Securing a strategic hire to strengthen a private equity practice

The role was key to strengthening Finatal’s finance offering to private equity clients, and required a specialist search in one of the most competitive talent markets in the UK. This successful engagement laid the foundation for a deeper partnership, with FIFTEEN WEST now advising Finatal on their international expansion into the US. 

The Challenge

Finatal needed to hire a high-impact individual with deep sector knowledge, a strong professional network, and the ability to immediately contribute to the firm's growth in the C-suite transformation space. The candidate had to be a cultural fit, bring credibility within private equity circles, and be capable of operating at pace in a high-performance team. 

This was a difficult brief in a tough market, the kind of role where active candidates are rare and the best talent often isn't on the market. 

The Solution

FIFTEEN WEST delivered a retained search led by Peter Bryant, whose reputation and relationships in private markets were a key factor in securing the project. The process combined structure, insight, and agility: 

• Weekly progress updates and transparent reporting 
• Real-time market feedback on both role positioning and brand perception 
• Access to a pre-qualified, high-performing candidate network 
• A refined shortlist of 10 candidates introduced for interviews 
• Ongoing collaboration with the hiring team to adjust and fine-tune as the process evolved 

One standout candidate, known to Peter  for over six years, had not been actively looking but was a consistently high performer. Thanks to FIFTEEN WEST’s understanding of both his motivations and Finatal’s proposition, the opportunity was positioned in a compelling way that led to a successful hire. 

The search was completed within two months, and the successful candidate is already making a strategic impact within the London team. 

Following this success, the relationship has evolved to a trusted, long-term partnership. FIFTEEN WEST has since: 

• Advised Finatal during their pre-launch planning for the US 
• Supported their entry and scale-up into the North American market 

Testimonial