51CFO — US IPO-Ready International CFOs & C-Suite Talent

Why It Matters

18 Months Before Listing, the CFO Decides Everything

Most failed IPOs don't fail on the business — they fail on finance. And in the US market, investors, the SEC and market makers accept only one kind of person: a CFO who has been through the whole process and answers fluently in English.

US GAAP & PCAOB Audit

From private-company books to US GAAP, clearing three years of audits in one pass is not luck — it is experience.

F-1 Filing & SEC Comments

How the prospectus answers — and how many comment rounds it takes to close — sets your entire timeline.

Valuation & Roadshow

US institutions invest in what they understand. A native-level CFO is the second lead on that stage.

Life After Listing

10-K / 10-Q, SOX controls, investor relations — ringing the bell is only day one of the compliance marathon.

Our Services

Three Services, One Destination: The Bell

No generic executive search, no other capital markets. Every service and every candidate serves a single endpoint — listing on NASDAQ or the NYSE.

FLAGSHIP

US IPO CFO Search

FULL-TIME & INTERIM

Western CFOs who have personally walked a US IPO from start to finish, matched to your listing timeline.

Full cycle: preparation → filing → SEC comments → roadshow → bell
Full-time CFOs: from preparation to beyond the listing
Interim CFOs: start immediately, lead the sprint
Verifiable F-1 / S-1 / 20-F track records

C-Suite Placement

BEYOND THE CFO

Build the full executive and capital-markets bench around your US listing — international talent as standard.

CEO / COO / CTO and core C-level roles
Head of IR & senior finance controllers
Independent directors & audit committee chairs
Company secretary & compliance leads

IPO Sprint Advisory

RESULT-ORIENTED

Bank-trained advisors leading hands-on support for the final stretch to listing.

Pre-IPO finance review & SEC readiness gap analysis
Intermediary coordination: banks, auditors, counsel
Prospectus financial sections & comment responses
Roadshow deck, valuation model & equity story

Market Focus

The US Market. Nothing Else.

Focus is what makes us excellent. Our entire talent network, market knowledge and banking relationships are all-in on NASDAQ and the NYSE.

UNITED STATES · OUR ONLY MARKET

Every Route to a US Listing

NASDAQ Global Select / Global / Capital Market
NYSE traditional IPO & direct listing
SPAC listings & De-SPAC mergers
Uplisting (OTC → NASDAQ)

SEC F-1 / S-1 / 20-F filings
VIE structures & PCAOB audit requirements
US GAAP conversion & SOX controls
10-K / 10-Q reporting & investor relations

NOT OUR MARKET

What We Don't Do

HKEX Main Board / GEM
A-share Main Board / STAR / ChiNext
Beijing Stock Exchange & NEEQ
Singapore, London and other venues
General finance hiring unrelated to IPOs

Clear boundaries are our promise: if we don't know the battlefield, we don't take the mandate.

Investment Banking DNA

Our Team Comes From the World's Top Banks

Who we recommend matters less than who does the vetting. Every partner and advisor comes from the world's leading investment banks and the Big Four — the people who review prospectuses for a living.

Goldman SachsInvestment Banking

Morgan StanleyInvestment Banking

J.P. MorganInvestment Banking

Bank of AmericaInvestment Banking

CitiGlobal Markets

Deutsche BankGlobal Markets

BarclaysGlobal Markets

JefferiesGlobal Markets

WE OPERATE UNDER THE SAME RULEBOOK EVERY DAY

NASDAQExchange

NYSENew York Stock Exchange

SECUS Securities Regulator

FINRAAudit Oversight Board

DeloitteBig Four

PwCBig Four

EYBig Four

KPMGBig Four

Vetted Like a Banker Would

The best judge of whether a CFO truly carried an IPO is someone who sat on the other side of the deal.

Built to SEC Standard

Prospectus financials and comment-response logic calibrated to Wall Street norms before they reach the regulator.

Valuation & Roadshow Craft

Forecasts, comparables and bookbuilding cadence shaped by people who have actually managed an order book.

An IPO is an exam you sit only once. Let your tutors come from the people who wrote the paper.

* Institution names are used solely to describe team members' professional backgrounds and the regulatory ecosystem our work involves. No affiliation, agency or partnership with these institutions is implied.

Our Team

Ten Partners. All From the World's Top Banks.

Every one of them has run deals on a Wall Street desk — and sat on the other side of the table for Chinese issuers.

Michael R.

GSGoldman Sachs

Managing Partner · IPO CFO Search

Former Managing Director, Goldman Sachs IBD. Led consumer & tech US listings.

22 yrs · 30+ US deals

David K.

MSMorgan Stanley

Partner · Global Capital Markets

Former Executive Director, Morgan Stanley GCM. Bookrunner for TMT offerings.

19 yrs · 20+ pricings

Andrew B.

JPMJ.P. Morgan

Partner · Biotech & Healthcare

Former VP, J.P. Morgan Tech IBD. Focused on biotech and medtech US IPOs.

17 yrs · 12 IPOs

Jonathan M.

CCiti

Partner · Cross-Border Structuring

Former Director, Citi Global Markets. Long-time VIE structuring for China issuers.

21 yrs · 40+ deals

Richard T.

UBSUBS

Partner · New Energy & Industrials

Former Executive Director, UBS IBD. Covers energy storage and advanced manufacturing.

18 yrs · 15 US deals

Stephen L.

BBarclays

Partner · SPAC & De-SPAC

Former VP, Barclays Capital Markets. Specialises in SPAC listings and mergers.

15 yrs · 18 SPACs

Christopher S.

JEFJefferies

Partner · Small & Mid Cap

Former Director, Jefferies Growth Group. SME offerings and OTC uplistings.

16 yrs · 25+ uplistings

Nicholas H.

DDeloitte

Partner · Audit & Controls

Former Deloitte audit partner. US GAAP conversion and PCAOB audit readiness.

24 yrs · China desk lead

Patrick W.

PwCPwC

Partner · Capital Markets Services

Former Director, PwC Capital Markets. SEC comment responses and SOX controls.

18 yrs · 30+ filings

Alexander G.

GSGoldman Sachs

Partner · CFO Vetting & References

Former senior banker at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Verifies candidate deal records.

25 yrs · Deal reviewer

Under client and candidate confidentiality agreements, surnames and photographs are shown in abbreviated form. Full profiles are provided once an NDA is in place.

Talent Standard

Six Gates Every Candidate Must Pass

Every shortlist is entirely international faces with verifiable listing track records.

Western Senior Executives Only

US and European senior finance leaders with native-level English, able to face institutions and market makers directly.

Full-Cycle IPO Track Record

Not "involved" — led or deeply executed at least one complete US listing, from preparation to the bell.

Top Banks & Big Four Pedigree

Elite investment banks, Big Four audit, or listed-issuer finance leadership — clean, verifiable histories.

Fluent in SEC Practice

Full command of SEC filing mechanics, US GAAP, SOX controls and how comment rounds are closed.

Intermediary Network Included

Standing relationships with banks, law firms, auditors and IR agencies — your IPO bench, assembled at once.

Rigorous Verification

Education, employment and deal history verified line by line, plus multiple interviews and references.

TMT / TechBiotech / HealthcareConsumer & RetailNew Energy / ManufacturingFinTechEnterprise / SaaS

How We Work

Six Steps to the Right Hire

A partner personally runs every engagement, with a clear deliverable at each step.

STEPIPO Talent Diagnosis

We map your listing timeline and US GAAP requirements, defining the CFO and executive gaps precisely.

STEPRole Specification

A written profile: IPO track record, sector, US GAAP depth, compensation structure, start date.

STEPTargeted Search

Discreet outreach among Western executives who have already listed companies — your team stays undisturbed.

STEPAssessment & References

Multiple expert interviews, deal verification and background checks, co-signed by bank-trained advisors.

STEPOffer & Onboarding

Compensation and equity negotiation, plus cross-border relocation and onboarding support.

STEPThrough the Bell

Continuous follow-up until you ring the bell on NASDAQ or the NYSE — we stay accountable throughout.

Get Started

Heading to the US Market?
Let's Talk About Your CFO Gap.

A 30-minute IPO talent diagnosis: we assess your finance team's readiness for a US listing and propose a Western CFO profile and onboarding timeline. Free, and fully confidential.

Book the Diagnosis →

EMAILbrian@chainfir.com

WECHAT / WHATSAPP13392476067

RESPONSEWithin 24 hours