For hiring businesses

Knowing what good looks like. And how to secure it.

From a first finance hire at a scale-up to a CFO for a private-equity-backed group, we partner in a truly consultative way. If we don't believe your hire is deliverable, we'll say so, and why.

Brief us on a hire Benchmark a salary

Business leaders tell us the same story

Sound familiar?

Too many applicants and not enough quality.

A misalignment between internal demands and what the market expects.

Over-engineered, slow recruitment processes that lose the best people.

Little communication, and little value, from previous recruitment partners.

How we work

Nailing the process.

Permanent or interim, a single hire or a leadership search, the principles don't change. We define the brief properly, source in a targeted way, deliver a focused shortlist, agree the timeline, and support you through to completion and beyond.

Hire typePermanent

Qualified, part-qualified and transactional finance, through to the leadership team.

Hire typeContract / Interim

Experienced people who can start quickly, often while the permanent picture takes shape.

Hire typeFractional

CFO and FD capability one or two days a week, without the full-time cost.

Search modelContingent

You pay on placement. Right for most qualified and transactional roles.

Search modelExclusive

One dedicated partner on the role, with priority and a tighter shortlist.

Search modelRetained

A structured search for senior and business-critical hires. 100% placed to date.

Step 1

Discovery

We challenge the brief, the title and the salary so the search starts in the right place.

Step 2

Alignment

Everyone involved agrees what "good" looks like. For retained searches, a Stakeholder Alignment Report.

Step 3

Targeted sourcing

Direct approaches through a long-standing South West network and specialist tools.

Step 4

Focused shortlist

Only people worth your time. Video first-stage shortlists where it helps.

Step 5

Interviews

Short, well-run stages with fast feedback, so the best people stay interested. Behavioural profiling available at the employer's request.

Step 6

Offer & beyond

Offer managed end to end, and support through onboarding and the first months.

What we cover

Every seat in finance.

Permanent, interim, part-time and fractional. Directly with your business, or through your investing body: holding company, private equity or venture capital.

We work with high-growth start-ups and scale-ups, established mid-market businesses and corporates, and privately owned and investor-backed companies.

Senior Finance · Giles Ellison

CFO · Finance Director (Group, Commercial, Divisional) · Head of Finance (Group, Commercial, FP&A, Operational) · M&A · Transformation, Change, ERP · Financial Controller

Accountancy & Finance · Jonny Hathrill

Finance Manager · Business Partner / Commercial Finance · Financial Reporting / Technical Accounting · Accountants (Management, Financial, Group, FP&A, Systems) · Finance Analyst · Part-Qualified · Accounts Assistant · AP, AR, Credit Control

Salary benchmark

Benchmark your team against today's market.

Live advertised salaries, refreshed daily from the job boards, with our own South West ranges for senior roles.

Choose a role

Bonus, car, equity and hybrid working all move the number. For a benchmark on a specific seat, ask us directly.

Loading…

—

Hiring resources

Research we publish.

July 2026 · Guide

Senior Finance Insights

CFO, FD, Head of Finance or Financial Controller: what's the difference, what they cost in the South West, and when full-time, interim or fractional makes sense.

Get the guide

July 2026 · Survey

What candidates want from your hiring process

We surveyed 246 South West accountancy and finance professionals about interview stages, wait times, style and feedback.

See the headlines

Download Senior Finance Insights 2026

Six pages, written for founders, CEOs, MDs and boards considering a finance leadership hire but not sure where, or when, to start.

246 South West finance professionals · 2026

Keep it short. Keep it human.

What candidates want from your hiring process, from AP and payroll through to management and financial accountants.

want a two-stage interview process. Nobody chose four or more.

think 3–4 days is an acceptable wait between interviews.

prefer conversational interviews to technical ones.

believe a poor agency service reflects badly on your business.

Read the full survey report (PDF)