your business, understand your operations, interpret your numbers and work with you strategically as your CFO.
This ensures clients receive meaningful commercial support, not generic monthly reporting.
Not necessarily. Many clients retain their existing accountant and engage The CFO Agency purely for Virtual CFO Australia or Fractional CFO Australia support.
Other clients prefer one connected finance function. In those cases, our specialist accounting, tax and compliance support team can work behind the CFO advisory function so the business receives both strategic oversight and reliable financial operations.
The CFO remains separate from the tax and bookkeeping work, allowing them to review the numbers, ask questions, identify risks and advocate for the business before management reporting is delivered.
If you outgrow The CFO Agency and need a full-time CFO, that means we have done our job well.
Throughout our engagement, we document processes, improve reporting and build financial systems as though you may one day outgrow us. If your business reaches the point where a full-time CFO is required, we can assist with the hiring process and provide a structured handover.
In some cases, we remain involved for a transition period while the new CFO settles into the business.
A Virtual CFO provides senior financial leadership without the cost of hiring a full-time CFO. This may include management reporting, cash flow forecasting, budgeting, KPI analysis, pricing support, profitability reviews, board reporting and strategic financial advice.
At The CFO Agency, our focus is on helping business owners understand what the numbers mean and what decisions need to be made next.
Financial Insights and Reporting packages start from $2,000 per month. CFO advisory and Fractional CFO Australia engagements generally start from $3,000 per month, depending on the level of support required.
Pricing depends on the complexity of the business, reporting requirements, meeting cadence, forecasting needs and whether you require CFO advisory only or a more integrated finance function.
Ready for clarity?
Let’s discuss your business and discover how we can partner with your business.
