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Executive

When you need a leader to drive performance, inspire others and bring wisdom to committees
Talent I.D. Executive de-risks recruitment, giving you assurance of such critical hires
You will find it meticulous, exhaustive and high touch giving the information, confidence and insight you need

Use Talent I.D. Executive For your Financial Leadership

Chief Financial Officers

(aka FD, Group CFO, Group FD, Finance Partner)

In brief: The voice of financial wisdom and reason for the board

  • Gravitas and broad commercial knowledge to influence executive strategy, capital planning, M&A, business planning, investor relations and tax
  • Key leader to and inspire and agitate senior management for better performance
  • Hold the board accountable, be the CEO’s trusted adviser
  • Deliver rich but digestible commercial finance insights
  • Build a best-in-class finance function and direct large-scale operational change
  • Guarantee integrity of results whilst establishing optimal risk
  • Face off to increasingly demanding external regulators

Ranking: 1st in command

Board: Full Time

The Financial Director

(aka Divisional CFO, Head of Finance, Chief Accountant)

In brief: Drives the financial efficiency of the business

  • A strategic role, updating the CFO and CEO on ground level
  • Working closely with the departmental heads, advising on next moves and tactical actions
  • High-level, forward looking, and strategic
  • Assessing the whole business, rather than just how the finance function
  • Interpret figures into opinion and insights presentable to all levels of the business
  • Looking for things that departmental heads have missed, ‘horizon-scanning’ looking at gaps, what’s coming up, what’s changing in relation to legislation and resulting impacts

Ranking: 1st or 2nd in command

Board: Some exposure to smaller entity boards

Head of Fund Control

(aka Head of Fund Accounts, Middle Office or Fund Admin)

In brief: The leader of all things middle office accounting

  • Conduit between front office and back office senior management, developing the team, overall strategy, policy & procedures
  • Transactions – fund or tax structuring, regulations and vals
  • Go to for CFO and Senior Fund Accountants and ensure front office have adequate support on all matters
  • Portfolio/Fund reporting, both management and financial
  • Management LPs, GPs and adherence of LPA, investor relations and investor due diligence
  • Spearhead middle office compliance with company procedures and standard

Ranking: Joint 2nd or 3rd in Command

Board: Some involvement in presentations, regular front office board contact

Head of Commercial Finance

(Aka Commercial FD, Head of Finance Business Partnering)

In brief: Pioneer finances impact on commercial decisions

  • Oversee production of cost, profitability and commercial MI for key management
  • Drive impact of commercial business partnering such as decision support, M&A, business cases and pricing
  • Innovate MI through new technology, robotics and uniform best in class processes
  • Improve forecasting, planning, financial analysis and finance systems
  • Build robust strategic relationships with executive committee and business unit heads
  • Critique business cases, capital impact and strategic initiatives i.e. will they be financially viable
  • Create AUM and flows analysis based on several key indicators (by fund, manager, business division, location, asset class)

Typical Ranking: Joint 2nd or 3rd in Command

Board: Regular contact and sits on board meetings

Head of Corporate Accounting

(aka Group Financial Controller, Head of Financial Control)

In brief: Guardian of finance, keeping the firm safe, the CFO sane

  • Lead the critical tasks of Group Finance and Regulatory Finance
  • Face off to and be capable of building relationships with the FCA, Auditors and any external body specific to a sub-sector
  • Ensure robust financial controls frameworks are adequate
  • Oversee improvements of reporting processes
  • A technical lead, digesting changes Accounting legislation and industry regulation and implementing required change
  • Lead audit committee and full audit process
  • Oversee the accuracy of financial reporting and financial statements

Typical Ranking: Joint 2nd or 3rd in Command

Board: Some contact, particularly with regulatory change or issues

Executive Search need not be onerous but

Successful results are born out of detailed fundamentals in a process!

More About

Talent I.D.

Identifying and attracting exceptional Accounting and Finance talent is challenging.  Let alone from a fragmented talent pool comprised of micro-niches.

Firstly, the Investment Industries are vast in size, scale and complexity.  Comprised of sub-sectors, asset classes, investment strategies with 1000s of firms ranging from start-ups, to large Corporates.

Layer the variable Accountants have similarities, but many differences such as  industry background, functional experience, seniority, ambitions and personality.  Each firm its own culture, systems and processes engendering nuances in experience and skills.

Resulting recruitment complaints?

  1. Applications containing barely relevant candidates
  2. Waiting on comparisons to a single credible candidate in process, then losing them to a competitor
  3. Blaming the recruiter for not listening, the marketing campaign not resonating or the process too slow

Talent I.D. minimises complexity, neatly calibrating talent across key factors.  Enabling targeted headhunt campaigns, improving the quality of shortlists.

3 Innovative Pillars

That Underpin Talent I.D.

Talent Foresight

Anticipating market movements

Focusing on factors out of their control, negatively impacting prospects, such as; 

  • Poor performance of funds resulting in out-flows
  • Takeover or mergers, even anticipation of
  • Current role duration 3-5 years with manager staying in situ
  • Company paying below market rate or no bonus
  • Flight ratio higher than the 12% average*
  • Near-shoring & offshoring functions away from London / UK
  • Lack of investment in systems, processes, and infrastructure
  • Profit warnings
  • Accounting function not closely aligned with Front Office
  • Poor work-life balance accompanied by a lack of recognition

Tracking these situations helps identify talent that is more likely to be open to discussion

Talent Hallmark

Assessing transcending qualities and markers

We support D&I and neural diversity.  Hallmark vetting transcends across identities, focusing on;

  • Academia – 2.1 from internationally regarded institution
  • Professional Qualifications – ICAEW, ACCA, CIMA, CPA, CA
  • Evidence of career planning – Logical steps made to defined career goal
  • Achievements – evidence of going beyond to norm
  • Industry passion & knowledge
  • High quality of companies worked at
  • Regular progression of duty and responsibility
  • Committed durations, but not coasting – 2-3 years in junior roles, 3-6 in senior

Talent Mapping

Navigating a complex talent landscape

  • Talent is dispersed, it requires rigour and systematic research making sure the entire market is considered.
  • We utilise professional networking groups, websites, industry updates, social media and engaging directly with the community.
  • Cutting edge technology & subscriptions support the integrity of data.  Automation of research give up to date insights, immediately.
  • Deciding on who and what to track requires industry specialist understanding.