Our work with Finatal
FIFTEEN WEST began working with Finatal in Summer 2024, initially to support a strategic hire within their Private Equity team in London.
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