Finance Director Recruitment
FD Capital are specialist Finance Director recruiters. We have been placing FDs into UK businesses since 2018 — from founder-led SMEs bringing in their first senior finance hire, to PE-backed businesses preparing for exit.
Finance Director recruitment is not one of several things we do. It is the foundation of our business.
What sets us apart is that our team are current FDs and CFOs themselves. We have held the roles we recruit for. That means we understand the difference between an FD who is technically strong and one who can genuinely partner with a CEO — and we can tell the difference in a 45-minute interview in a way that a generalist recruiter cannot. We can assess that quickly and accurately because we have done the job ourselves.
Our Track Record in FD Recruitment
Numbers matter in recruitment. Here is what ours look like:
| 200+ | 8 | 4,700 | 50%+ |
| FD & CFO placements made | Days avg. brief to shortlist | Candidates in active network | Permanent placements still in post 2yrs+ |
These numbers reflect a consistent approach: careful brief definition, targeted search, and rigorous candidate assessment.
Finance Director or CFO: Which Does Your Business Actually Need?
This is one of the most common questions we are asked — and one of the most important to get right before starting a search. The titles overlap significantly in practice, but they carry different signals and tend to attract different candidate profiles. Choosing the wrong title can slow your search down and put off the strongest candidates.
The Finance Director title is predominantly a UK convention. It is the standard board-level finance title for UK-incorporated businesses and is deeply embedded in how UK finance professionals describe their careers. CFO is the international equivalent, increasingly used by businesses with US investors, overseas parents, or C-suite structures where FD feels too narrowly defined.
In practical terms, the distinction often comes down to four things:
- Stage of business: FD is typically the right title for a first or early senior finance hire in an SME. CFO more commonly signals a replacement or upgrade hire in a business with an existing finance structure.
- Investor or board expectation: If your investors are US-based VCs or your board uses C-suite conventions, CFO is usually expected. If your board is UK-based and traditional, FD is the norm.
- Scope of role: An FD in a £10m business often covers everything from management accounts to strategic planning. A CFO in a £50m business is more likely to be purely strategic with a Financial Controller running the day-to-day.
- Candidate market: Strong FD candidates often do not apply for roles titled CFO, and vice versa. Getting the title wrong costs you candidates before the search even starts.
Why Use FD Capital Recruitment for your executive recruitment?
| Finance Director | CFO |
| Predominantly UK title | International / US-influenced title |
| Common first senior finance hire in UK SMEs | Often a replacement or upgrade hire |
| Board-level, typically reports to CEO or MD | C-suite, often signals more complex org structure |
| Covers strategy and day-to-day financial management | More likely to be purely strategic, with FC beneath them |
| Common in businesses £2m–£50m revenue | More common from £20m+ or post-significant raise |
| Part-time / fractional market well established | Fractional CFO market growing but less mature |
| Strong in manufacturing, professional services, SME | Strong in PE-backed, VC-funded, tech scale-ups |
If you are unsure which title fits your business, this is one of the most useful conversations to have with us before you start a search. We will give you an honest view based on your stage, structure, and the candidate market — and we can run searches under either title depending on what will work best. The title you use shapes the candidate pool you attract, not the underlying capability we look for.
Getting FD Recruitment Right
Finance Director recruitment can fall over at the brief stage. A client describes the FD they think they need, a generalist recruiter matches keywords, and several months later everyone is wondering why the hire is not working. The FD who excelled in a large corporate finance team struggles in an SME where they need to be hands-on. The PE-experienced FD who is brilliant at investor reporting cannot build relationships with an owner-manager. These mismatches are entirely avoidable.
Because our team includes working FDs, we challenge briefs early. Before we contact a single candidate, we ask:
- Strategic or operational FD — or both?
- Has the candidate built a finance function from scratch, or managed an established team through a transaction?
- Is transaction experience (fundraising, exit, acquisition) genuinely required for this brief?
- Is a full-time hire justified, or would a fractional or part-time FD serve the business better at this stage?
Those questions — asked before the search starts — are where good FD recruitment begins.
As an example: Adrian Lawrence FCA, our founder, was himself placed as FD with a Formula One events company at a critical growth stage. The business needed management information systems built from scratch and senior finance support to establish operations internationally. He remained in post for nearly three years. That kind of hands-on brief is one our team understands from the inside.
FD Capital was founded by Adrian Lawrence FCA, an experienced Finance Director and chartered accountant. Adrian has worked with founder-led businesses, private equity-backed companies, and international groups, building finance functions and supporting growth, fundraising, and transactions. As a qualified ICAEW chartered accountant and former FD himself, Adrian remains actively involved in senior searches, ensuring candidates are assessed with genuine real-world insight.
How Our Finance Director Recruitment Process Works
We run a structured process, but we move quickly. Most clients receive a shortlist within 8 working days of a confirmed brief.
Step 1: Brief & Scoping Call
We spend time understanding the role properly — not just the job description but the context. What stage is the business at? What has it just been through? What does the CEO or MD need from a finance partner over the next 18 months? For FD briefs in particular, we also explore whether the business is ready for a full-time hire or whether a fractional or part-time arrangement would be a better fit. This call typically takes 45–60 minutes.
Step 2: Candidate Identification
We draw on our active FD network first — Finance Directors we know personally, have spoken to recently, and in many cases currently work with — and can vouch for. Many are not on job boards and are exclusive to our network. For specialist roles we run a targeted search. We look for candidates who have done the specific things your business needs — whether that is building a finance function from scratch, leading a fundraise, or managing a distressed situation.
Step 3: Screening & Assessment
Every candidate is interviewed by a member of our team before you see them. Because our interviewers are former FDs and CFOs themselves — including Adrian Lawrence FCA, our founder — these conversations go deeper than a standard recruiter screen. We are assessing commercial judgement, leadership capability, and cultural fit, not just technical competence and CV credentials.
Step 4: Shortlist Presentation
We typically present 3 candidates, each with a detailed profile that goes beyond the CV — our assessment of strengths, areas to probe in interview, and why we believe they fit this specific role. We do not send long lists. If we cannot find the right candidates within the timeframe, we tell you clearly rather than presenting second-best options.
Step 5: Interview Support & Offer
We help structure interview stages and advise on assessment approaches for FD-level roles. We manage candidate communication throughout and handle offer negotiation. At FD level this often involves complexity beyond base salary — bonus structures, pension, equity participation in PE-backed businesses, and for interim roles, day rate, IR35 status, and contract terms.
Step 6: Post-Placement
We stay in contact after placement. For permanent roles we offer a 12-week free replacement guarantee. For interim and fractional placements we remain a point of contact for both client and candidate throughout the engagement. Our 50%+ two-year retention rate reflects that our placements are made carefully, not quickly.
Full-Time, Part-Time, Fractional and Interim: What the FD Market Actually Looks Like
The part-time and fractional FD market in the UK is more established and better understood than it is for almost any other senior hire. Many Finance Directors in our network actively choose portfolio careers — working across two or three businesses simultaneously rather than committing to a single employer. This is not a compromise; it is how a large proportion of the best FD talent now prefers to work.
This matters for clients because it means the fractional FD market is genuinely competitive. You can access Finance Directors with significant blue-chip or PE backgrounds at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire — provided you find the right person and structure the engagement correctly.
Full-time permanent FD: Right when the finance function needs dedicated senior leadership and the business has sufficient complexity and transaction volume to justify full-time overhead. Typically businesses from £15m+ revenue, or those that have raised institutional funding and need a finance leader who is exclusively focused on the business.
Part-time or fractional FD: Works well for businesses that need 1–3 days per week of senior FD input. The strongest candidates in this market are often those who have already done a full-time FD role and now prefer portfolio working. Particularly effective for fundraising preparation, where a credible FD adds investor confidence without permanent cost.
Interim FD: Used to cover a defined period — a departure gap, a specific transaction, a restructuring, or a leave of absence. The interim FD market is fast-moving; good candidates are often placed within two weeks. If your need is urgent, call us directly and we will tell you what is available immediately.
Fees: Permanent FD recruitment is typically 20–25% of first-year base salary. Fractional and interim placements — including both the candidate cost and our fee — are typically £750–£1,500 per day plus VAT depending on seniority and scope.
Related FD & CFO Recruitment Services
If you’re hiring a Finance Director, you may also want to review our specialist support for adjacent senior finance needs:
If you’d like to talk through which route is best—permanent, interim or fractional—call 020 3287 9501 for an initial conversation.
Where We Have the Deepest FD Placement Experience
We recruit Finance Directors across most sectors. The following are areas where we have placed repeatedly and where our candidate networks are strongest:
| PE-backed businesses | Venture capital & scale-ups | SaaS & technology |
| E-commerce & retail | Financial services | Manufacturing |
| Professional services | Family-owned businesses | Hospitality & leisure |
| Not-for-profit & charity | Education & schools | AIM & listed companies |
Family-owned and owner-managed businesses represent a particularly strong part of our practice. The FD hire in this context requires a specific kind of candidate — someone who can build trust with a founder, operate without the infrastructure of a corporate environment, and often be the most senior finance person in the building from day one. We have placed extensively in this market and understand the brief well.
What to Expect from a Finance Director We Place
The Finance Directors in our network are operational as well as strategic. At the level we recruit, you should expect your FD to be doing all of the following from day one — not after a lengthy settling-in period:
- Own the numbers: Reliable management accounts, meaningful KPI reporting, accurate cash flow forecasting. If the basics are broken, that gets fixed first — regardless of what else is on the agenda.
- Advise on structure: Debt versus equity, dividend policy, working capital management, group structure. The FD should have a view and be willing to defend it to the board.
- Lead transactions: Fundraising, acquisition due diligence, sale preparation, refinancing. An FD who has not led a transaction before is a risk in businesses where transactions are on the horizon.
- Partner the CEO: Your FD should be the person the CEO turns to when they need someone to stress-test a decision. If the MD is the only one asking hard questions, the FD is not fulfilling the role.
- Build the team beneath them: A strong FD raises the capability of the entire finance function. They develop their FC, their management accountant, their bookkeeper. The quality of the team they leave behind is a measure of how good they were.
Recent Finance Director Placement Examples
PE-acquired SaaS business, £8m turnover, West Sussex
A founder-managed software business had been acquired by a PE house with no finance director in place. The founder had been managing financial reporting with an external accountant, but the PE house required management accounts, budgets, and investor reporting to a standard the business could not currently produce. We placed a fractional FD within 10 days — two days per week. Within three months, management accounts and budgeting had been brought up to the standard required by the PE house, and the FD is also supporting preparation for combination with another portfolio business in the same sector.
Formula One events business, London — building the finance function internationally
Adrian Lawrence FCA, our founder, was placed directly into this brief. The business was expanding internationally and needed senior finance leadership to introduce management information systems and support the establishment of overseas operations. There was no existing finance infrastructure to inherit. He remained in post for nearly three years, building the function from scratch across multiple jurisdictions.
London-based Biotechnology company — PE-experienced FD placement
A growing Biotechnology business with institutional backing needed a Finance Director with significant PE house experience — comfortable with investor reporting, covenant management, and the scrutiny that comes with institutional ownership. We placed an FD with extensive PE-backed experience into the role.
Specialist Finance Director Recruitment Capabilities
FD for first senior finance hire
This is one of the most consequential hires a founder or owner-manager makes. The first FD sets the culture and capability of the finance function for years. We understand this brief particularly well — the candidate needs technical competence, but they also need to be able to work in an unstructured environment, build systems from scratch, and earn the trust of a founder who has always owned the numbers themselves. We ask candidates directly about this experience and assess for it carefully.
FD for PE-backed businesses
PE-backed Finance Directors operate under specific pressures: tight reporting deadlines, covenant compliance, investor relations, and constant preparation for the next stage of the investment cycle. We have placed FDs into PE-backed businesses at platform acquisition, through the growth phase, and into exit. We understand what sponsors look for and can advise on profile, package structure, and the carry and co-invest arrangements that are increasingly standard at this level.
FD for fundraising
An FD appointment timed around a fundraise needs to move fast and land right first time. Investors will scrutinise the finance function closely, and a credible FD who can present the numbers confidently and field detailed questions on financial model assumptions is often the difference between a smooth process and a difficult one. We have supported businesses through EIS, SEIS, Series A, B and later-stage raises and we know what fund managers want to see.
FD for exit preparation
A business preparing for trade sale or PE exit needs an FD who has done it before. The quality of the financial reporting, the coherence of the data room, and the FD’s credibility in front of acquirers directly affects both the likelihood and the valuation of a deal. We have placed FDs specifically for exit mandates. If you have a transaction timeline, tell us — we will structure the search accordingly.
Interim FD at short notice
If your FD has resigned, been signed off ill, or the business requires immediate senior finance cover, we have interim FDs available quickly. Call us directly on 020 3287 9501 — for urgent requirements we can often have a candidate available for an initial call the same day.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Finance Director recruitment take?
For permanent briefs, we present a shortlist within 8 working days of a confirmed brief. Total time from brief to accepted offer is typically 2–4 weeks depending on interview stages and notice period. For fractional and interim placements we can often present candidates within 3–5 working days.
What are your fees?
Permanent Finance Director recruitment is charged at 20–25% of first-year base salary. Fractional and interim placements — including both the candidate cost and our fee — are typically £750–£1,500 per day plus VAT. We confirm fees in writing before commencing any search.
Do you recruit part-time and fractional FDs?
Yes, and this is a significant part of our practice. The fractional FD market is well established in the UK and many of the strongest Finance Directors in our network actively prefer portfolio working. We have placed fractional FDs working 1 day per week through to 4 days per week, across businesses from early-stage startups to established SMEs preparing for exit.
What guarantee do you offer?
For permanent placements we offer a 12-week free replacement guarantee. We have a strong placement retention record — 50% or more of our permanent Finance Director placements are still in post after two years. Full guarantee terms are provided in our client agreement.
Should we use a retained or contingency search?
For most FD briefs we work on contingency, meaning you pay only on successful placement. For senior, confidential, or highly specialist searches — for example an FD for a listed business or a distressed situation requiring immediate discretion — we recommend a retained arrangement. We will advise you on which approach is right for your brief.
Do you recruit Finance Directors outside London?
Yes. We are London-based but recruit nationally. We have placed Finance Directors in Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Leeds, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh and beyond. For fractional and remote roles geography is rarely a constraint — many of the most effective fractional FDs now work across multiple locations.
What Clients Say
Nancy Bradley, CEO — £12m hospitality sector client
“FD Capital introduced us to an FD who immediately strengthened our financial reporting and gave us confidence in the numbers. The quality of candidates was really strong, and the process was handled professionally throughout. Within months we were operating with far greater financial clarity and strategic focus.”
Oxford Science Park
“We needed an FD with commercial real estate experience. FD Capital understood our requirements quickly and introduced candidates with exactly the right blend of technical strength and commercial insight. The appointment has played a key role in securing our next phase of development.”
Sally Leighton, Managing Director — Transport Group (550 employees, UK)
“Our business was going through a period of challenging trading and we needed an experienced FD who could improve controls and support growth. The team produced a strong shortlist quickly. The FD we hired has made a real difference, improving the accuracy of our management information and team cohesion.”
| Tell us about your Finance Director requirement We respond to all new enquiries within one working day. If your need is urgent, call us directly on 020 3287 9501. |
Why FD Capital for Finance Director Recruitment?
There are many Finance Director recruiters in the UK. Most treat FD mandates as the senior end of a generalist finance desk, alongside management accountants, financial controllers, and finance business partners. We do not. Senior FD and CFO recruitment has been the focus of this business since we were founded in 2018, and the team we have built reflects that.
The difference in practice is the quality of the brief conversation and the accuracy of the assessment. We know what a good FD looks like in a PE-backed business versus a founder-led SME versus a business in distress. We know which questions to ask candidates to distinguish genuine transaction experience from peripheral involvement. We know when a brief is wrong and how to say so. These are not skills you develop from a generalist recruitment desk.
If you are looking for a Finance Director — full-time, part-time, fractional or interim — talk to us. We will give you an honest view of the market, realistic timelines, transparent fees, and a search process built around your business.
Call 020 3287 9501 or use the contact form to tell us about your requirement. We will respond within one working day.
FD Recruit / CFO Recruit
FD Capital Recruitment’s Finance Director (FD) services cater to businesses looking to elevate their financial operations with strategic insight. By offering full-time, part-time, and interim placements, FD Capital ensures that each FD appointment is flexible and closely aligned with a business’s growth goals and operational needs. Their FDs are experienced in navigating diverse financial challenges, from budget planning and financial compliance to M&A support and capital optimization. This approach empowers companies to access high-caliber financial leadership precisely when needed, supporting sustainable growth and resilient financial structures.
We know there are many competitors in the market, but given the opportunity we are confident you will find us the best people to work with. Being Financial Controllers ourselves we know the roles, and having been active in the Recruitment niche since 2018 we know how FD / CFO Recruitment works, let us Recruit the perfect FD or Finance Director for you.
Related Finance Leadership Recruitment Services
FD Capital also specialises in recruiting
interim Finance Directors and
fractional CFOs for UK businesses.
Learn more about our Finance Director recruitment expertise
or contact our team to discuss your requirements.
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