Finance Leadership
CFOs, Finance Directors, Heads of Finance and FP&A leaders who can create investor-grade visibility, strengthen controls, and support the CEO through value creation.
Executive search · Private equity
Leadership for the companies private capital is building.
FVK Search Partners is a founder-led executive search firm serving private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies - board, C-suite and value-creation mandates, conducted with absolute discretion.
The firm
We are engaged when the appointment is consequential and the search must remain quiet. Based in London, UK, FVK is built for investors and chief executives who value judgement over reach.
London office · Europe and US coverage
London-based. Globally active.
FVK Limited operates from London, UK, with search coverage across Europe and the United States for private equity sponsors and portfolio companies.
Practice
Leadership search for private capital, mapped to the ownership context.
Transformation & Integration
Chief Transformation Officers, integration leads, PMO leaders and change operators for post-acquisition priorities, carve-outs, systems work and value-creation plans.
Technology & Operating Leadership
CIOs, CTOs, data leaders and operational executives who can improve systems, reporting, process discipline and decision quality across portfolio companies.
Market context
After acquisition, leadership must turn the value-creation plan into operating rhythm.
In a portfolio company, senior leaders sit where investor expectations, CEO priorities, cash discipline, systems, data and operating reality meet. The role is not just to report performance. It is to create the cadence by which performance can be managed.
- Earlier visibility on cash, working capital, margin, and forecast quality.
- Board packs that become decision tools, not accounting summaries.
- Transformation and integration leadership that turns plans into execution.
- Systems, data and operating discipline that improve confidence without slowing the business.
01Define
Mandate, ownership context, team gaps.
02Map
Comparable companies and candidate pools.
03Approach
Discreet outreach to passive candidates.
04Assess
Track record, motivation, style, risk.
05Deliver
Evidence-led shortlist and process support.
Approach
A retained process built for confidentiality and candidate conviction.
The strongest candidates are usually passive, discreet, and already performing well elsewhere. FVK defines the role around the value-creation context, maps the market, approaches candidates carefully, and presents a shortlist with clear rationale.
The shortlist should teach the client something about the market, not simply show who happened to be available.
Candidate access
Strong shortlists start with mapped senior leaders, not active applicants.
FVK combines curated senior leadership networks with direct market mapping. The aim is to reach candidates who fit the mandate before they are visible to the wider market.
CFOs & Finance Directors
Board-facing finance leaders for cash visibility, reporting discipline, and CEO partnership.
Portfolio company CFO
Controllers & Heads of Finance
Leaders who can strengthen reporting, controls, and systems without slowing the business.
Finance function upgrade
Transformation & Integration Leaders
Executives who can drive post-acquisition change, carve-outs, systems work, and PMO discipline.
Value creation delivery
Technology & Data Leaders
CIOs, CTOs and data leaders for systems visibility, digital execution, and better decision infrastructure.
Technology leadership
Candidate thesis
The strongest private-capital candidates combine function depth with change leadership.
FVK screens for evidence of delivery under ownership pressure, not just title progression or polished interview performance.
Investor visibility
Practical insight on cash, performance, risk, and value creation.
Operating cadence
Decision rhythms that make priorities measurable and manageable.
Transformation delivery
Evidence of change delivered under time pressure.
Systems fluency
Comfort with data, tooling, process, and reporting infrastructure.
Integration muscle
Acquired teams, entities, and functions brought into one rhythm.
CEO partnership
Challenge and support delivered with clarity.
Selected experience
Relevant senior leadership search experience in a portfolio-company context.
Selected prior experience includes CFO search work connected to Meridian Adhesives, including the placement of a CFO for one of its portfolio companies.
The proof point is deliberately concise: it demonstrates relevance to board-level appointments in a portfolio-company environment without overclaiming a broader case study.
Confidential enquiries
The appointments that matter are rarely made in public.
Share a few details and a partner will respond directly. Candidate names, portfolio company details and live mandates can be discussed once the right confidential basis is in place.