CASE STUDY 1
PE-Backed Fintech Business
Assignment: Financial Controller
Sector: Fintech | Financial Services | PE-Backed
Location: London
The Challenge:
A PE-backed fintech business undergoing rapid growth required a Financial Controller to strengthen its financial control environment while supporting the continued evolution of the finance function.
The business needed an ACA-qualified finance professional capable of taking ownership of financial reporting, controls, month-end processes, and stakeholder management, whilst operating effectively in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Previous recruitment efforts had identified technically capable candidates, but few who combined strong financial control expertise with the communication skills and commercial awareness required to partner effectively with senior stakeholders.
Our Approach:
We worked closely with the Finance Director to understand both the immediate requirements of the role and the longer-term objectives of the finance function.
Leveraging our established ACA talent network, we identified candidates with strong Big 4 training backgrounds and experience operating within industry finance teams.
Our process focused heavily on:
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Financial control and reporting expertise
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Stakeholder management
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Process improvement capability
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Adaptability within scaling businesses
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Leadership potential
The Outcome:
Within a short timeframe, we successfully introduced an ACA-qualified finance professional with a strong blend of technical accounting expertise and industry financial control experience.
The successful candidate quickly established themselves within the business, strengthening financial reporting processes, enhancing controls and providing valuable support to senior finance leadership as the organisation continued to grow.
“Dean understood the brief better than any recruiter we’d worked with before."
CASE STUDY 2
PE-Backed Property Business
Assignment: Commercial Finance Manager
Sector: Property | Real Estate | PE-Backed
Location: London
The Challenge:
A PE-backed property business undergoing significant growth needed to strengthen its commercial finance capability with the hire of a commercially minded Finance Manager.
The business required an ACA-qualified professional capable of supporting forecasting, cashflow analysis, stakeholder reporting and commercial decision-making within a fast-paced environment.
Previous recruitment efforts had produced technically strong accountants, but few candidates with the commercial mindset and adaptability required for the role.
Our Approach:
We worked closely with the CFO to understand both the technical requirements of the position and the wider commercial demands of the business.
Leveraging our established ACA talent network, we identified candidates with strong practice backgrounds alongside experience operating within commercially focused finance environments.
Our process focused heavily on:
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Commercial awareness
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Stakeholder engagement
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Analytical capability
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Adaptability within high-growth environments
The Outcome:
Within a short timeframe, we successfully introduced an ACA-qualified finance professional with strong commercial finance capability and experience operating within growth-focused environments.
The successful candidate quickly became a key member of the finance team, supporting forecasting, performance analysis and commercial decision-making across the business.
CASE STUDY 3
Venture-Backed Technology Business
Assignment: FP&A Manager
Sector: Technology | SaaS | Venture-Backed
Location: Central London
The Challenge:
A venture-backed technology business was looking to hire an FP&A Manager capable of supporting strategic decision-making during a key growth phase.
The client specifically wanted an ACA-qualified candidate transitioning from practice who could combine strong analytical capability with commercial awareness and stakeholder engagement skills.
Finding candidates with the right balance of technical strength and commercial potential proved challenging through broader recruitment channels.
Our Approach:
Using our specialist ACA network, we identified high-performing candidates with strong practice backgrounds and clear motivation to move into commercially focused finance roles.
We worked closely with both the client and candidates throughout the process, providing detailed market insight, interview preparation and guidance around the transition from practice into FP&A.
Particular focus was placed on:
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Forecasting capability
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Communication skills
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Commercial curiosity
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Stakeholder management potential
The Outcome:
The business successfully hired an ACA-qualified FP&A Manager who quickly integrated into the commercial finance team and supported budgeting, forecasting and strategic analysis across the organisation.
The placement strengthened the company’s FP&A capability while providing the candidate with a clear long-term commercial finance career path.
CASE STUDY 4
High-Growth Consumer Business
Assignment: Finance Business Partner
Sector: Consumer | Retail | Growth Business
Location: London
The Challenge:
A high-growth consumer business required a commercially focused Finance Business Partner to support operational leadership teams during a period of rapid expansion.
The role required a finance professional capable of combining strong analytical skills with commercial insight, stakeholder engagement and the ability to operate effectively within a fast-paced environment.
The business had struggled to identify candidates with both the technical credibility and commercial mindset required for the position.
Our Approach:
We partnered closely with the CFO and operational leadership team to understand the commercial objectives of the role and the wider dynamics of the business.
Through our established commercial finance network, we identified ACA-qualified candidates with experience supporting budgeting, forecasting, performance analysis and business partnering within growth-focused environments.
Our process focused on identifying candidates with:
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Strong communication skills
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Commercial awareness
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Analytical capability
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Adaptability within scaling businesses
The Outcome:
We successfully placed a commercially focused Finance Business Partner who quickly established strong relationships across the business and became a key contributor to commercial decision-making and financial performance analysis.
The successful hire strengthened collaboration between finance and operational teams while supporting the company’s continued growth strategy.
