CFO
Case Studies
International team
Our client is a FTSE 100 global industrial group with a highly international leadership team and a large, dispersed workforce. The board and newly appointed CEO had decided that a new CFO was required to help drive cash and margin improvement and to provide strategic partnership to the CEO. An ability to work at pace and a track record of value creation in global industrial businesses was essential
We mapped the market across the UK, North America, Asia and Europe and identified a long-list of potential candidates with whom we shared the opportunity under a non-disclosure agreement. The client met five candidates and narrowed this to two whom the board met
The successful candidate was a European who had been group CFO of a NYSE-listed industrial business, with experience of improving profits in similar industries and of leading successful transactions to deliver shareholder returns
Diversity
Our client is a FTSE 250 international consumer and distribution business with an international management team. The CFO had decided to leave and the CEO wanted to move quickly to replace him. Culture fit, an ability to work with diverse backgrounds and an understanding of how to influence in a devolved structure were important
We delivered a long-list of candidates in five weeks. Candidates were based in the UK, Asia, Continental Europe and North America and had relevant industry and plc experience. After initial meetings, the shortlist of five was narrowed to three. Two met the CEO and Chair
The successful candidate has a background in all relevant geographic markets, an understanding of the industry from a parallel perspective and experience in a large corporate as well as a more entrepreneurial private equity-backed business
Internal/external
Our client is a FTSE 100 business. The board had identified a high-potential internal candidate as a possible successor to a highly-respected CFO who had indicated he would like to retire. The Chair and non-executives wanted to benchmark the internal candidate against the strongest candidates externally whilst keeping the internal candidate engaged
We delivered a long-list of well-qualified potential candidates, all of whom had confirmed that they would respond positively to a conversation about a CFO role as described. We interviewed and assessed the internal candidate against this pool
We recommended the appointment of the internal candidate who had demonstrated the ability to step-up, strong financial leadership skills and who, in a short space of time, had built relationships with the rest of the executive team and business leaders