Episode 178: Sara Daw on the Growth of Fractional Leadership
Thu Jan 29 2026
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Have you heard of part-time C-Suite leaders? Meet Sara Daw, our guest this episode, who is a leading voice on the future of executive work and a pioneer of the fractional leadership movement. She heads The CFO Centre & The Liberti Group, the world’s largest network of fractional leaders, where skilled C-Suite leaders work for businesses in a freelance role from a few hours a month to several days a week, instead of being a full-time hire.
Sara shares deep insights on why senior executives are moving to portfolio careers, and why more companies are hiring CFOs, CMOs, and other senior leaders for just a few days to several weeks instead of full-time.
Sara is an award-winning global leader in fractional C-Suite talent and author of ‘Strategy and Leadership as Service’, the first research on applying the access economy to C-suite leadership, built on her research at Oxford University. She was named to the Independent’s E2E Female 100 Track in 2024 and 2025, recognising the UK’s fastest-growing female-led businesses.
[3:41s] Sara’s origin story - from Chemistry to Finance to Fractional Leadership
[6:56s] Tipping point for fractional leadership
[15:22s] The fractional edge over a fulltime role
[28:35s] Fractional leadership in bigger organizations
[31:23s] On access economy and ‘Strategy and Leadership as Service’
RWL: Must-read Sara’s book ‘Strategy and Leadership as Service’
Connect with Sara on LinkedIn
Connect with Vinay on X and LinkedIn
What did you think about this episode? What would you like to hear more about? Or simply, write in and say hello! podcast@c2cod.com
Subscribe to us on your favorite platforms – Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Tune In Alexa, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn + Alexa, Stitcher, Jio Saavn and more.
This podcast is sponsored by C2C-OD, your Organizational Development consulting partner ‘Bringing People and Strategy Together’. Follow @c2cod on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook
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Send us a text Have you heard of part-time C-Suite leaders? Meet Sara Daw, our guest this episode, who is a leading voice on the future of executive work and a pioneer of the fractional leadership movement. She heads The CFO Centre & The Liberti Group, the world’s largest network of fractional leaders, where skilled C-Suite leaders work for businesses in a freelance role from a few hours a month to several days a week, instead of being a full-time hire. Sara shares deep insights on why senior executives are moving to portfolio careers, and why more companies are hiring CFOs, CMOs, and other senior leaders for just a few days to several weeks instead of full-time. Sara is an award-winning global leader in fractional C-Suite talent and author of ‘Strategy and Leadership as Service’, the first research on applying the access economy to C-suite leadership, built on her research at Oxford University. She was named to the Independent’s E2E Female 100 Track in 2024 and 2025, recognising the UK’s fastest-growing female-led businesses. [3:41s] Sara’s origin story - from Chemistry to Finance to Fractional Leadership [6:56s] Tipping point for fractional leadership [15:22s] The fractional edge over a fulltime role [28:35s] Fractional leadership in bigger organizations [31:23s] On access economy and ‘Strategy and Leadership as Service’ RWL: Must-read Sara’s book ‘Strategy and Leadership as Service’ Connect with Sara on LinkedIn Connect with Vinay on X and LinkedIn What did you think about this episode? What would you like to hear more about? Or simply, write in and say hello! podcast@c2cod.com Subscribe to us on your favorite platforms – Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Tune In Alexa, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn + Alexa, Stitcher, Jio Saavn and more. This podcast is sponsored by C2C-OD, your Organizational Development consulting partner ‘Bringing People and Strategy Together’. Follow @c2cod on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook