The highest calibre Fund Industry Commercial Finance professionals, passively seeking a progressive opportunity
From Financial Analysts to Commercial Finance Directors, all are perfectly aligned with the Fund Industry Experience
Want to find out more? Simply email michael.muir@buysiderec.com or book in a call or VC for a confidential conversation
Commercial Finance Leaders & Managers
Industry Experience:
Asset Management, Wealth & PE
Education:
CIMA & 2.1 (Hons) Accounting & Finance
Key Skills & Experience:
- Leadership, management & motivation of a team of 8+
- Strategy development, financial modelling, analysis & forecasting
- Led annual budget process, created 5-year forecast and contributed to statutory & regulatory reporting
- Governance, MI, Audits, Risk Management & Control
- Business Partnering, IR, deal negotiation & stakeholder management
- Performance management, KPIs & Board reporting
- Finance System & process implementation
Career Path
- Top grad straight into CIMA
- Early & rapid progression within a Commercial Finance team at a global Wealth Manager
- Moved to medium sized listed Asset Manager and faced of to CEO, CIO & Head of Sales
- Headhunted into PE/VC firm as Head of FP&A
BSR Insight
- The swift progression in top firms is warranted. They have accumulated the full suite of Commercial Finance skills combined with a passion for the Fund Industry and the gravitas and credibility to face off to the Executive committee, all early on. A future FD/CFO without question, making themselves a name in the industry.
Industry Experience:
Asset Management, Big 4
Education:
ACA
Key Skills & Experience:
- Reporting directly to CFO and managing a team of 5
- Decision support to CFO CEO, Ex-Co and Board on both current and future financial health
- Driven cultural change from ‘sleepy back office’ to dynamic and proactive middle office
- Challenge and influence group understanding
- Complex financial scenario planning
- Excel modelling, financial controls and system development
- Re-Design monthly P&L reporting improving commentary for Ex-Co and Board
Career Path
- Big 4 and Top 10 Audit
- Move into commercial finance team of global asset manager
- Progressed steadily through to Head of FP&A/Commercial finance across 2 global asset managers
BSR Insight
- Future CFO calibre, with an innate ability to simplify the complex and communicate with ease across all functional disciplines and levels. Another candidate with rapid progression and clear career planning to either Head of Commercial Fiannce or SME FD
Industry Experience:
Infrastructure, Asset Management
Education:
ACA, IMC, 2.1 (Hons) Finance & Accounting
Key Skills & Experience:
- Set up FP&A team multiple times, formulating team goals, develop deliverables and processes
- Lead Business Partner of EMEA distribution, strategic planning, acquisitions, business planning and pricing
- Develop management reporting, financial models. fund profitability and industry trends
- Re-Engineer flash and forecasting processes
- Integrating FP&A of acquired businesses of major scale
- Manage forecasting and budgeting process across large global Asset Managers
Career Path
- Big 4 Assistant Manager focus on Audit and valuations in FS
- Immediate focus on Commercial Finance moving from practice
- Steady and regular progression across several major global Asset Managers
BSR Insight
- Great breadth of experience from Tier 1 Global Asset Manager with pioneering business partnering capabilities to start-up FP&A functions. Not only able to Business Partner ex-co but excellent financial modelling and MI capability. Commercial nous with 15 years Asset Management experience will ability to deal at the highest of levels
Finance Business Partners & Financial Analysts
Industry Experience:
Asset Management
Education:
ACA, 1st (Hons) Economics
Key Skills & Experience:
- Business Partnering central overheads and distribution
- Leading preparation of financial forecasts, analysis and modelling for ad-hoc queries
- Implement investment appraisal process in line with company strategy
- Presenting financial results to the Executive
- Finance lead on new deals within distribution
Career Path
- Big Financial Services Audit for 3 years
- Moved into Asset Management into broad management accounting role
- Progress into Finance Business Partnering front office and executive committee
BSR Insight
- Exceptional academics and Big 4 Audit underpin a breadth of commercial finance experience within Asset Management. Having worked in one of the most advanced Commercial Finance functions they know what excellent looks like. Very analytical but also very credible with a thirst for Asset Management industry knowledge.
Industry Experience:
Property Investment
Education:
CIMA, 2.1 (Hons) Maths & Economics
Key Skills:
- Analysing overheads, P&L, Balance sheet for CFO and non-financial stakeholders
- Budgeting, forecasting & planning and analysis or Forecast Vs Actual
- Improving reporting systems accuracy of data, integration with ERP and functionality
- Producing monthly management accounts for local and global leadership
- Ownership of group working capital analysis
Career Path:
- Graduate Finance Programme of Globally recognised property investor
- Started and remained in segregated commercial finance department
- Complete CIMA 1st time passes in 4 years and now Financial Analyst level
BSR Insight:
- Bright grad with 4 years direct industry experience in Property Investment but open to other Fund Industry Sectors. Developed analytical, system and comms ability over the 4 years in a high calibre finance team.
Industry Experience:
Big 4 Audit, Sustainable Investment
Education:
ACA 4+ yrs PQE & 2.1 (Honours), Economics
Key Skills:
- Financial Analysis and reporting of UK corporate
- Financial Accounting and statutory reporting of complex multi-currency environments
- Advanced Excel skills and exposure to a range of accounting and ERP systems.
- Project Finance with long term capital intensive financial models
- Management of junior finance team responsible for operational entities in sustainable investment portfolio
Career Path
- Started in Big 4 Audit moving straight in sustainable infrastructure
- Built breadth of experience across financial and management accounting
BSR Insight
- Very bright, professional with a good less of gravitas and credibility when dealing with senior stakeholders. Quite ambitious but sees themselves as a future FD rather than CFO.
Top 20 Commercial Finance Teams Mapped
BSR have exhaustively mapped all Fund Industry Accounting Functions
Aviva Investors
Blackrock
BNP Paribas Real Estate
Brooks MacDonald
Close Brothers Asset Management
Columbia Threadneedle
Coutts
CVC Capital
Fidelity
Federated Hermes
GAM
Intermediate Capital Group
Insight Investments
Janus Henderson
Jupiter Asset Management
L&G Investment Management
M&G Investments
Nuveen
Octopus Investments
RBC Wealth
Royal London AM
Schroders
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?
- Applications containing barely relevant candidates
- Waiting on comparisons to a single credible candidate in process, then losing them to a competitor
- 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.
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
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 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.