The UK’s network for senior finance, leadership and regulatory talent
Five specialist recruitment brands, one shared senior network. We place CFOs and Finance Directors, C-suite executives, non-executive directors, qualified finance professionals and FCA senior managers for UK businesses, from founder-led SMEs to PE-backed groups and regulated firms.
Specialist brands, built around the hires that matter most
FD Capital Group is the group behind five specialist recruitment brands. Each brand focuses on one part of the senior hiring market and runs its own website, its own job board and its own candidate community. Behind them sits a single network of finance leaders, executives and board members that every brand draws on.
The group grew from its founding brand, FD Capital, which Adrian Lawrence FCA founded in 2018 to place fractional, interim and permanent Finance Directors. Clients soon asked for help with the rest of the leadership team, so Exec Capital followed for C-suite and board roles, NED Capital for non-executive and governance appointments, and Accountancy Capital for qualified finance roles below director level. SMF Capital, the newest brand, focuses on FCA-regulated firms and the Senior Manager Functions they must fill.
Keeping the brands separate is deliberate. A business hiring a non-executive chair wants to speak to a firm that does nothing but board appointments. A payments firm appointing an MLRO wants a recruiter that understands the FCA approval process. Specialist brands let each client deal with a team that knows its market, while still benefiting from the reach of the whole group.
Five brands, one senior network
Choose the brand that matches the role. If a search spans more than one area, we bring the right brands together on a single brief.
FD Capital
CFO · FD · Interim
Fractional, interim and permanent Chief Financial Officers, Finance Directors and Heads of Finance. FD Capital is the group’s founding brand and its largest, supporting growth businesses, owner-managed companies and PE-backed groups.
- Fractional CFOs and part-time FDs, from one day a week
- Interim Finance Directors for change, transactions and cover
- Permanent CFO and FD appointments
Exec Capital
C-suite · Board
Executive search for chief executives, managing directors and the rest of the C-suite, on a permanent, interim or fractional basis. Exec Capital handles the leadership hires that shape a business for years.
- CEO and Managing Director search
- COO, CTO, CMO, sales and commercial leaders
- Interim and fractional C-suite
NED Capital
Governance
Non-executive directors, chairs, committee chairs and board advisers. NED Capital works with boards that want independent challenge, sector experience or the governance capability investors and regulators expect.
- Independent NEDs and non-executive chairs
- Audit, risk and remuneration committee chairs
- Governance roles in FCA-regulated firms
Accountancy Capital
Qualified finance
Qualified finance professionals below director level: the Financial Controllers, Finance Managers and analysts who run the finance function day to day. Accountancy Capital supports permanent, interim and part-time hires.
- Financial Controllers, including fractional FCs
- Finance Managers and Management Accountants
- FP&A and transaction support
SMF Capital
FCA senior managers
Recruitment for FCA-regulated firms appointing Senior Managers under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime, along with the compliance and advice roles around them.
- Compliance Oversight and MLRO appointments
- Executive and governance Senior Manager Functions
- RDR-qualified advisers and certified roles
Not sure which brand?
Many hires cross brand lines. A PE-backed business might need a CFO, a non-executive chair and a Financial Controller in the same year, and a regulated firm hiring a Finance Director may also need that person approved as a Senior Manager.
Tell us what you are trying to achieve and we will route the brief to the right team, or run it jointly.
The reach of a network, the focus of a specialist
A pooled senior network
Every consultant in the group has worked in senior-level recruitment for at least ten years and brings a personal network with them. Those networks are pooled across all five brands. Many of the CFOs and C-suite executives we know also sit on boards as non-executives, so a finance leader met through FD Capital can be exactly the audit chair a NED Capital client needs.
One candidate community, around 10,000 strong
Candidates register through each brand’s own website, and they all sit in one shared database of around 10,000 finance, leadership and regulatory professionals. When a brief comes in, we search across the whole group rather than one brand’s list, which shortens the time to a credible shortlist.
Founder-led judgement
The group was founded by a Chartered Accountant who has sat in the Finance Director’s chair, not by a generalist recruiter. That shapes how we assess candidates: we test technical depth, commercial judgement and track record, not just job titles. It also means clients can speak directly to the founder about any search.
Flexible ways to hire
Senior hiring is no longer just permanent roles. Our brands place fractional executives from one day a week, interim leaders for defined projects and permanent appointments, so a business can bring in the right level of experience for the stage it is at and step up the commitment as it grows.
Businesses at the moments that need senior talent
Growth businesses
Founder-led and owner-managed companies that have outgrown their bookkeeper or external accountant and need finance leadership, often starting with a fractional CFO or Financial Controller before moving to a full-time hire.
Private equity and investors
PE houses and investors appointing CFOs, CEOs and non-executive chairs into portfolio companies, often at short notice around an acquisition, a refinancing or a planned exit.
FCA-regulated firms
Payments and e-money firms, brokers, wealth managers, insurers and lenders appointing approved Senior Managers, compliance officers and MLROs, including firms going through authorisation for the first time.
Boards and chairs
Boards strengthening governance ahead of investment, listing or regulatory scrutiny, and chairs looking for independent directors with specific sector, audit or risk experience. The Financial Reporting Council’s governance standards shape many of these appointments.
Businesses in transition
Companies going through turnaround, systems change, a sale process or rapid expansion, where an interim leader brings capacity and experience for a defined period.
Not-for-profit and education
Schools, academy trusts and other organisations hiring bursars, heads of finance and trustees, where public accountability adds to the usual demands of the role.
A clear process, whichever brand leads it
Each brand adapts the detail to its market, but every search in the group follows the same core approach.
- BriefingWe start with a conversation about the business, the role and what success looks like in the first year. For regulated roles, this includes which Senior Manager Functions the person will hold.
- Search across the networkWe search the shared candidate base and approach people directly through the group’s networks, including candidates who are not actively looking.
- AssessmentCandidates are interviewed and assessed against the brief, including technical depth, leadership style and, where relevant, regulatory fitness and propriety.
- ShortlistYou receive a focused shortlist with clear write-ups on each candidate, their availability and their rate or salary expectations.
- Interviews and offerWe manage interviews, feedback, references and the offer, and stay in touch through the start and the first months in the role.
Adrian Lawrence FCA
Founder and Managing Director, FD Capital Group
Adrian is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales with a practising certificate, and a former listed-company Finance Director. Earlier in his career he was placed as Finance Director into a PE-backed management buy-out, so he has been on the client side of a senior finance appointment as well as the recruiter’s side. He holds a BSc from Queen Mary College, University of London.
He founded FD Capital in 2018 and has since built out Exec Capital, NED Capital, Accountancy Capital and SMF Capital. His background in FCA regulation and the Senior Managers and Certification Regime underpins the group’s work with regulated firms.
Frequently asked questions
What is FD Capital Group?
It is the group behind five specialist recruitment brands: FD Capital, Exec Capital, NED Capital, Accountancy Capital and SMF Capital. Each brand runs its own searches and website, and all five share one senior candidate network.
Which brand should I contact?
Contact the brand that matches the role: FD Capital for CFOs and Finance Directors, Exec Capital for CEOs and the wider C-suite, NED Capital for non-executive and board roles, Accountancy Capital for Financial Controllers and qualified finance staff, and SMF Capital for FCA Senior Manager and compliance roles. If you are unsure, contact the group and we will route your brief.
Do you place fractional and interim executives?
Yes. FD Capital, Exec Capital and Accountancy Capital all place fractional and interim professionals as well as permanent hires. Fractional roles can start at one day a week and scale up as the business grows.
Can you help with FCA-regulated appointments?
Yes. SMF Capital specialises in roles under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime, and the wider group regularly places Finance Directors, compliance officers and non-executives who need FCA approval. We understand the fitness and propriety standards the regulator applies.
I am a candidate. How do I register?
Register through the brand that best matches your experience. Each brand’s website has a CV registration form, and once registered you are visible to searches across the whole group. FCA-regulated professionals can use the SMF Capital candidate registration page.
Have a senior hire in mind?
Tell us about the role, the business and the timescale. We will point you to the right brand and come back with a view on the market, likely rates or salaries, and how quickly we can put a shortlist together.