CFO and finance leadership search
We run retained searches for CFOs, senior finance leaders, and finance-literate Chairs and NEDs in lower mid-market sustainable and investor-backed businesses.
We are most useful when the appointment will affect growth, capital, governance or succession.
We define what the next stage demands before approaching the market. Then we map, engage and assess candidates against the decisions they will need to improve.
The result is an appointment that boards, investors and leadership teams can explain, defend and trust under scrutiny.
Define the appointment before approaching the market.
A weak search usually starts before the first candidate is contacted.
The role is framed too narrowly. The next stage is unclear. Board expectations are not aligned. The search tests experience, but not the decisions the person will need to improve.
Before outreach begins, we clarify what the appointment must change.
That means defining the role against:
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growth stage, priorities and operating constraints
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board dynamics and investor expectations
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capital structure, risk profile and scrutiny level
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leadership gaps, decision rights and accountability
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the outcomes required in the first 12 to 18 months
We define the role for where the organisation is going, not where it has been.
Search matters most when the next stage changes what finance must deliver.
Most finance leadership searches are triggered by pressure that is already visible.
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A new investor.
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A refinancing.
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A margin squeeze.
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An acquisition.
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A founder transition.
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An exit discussion.
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A board that needs stronger financial challenge.
These moments expose whether the business has the finance leadership and governance needed to sustain confidence.
When the appointment is right, leaders get clearer trade-offs, better capital choices, stronger governance and a more durable route to value creation.
When the appointment is wrong, growth can outrun control, forecasts lose credibility, boards lose confidence and capital decisions become harder to defend.
Search built around evidence, not convenience.
Context before title
We start with the business situation, not only the job title.
We test what finance leadership must improve, what the board needs to trust and what the next stage will demand from the role.
That keeps the search anchored to future needs, not yesterday’s structure.
Reach beyond the obvious
Trusted relationships matter. They are not enough.
We use disciplined research to widen the field beyond familiar names, visible candidates and recycled networks.
That gives boards and investors a clearer view of the market before they decide.
Evidence before preference
We assess candidates against the role’s real decision context.
We test judgement under pressure, capital awareness, board influence, stakeholder handling and the ability to explain trade-offs.
That makes the shortlist easier to compare, defend and trust when the appointment carries real consequence.
Snapshot
96%
Search mandate success rate
68 NPS
Highly recommended by candidates
85%
Appointments in place after 12m
14
Pro-bono searches for non-profits
1/2
Profits shared with colleagues and clients
Senior finance leadership
We appoint CFOs, Finance Directors and senior finance leaders for businesses where finance must shape the value creation plan, not only report against it.
These roles matter when growth plans need stronger control, better decision support, clearer accountability and more credible communication with boards, investors and lenders.
Finance-led governance
We appoint finance-literate and deal-literate Chairs and NEDs where boards need stronger financial challenge, better oversight and more defensible decisions.
In lower mid-market businesses, the right Chair or NED can materially improve the quality of decisions around capital, risk and exit. They bring the judgement to challenge the plan, guide the deal and protect value without adding unnecessary governance drag.
Succession and transition
We support CFO succession, internal readiness decisions and external searches where continuity, confidence and timing matter.
These decisions are often most exposed when a founder steps back, a CFO leaves, a new investor enters or the finance function needs to match the next stage.
Broader search improves decision quality.
A stronger search is not only about finding more candidates. It is about reducing blind spots before the board makes a decision.
We use research-led mapping, consistent criteria and structured evaluation to widen the field and compare candidates fairly.
The standard is the same: appoint leaders who can deliver, influence and hold up under scrutiny.
