Talk to the right team about your next senior hire
Contact the brand that matches your role, or get in touch with the group and we will route your brief to the right team. We reply to every client enquiry the same or the next working day.
Contact a brand directly
Each brand runs its own searches. Contacting the brand closest to the role puts you straight through to the team that handles it.
FD Capital
CFO · FD · Interim
- Phone
- 020 3287 9501
- recruitment@fdcapital.co.uk
- Web
- fdcapital.co.uk
Exec Capital
C-suite · Board
- Phone
- 020 3834 9616
- recruitment@execcapital.co.uk
- Web
- execcapital.co.uk
Not sure which brand?
Email recruitment@fdcapital.co.uk with a few lines about the role. We will pass it to the right team, or run it jointly if it spans more than one brand.
A quick guide to who handles what
The brands have clear lines between them, so most roles fit one obvious home. Here is how to choose.
Hiring a CFO, Finance Director or Head of Finance
Contact FD Capital. It handles fractional, interim and permanent finance leadership, from a part-time FD one day a week to a full-time CFO for a PE-backed group. If the role also needs FCA approval, for example a Finance Director at a regulated firm holding the Chief Finance function, FD Capital will bring in SMF Capital’s knowledge of the approval process.
Hiring a CEO, Managing Director or another C-suite leader
Contact Exec Capital. It covers chief executives, managing directors, operations, technology, marketing and commercial leaders, on a permanent, interim or fractional basis.
Appointing a non-executive director or chair
Contact NED Capital. It handles independent NEDs, non-executive chairs, committee chairs and board advisers, including governance roles at regulated firms. Board appointments are often guided by the Financial Reporting Council’s governance standards and the Institute of Directors’ guidance, and NED Capital briefs reflect both.
Hiring a Financial Controller or qualified finance professional
Contact Accountancy Capital. It covers Financial Controllers, Finance Managers, Management Accountants and FP&A professionals, including part-time and interim Financial Controller engagements.
Filling a Senior Manager Function, compliance or MLRO role
Contact SMF Capital. It works with firms regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority on roles under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime, including firms applying for authorisation for the first time.
What helps us move quickly
You do not need a finished job description to get in touch. A short email covering the points here is enough for us to come back with a view on the market.
- The role and the businessThe title, the main responsibilities, who the person will report to and a line or two on the business, its size and its ownership.
- Why nowWhat has prompted the hire: growth, a transaction, a departure, a regulatory requirement or a gap in the board. This shapes the profile we search for.
- The commitmentWhether you need a fractional, interim or permanent hire, and how many days a week for part-time roles.
- Location and working patternWhere the business is based and how much time on site you expect. Many fractional and interim roles are hybrid.
- Regulatory requirementsFor FCA-regulated firms, any Senior Manager Functions the person will hold and whether the firm is already authorised.
- Timescale and budgetWhen you need someone to start, and the day rate or salary range you have in mind, if you have one. If you are unsure, we can tell you what the market expects.
From first contact to shortlist
1. A reply within a working day
We respond to every client enquiry the same or the next working day, usually with a few questions and a suggested time to talk.
2. A briefing call
A short call with the brand that will lead the search, covering the role, the business and what good looks like. We will give you a straight view on rates, salaries and how competitive the market is.
3. A focused shortlist
We search the group’s shared network and candidate base, interview and assess candidates, and send a shortlist with clear write-ups, availability and rate or salary expectations.
For fractional and interim roles, speed matters. If your need is urgent, calling the relevant brand is the quickest route.
Fractional, interim or permanent?
If you are not sure which type of hire you need, that is a good reason to get in touch. Here is how we usually think about it.
Fractional
A fractional executive works part time on an ongoing basis, often one or two days a week. It suits growth businesses that need senior experience but not a full-time salary, such as a company that has outgrown its bookkeeper but is not yet ready for a full-time CFO. The commitment can increase as the business grows.
Interim
An interim leader works full time or close to it for a defined period, usually a few months. Interims cover a departure, lead a project such as a systems change or a sale process, or stabilise a business going through turnaround. Good interims can often start within days.
Permanent
A permanent appointment is right when the role is long term and central to the business, such as a CFO for a PE-backed group or a chief executive taking over from a founder. These searches take longer, so it pays to start early. Some businesses bring in an interim while the permanent search runs.
Whichever route you take, the brand leading your search will explain the options, the likely costs and the timescales on the first call.
Speak to Adrian Lawrence FCA
Founder and Managing Director, FD Capital Group
For confidential, board-level or FCA-regulated searches, you can speak to the group’s founder directly. Adrian is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, a former listed-company Finance Director and a specialist in senior finance and regulated appointments.
Email recruitment@fdcapital.co.uk and mark your message for Adrian’s attention, or call FD Capital on 020 3287 9501.
Looking for your next role?
The best way to be considered for roles across the group is to register your CV with the brand that best fits your experience. All five brands share one candidate database, so registering once makes you visible to searches across the whole group.
- Finance leaders, CFOs and Finance Directors: FD Capital
- CEOs, MDs and C-suite executives: Exec Capital
- Non-executive directors and chairs: NED Capital
- Financial Controllers and qualified finance professionals: Accountancy Capital
- Senior Managers, compliance officers and MLROs: SMF Capital candidate registration
Live roles are posted on each brand’s job board, including the SMF Capital jobs page. We only put your details forward to a client once you have agreed to be considered for that specific role.
Contact and enquiry questions
How quickly will you respond?
We aim to reply to every client enquiry the same or the next working day. For urgent interim or fractional roles, calling the relevant brand is the fastest route.
Do I need a job description before I contact you?
No. A few lines about the role, the business and your timescale is enough to start. We can help shape the brief and the job description during the briefing call.
Is there a cost to an initial conversation?
No. The first conversation is a chance to discuss the role and the market. We will explain our terms for the type of search you need before any work begins.
Can you keep the search confidential?
Yes. Many senior searches are sensitive, particularly replacements and roles linked to a transaction. We keep the client’s name out of adverts and outreach until the client is happy for it to be shared with shortlisted candidates.
What if my hire spans more than one brand?
Contact any brand, or email the group. We will bring the relevant brands together on one brief, for example a CFO and a non-executive chair for the same business, or a Finance Director who also needs FCA approval.
Can you help an FCA-regulated firm that is not yet authorised?
Yes. SMF Capital regularly works with firms preparing an authorisation application, helping them identify the Senior Managers, compliance officers and MLROs the regulator will expect to see named in the application.
Where are you based?
The group is based in London and works with businesses across the UK. Fractional and interim roles can be remote, hybrid or on site, depending on the client.
Ready to start a search?
Send us a few lines about the role and we will come back with a view on the market, likely rates or salaries, and how quickly we can deliver a shortlist.