Finatal has strengthened its DACH interim finance capability with the appointment of Frankfurt-based Principal Raphael Henkes, who focuses on interim finance roles for private equity-backed businesses across the region.
Step‑up CFOs now account for over a third of my recent placements, with more than 70% hired in the first 6–12 months post‑investment. This piece explains why PE is backing first‑timers earlier – and how the best funds de‑risk that decision.
Our 2026 Investment Professionals Remuneration Report delivers a detailed view of compensation trends across private capital markets in the UK and Europe. Drawing on data from a broad cross-section of investment firms and professionals, this year’s report captures a market that is stabilising, with renewed momentum following a period of recalibration.
Exit isn’t a twelve‑month sprint; it’s a five‑year operating strategy that starts the day you invest. By embedding exit thinking early, backing management teams that can deliver future relevance, and pressure‑testing the story through a buyer’s lens, operating partners turn value creation and exit readiness into the same disciplined, long‑term agenda.
At PEI’s Operating Partners Forum Europe in London, Finatal’s Max Yish chaired a panel asking where AI is truly delivering in HR and talent, and where it still falls short. AI is driving clear gains in speed, productivity and time-to-hire, but its impact on hiring quality, operating models and leadership decision-making is uneven, with the most advanced use cases sitting beyond HR in engineering and go-to-market teams and many projects still failing because execution, not ambition, is the real constraint.
Finatal has been named one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2026 - our third consecutive year on the list.
Finatal's Private Capital & Operating Partner practice sits at the point where dealmaking meets value creation - where investment theses…
