Who will lead my search at Harper May?

Every mandate is led by a dedicated Practice Lead with sector-specific expertise, ensuring that the search is guided by deep market intelligence and technical understanding.

Do your consultants have finance backgrounds?

Our consulting team consists of sector specialists and former finance professionals who possess the technical rigour to vet candidates against complex accounting and commercial standards.

How do your consultants vet candidates technically?

We utilise a proprietary vetting framework that tests for mastery of Official professional accounting standards, as well as the ability to drive margin growth and liquidity.

Can I speak directly to the consultant before starting a mandate?

Yes, we provide an initial strategic consultation to align our methodology with your board's goals and to demonstrate our specific market mapping for your sector.

How do your consultants stay updated on salary trends?

We leverage our annual 2026 Candidate Salary Survey and National financial market data to ensure our clients receive the most accurate compensation benchmarks in London and the UK.

Do you offer support for interim or part-time requirements?

Yes, our team includes interim specialists who can deploy 'Special Situations' leaders within 48 hours for restructuring, turnarounds, or project-based needs.

Meet Our Finance Consultants: Personalising Your Team

In the high-stakes environment of London and UK executive search, the success of a mandate is inextricably linked to the expertise, network, and technical intuition of the consultant leading the search. At Harper May, we don’t just assign "recruiters"; we deploy sector specialists who have spent decades navigating the complexities of the British financial landscape. Meet Our Finance Consultants—the strategic architects who bridge the gap between ambitious boards and the top 1% of finance talent.

Start the Conversation with our consulting team today to experience a personalised approach to Finance Recruitment that prioritises commercial alignment over transactional speed.

The Harper May Consulting Philosophy: Beyond the CV

Most agencies operate on a volume-based model where consultants are generalists. The Harper May difference is rooted in deep technical specialisation. Our consultants are trained to look beyond the surface level of a CV to identify "Operational Alpha"—the ability of a candidate to drive real-world value, manage liquidity, and facilitate complex exits.

By utilising National financial market data and our proprietary 2026 insights, our consultants act as advisors to the board. They provide the forensic rigour needed to ensure that every candidate presented is not only technically proficient in Official professional accounting standards but also possesses the psychological resilience required for board-level leadership.

Our Specialist Practice Leads

Our team is structured around the core lifecycles of modern business, ensuring you work with a consultant who speaks the specific language of your growth stage.

The Strategic Leadership Practice (CFO & FD Search)

Led by our Founding Directors, this practice focuses on CFO Recruitment for Private Equity-backed and high-growth entities.

Focus: Identifying "Passive Alpha" talent for IPO readiness, debt restructuring, and trade sales.
Expertise: Our leads in this space typically manage mandates where the candidate requires 25+ years of experience and a proven track record of stakeholder diplomacy.

The Operational Excellence Practice (Controllers & FP&A)

This team specialises in the "Engine Room" of the finance function. They identify the technical specialists—Group Financial Controllers and Heads of FP&A—who ensure reporting integrity.

Focus: Sourcing ACA and CIMA-qualified leaders who can implement "Fast Close" methodologies and AI-driven forecasting.
Insight: Our consultants in this practice use our 2026 Salary Survey data to help you design competitive packages for mid-to-senior management.

The Special Situations Practice (Interim & Turnaround)

When a business faces a liquidity crisis or a major pivot, speed and "battle-hardened" experience are non-negotiable. This team provides rapid-response leadership.

Focus: Deploying interim CFOs and Turnaround Directors within 48 hours.
The Benchmark: We prioritise "Deal-Hardened" professionals who have managed Section 26A Restructuring Plans and complex lender negotiations.

The Anatomy of an Executive Consultant: Technical vs. Relational

At Harper May, we believe that to find a world-class Finance Director, the consultant must first understand what makes a world-class balance sheet. Our consultants are not simply "matching keywords"; they are performing a qualitative audit of a candidate's career.

Forensic Interviewing Techniques

When you Meet Our Finance Consultants, you are meeting individuals trained in forensic interviewing. They don't ask "What did you do?"; they ask "How did you protect the margin during the 2024 inflationary spike?" or "Describe the specific debt covenants you renegotiated in your last role." This level of inquiry ensures that by the time a candidate reaches your boardroom, their technical credibility is a settled fact, allowing you to focus on cultural chemistry.

Industry Immersion

Our consultants are active participants in the London financial community. They attend the same roundtables as the CFOs they headhunt and maintain relationships with the leading Big 4 audit partners. This immersion allows them to understand the "whispers" of the market—identifying which finance leaders are delivering exceptional results in quiet turnarounds or which teams are actually high-performing behind a polished annual report.

Data-Driven Advisory: Why Our Consultants are Strategic Partners

In the 2026 market, a consultant who cannot provide data is a liability. The London market is moving too fast for "gut feeling" recruitment. Our consultants use our proprietary 2026 Candidate Salary Survey to act as a defensive shield for your budget and an offensive tool for your talent attraction.

Managing Boardroom Expectations

Often, a board may have expectations that are out of sync with the current UK market. Our consultants use verified data to ground these conversations. For instance, our data shows that an ACA-qualified Group Financial Controller in Central London now commands a median of £80,000, while a Finance Director in the same region expects £111,000 basic salary.

By presenting these benchmarks—alongside the fact that 65% of senior leaders now prioritise a 1-2 day office model—our consultants help you design a mandate that is actually "hirable." This prevents the common pitfall of a search stalling because the reward package does not meet the "Passive Alpha" market standard.

Designing the "Total Reward" Narrative

Securing a CFO in 2026 often requires more than a high basic salary. Our consultants help you structure Long-Term Incentive Plans (LTIPs). With our data showing only 18.6% of the market currently receives such a plan, our consultants use this as a powerful tool to "lure" top-tier talent away from competitors who remain stuck in traditional bonus-only models.

The Recruitment Lifecycle: A Partnership Approach

When you engage a Harper May consultant, you are initiating a multi-stage process designed for maximum risk mitigation.

The Strategic Briefing: We go beyond the job description to understand the "3-Year Exit Goal" or the specific liquidity challenges.
Bespoke Talent Mapping: Our consultants perform a forensic search of the London market, identifying "Passive Alpha" candidates who are not active on job boards.
Technical & Behavioural Vetting: Every candidate is screened against Official professional accounting standards and psychometrically tested for "Strategic Calm."
The Shortlist Presentation: We provide a dossier on the top 3-5 candidates, including an analysis of their "Operational Alpha" and potential impact on your EBITDA.
Negotiation & Onboarding: Our consultants manage the sensitive final negotiations, ensuring that hybrid work expectations and bonus triggers are aligned from Day 1.

Why Personalisation is the Key to Retention

The cost of a mis-hire in the finance function is estimated at 200% of the annual salary, excluding the damage to investor relations. By personalising the search, our consultants ensure that the candidate's personal motivations align with the firm’s trajectory. We don't just find a CFO; we find the specific CFO who wants to lead a private equity exit or who thrives in the rigour of a pre-IPO environment.

Contact executive search team today to meet the lead consultant for your sector. Start the Conversation and let us show you why we are the trusted partner for the UK’s most ambitious boards.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who will lead my search at Harper May? Every mandate is led by a dedicated Practice Lead with sector-specific expertise, ensuring that the search is guided by deep market intelligence and technical understanding.
Do your consultants have finance backgrounds? Our consulting team consists of sector specialists and former finance professionals who possess the technical rigour to vet candidates against complex accounting and commercial standards.
How do your consultants vet candidates technically? We utilise a proprietary vetting framework that tests for mastery of Official professional accounting standards, as well as the ability to drive margin growth and liquidity.
Can I speak directly to the consultant before starting a mandate? Yes, we provide an initial strategic consultation to align our methodology with your board's goals and to demonstrate our specific market mapping for your sector.
How do your consultants stay updated on salary trends? We leverage our annual 2026 Candidate Salary Survey and National financial market data to ensure our clients receive the most accurate compensation benchmarks in London and the UK.
Do you offer support for interim or part-time requirements? Yes, our team includes interim specialists who can deploy 'Special Situations' leaders within 48 hours for restructuring, turnarounds, or project-based needs.