March Portfolio CFO Bulletin
Bronzegate
Elevating private equity backed portfolio companies through exceptional CFO and finance leadership appointments.
Welcome to our monthly newsletter for CFOs working in Private Equity backed businesses. This month we have the latest trends from the finance leadership talent market, insights from Kieran Price, and more from Bronzegate.
Market trends:
Optimistic Outlook for Growth in 2025
Kieran Clyde, Principal at?Bronzegate, provides an overview of the finance leader trends at the start of 2025.?
2025 is shaping up to be a strong year for European Private Equity. The increased deal flow seen in Q4 2024 has continued, driven by the government’s budget announcement and the impending capital gains tax increase. Businesses that were not previously for sale have now entered the market, with the M&A market predicted to grow even further.?
This reflects what we are seeing in the market. The buoyant M&A market has intensified pressure on CFOs as they navigate growth opportunities, manage core finance functions, and oversee integration activities for newly acquired entities. Creating fresh opportunities for CFO and Director-level finance talent, particularly for candidates with M&A experience. The first two months of 2025 have already seen a record number of permanent and interim mandates, highlighting the continued demand for top-tier financial leadership in the Private Equity space.
Insights:
Hiring Finance Leaders: Why Executive Search is the Fastest Route to Value
Recruiting and retaining finance leadership talent remains one of the primary issues on the agenda of Private Equity-backed CFOs. In our latest analysis, CFOs cited ‘retention of key team members’ (20%) and ‘talent shortage’ (18%) as two of the key challenges they face. To ensure Private Equity-backed finance teams have the strength and depth they need, CFOs must find an edge in their hiring strategies.
Kieran Price, a Principal at Bronzegate, outlines the four key reasons why executive search ensures the best hires in the current talent market.
Case Study:
Finance Director at HSO
HSO is a technology and professional services company, delivering business transformations.
They required a Finance Director to support the CFO in managing all financial activities of the company, overseeing the finance team, preparing budgets, financial forecasts, and financial statements.
As a new hire for the business, we were able to provide our insights and experience of working with other businesses of a similar nature in the market. Our in-depth research of the talent market meant that we were able to provide a high degree of optionality within our shortlist and our assessment process ensured that all candidates were well-suited both technically and culturally. The research resulted in the successful appointment of a candidate from a larger listed business who knew how to build an effective finance function within a large international matrix organisation. The candidate's previous Private Equity experience also gave her a strong understanding of both investor expectations and the needs of management teams, ensuring a seamless transition into the role.
About Bronzegate
Bronzegate is the largest team in Europe exclusively focused on delivering finance leadership talent to Private Equity backed companies.
Our Finance, M&A and Strategy interim practice, works closely with Portfolio CFO’s to develop their team structures and capabilities.
Kieran Price and Kieran Clyde lead our well-established permanent and interim practice, sourcing CFOs and Director level finance & strategy talent to support Private Equity CFOs. The practice includes delivering exceptional interim FP&A leaders, Group Controllers, Regional / Divisional CFOs and Heads of M&A to portfolio businesses across the UK and Europe.