Private Equity
Recruitment
Finatal is a specialist private equity recruitment partner, helping funds and their portfolio companies hire the people who turn investment ambition into results. We combine executive search and interim recruitment across investment, finance, technology and transformation, connecting private capital with talent equipped for its pace, scrutiny and demands.
A global private capital partner
Private Equity Recruitment with global reach
Private capital is our exclusive focus. From strengthening an investment team to appointing a portfolio company CFO or bringing in an interim transformation leader, we connect specialist capability with the situation it needs to solve.
With teams in London, Frankfurt, New York and Chicago, we support clients across the UK, Europe and North America. Local market knowledge and international networks give you a partner for individual appointments, cross-border growth and the changing demands of an investment portfolio.
Built around the investment
Private Equity Recruitment Built for Private Capital
A private equity hire must fit the investment, the business and the moment. The right person for a carve-out may be different from the leader needed to integrate acquisitions, professionalize a function or prepare a business for sale. Our specialist teams understand those distinctions and the consequences for each appointment.
Pace with purpose
Transaction milestones and changing priorities compress the time available. We look for people who can make sound decisions with incomplete information and establish momentum quickly.
Accountability under scrutiny
Performance is visible to investors, boards and lenders. Technical ability must be matched by judgment, ownership and the credibility to explain difficult decisions.
The investment thesis comes first
Growth, margin improvement, cash generation and acquisition integration require different capabilities. A hiring brief should reflect the value creation plan and the outcomes the individual must deliver.
Effective board relationships
Leaders need to work with management and sponsors, balancing constructive challenge with alignment. We consider how candidates influence others as well as what they have achieved.
Growth and transformation in practice
Scaling a business can mean rebuilding reporting, integrating systems and developing teams while maintaining performance. We focus on relevant delivery experience in comparable situations.
A clear exit horizon
The hold period shapes priorities and sequencing. People must understand how their decisions contribute to a credible business, resilient operations and readiness for buyer scrutiny.
Our expertise
Private Equity Recruitment Across Funds and Portfolio Companies
We work on both sides of the investment relationship: the people who deploy and manage capital, and the teams responsible for delivering the portfolio’s value creation plan.
Private Capital
Build the investment, operating, fundraising and finance capability that helps your fund execute its strategy.
Portfolio
Appoint leaders and specialists who strengthen performance, manage change and support the business through its next stage of ownership.
The Finatal difference
Why Choose Finatal for Private Equity Recruitment?
Exclusive focus on private capital
Specialist knowledge of investor expectations and the environments in which your people will work.
Funds and portfolio company expertise
A connected view of investment priorities and the operational capability needed to deliver them.
Executive search and interim capability
Permanent leadership and immediate expertise, matched to the urgency and scope of the mandate.
International reach, local expertise
Teams across key private capital markets, with the networks to support local and cross-border hiring.
Outcome-led recruitment
Assessment focused on relevant achievements, situational fit and the contribution a hire needs to make.
From mandate to appointment
Our Private Equity Recruitment Process
The mandate sets the approach. We connect the investment context with focused market mapping and assessment of the experience that matters for the role.
Understand the mandate
We start with the fund’s strategy, the business’s stage and the outcomes required. Investment thesis, management dynamics and the value creation plan shape the brief, so the search reflects the real demands of the appointment.
Map the relevant market
We build targeted talent pools around the role, sector and situation. Specialist research and established private capital networks help identify candidates whose experience is relevant to the opportunity.
Assess for the PE environment
We explore evidence of delivery, commercial judgment and performance under pressure. Assessment considers the context in which results were achieved, alongside the candidate’s ability to work with investors, boards and management teams.
Match the pace to the situation
Executive search focuses on the capabilities and fit required for a lasting leadership appointment. Interim hiring draws on experienced operators whose availability and expertise match an immediate challenge or defined program of work.
Progress to appointment
A focused shortlist supports clear, informed selection. We work with the hiring stakeholders through the assessment and decision stages, keeping the mandate and the evidence of candidate fit in view as the appointment progresses.
Executive search
A targeted search for enduring leadership: the right capabilities, cultural fit and evidence of delivery against the investment plan.
Interim appointments
Experienced operators matched to a defined challenge, with availability and the ability to establish momentum central to the brief.
Specialist support
Beyond the appointment
Some private capital challenges need support beyond a search. Our CFO Launchpad and Applied AI Advisory services help teams turn a critical appointment or strategic ambition into practical progress.
Portfolio companies
CFO Launchpad
A first-time or step-up CFO in a PE-backed business faces sponsor expectations, board reporting and a demanding value creation plan from day one. CFO Launchpad pairs the appointment with experienced PE-backed CFO mentors, a defined 90-day and 12-month ramp-up plan, regular one-on-one sessions and on-demand support for live challenges.
Discuss CFO LaunchpadFund-level advisory
Applied AI Advisory
Finatal Applied AI helps private equity and venture capital firms turn AI ambition into measurable operational outcomes. Practitioner-led discovery with deal, operations and platform teams maps workflows, identifies high-value use cases and shapes an implementation-ready roadmap for the fund.
Discuss Applied AISelected appointments
Our Private Equity Recruitment Track Record
From urgent portfolio leadership to building fund capability, these assignments show our specialist approach in practice.
Portfolio · Interim CFO
An interim CFO appointed within 48 hours
Compass Community needed an experienced private equity CFO to lead finance transformation. Finatal arranged interviews within 24 hours and completed Martin Lofnes’s appointment within 48 hours of receiving the mandate.
Read the case study“Finatal stood out because they had immediate access to exceptional CFO talent who had not been previously identified.”
Private Capital · Investment
Building Kester Capital’s investment team
After a fund close, Finatal mapped candidates with complementary experience to strengthen Kester Capital’s investment team for its next phase of growth.
Read the case studyOur leadership
Meet the Leadership Team
Meet the leaders behind Finatal’s specialist private capital recruitment teams.
Paul Blant
Group CEO
Global private equity recruitment and CFO search
Mark Sattin
CEO North America
North American finance leadership, interim management and M&A
Jack Lane
Managing Director
UK and European CFO, finance and interim leadership
Charlie Linacre
Managing Director
Investment, value creation, fundraising and corporate development
Your next move
Latest Private Equity Jobs
Explore current opportunities with private equity funds and their portfolio companies.
Current opportunities will appear here.
Research and perspective
Private Equity Recruitment Insights
Hiring insight
Why should private equity funds challenge the need for prior PE experience?
Why a candidate’s fit with the actual mandate matters more than a familiar private equity label on their CV.
Read the insight
Proprietary research
Investment Professionals Remuneration, Equity & Outlook Report 2026
Explore salary, bonus, carried interest and benefits benchmarks for investment professionals in private capital.
Explore the report
Thought leadership
Why Interim & On-Demand Leaders have become a Value-Creation Tool in Private Equity
How sponsors are using experienced interim leaders to accelerate execution, support transformation and prepare businesses for exit.
Read the insightYour questions, answered
Private Equity Recruitment FAQs
What is private equity recruitment?
Private equity recruitment connects funds and the businesses they invest in with the people needed to execute an investment strategy. It includes investment and fund roles, as well as portfolio leadership and specialist appointments across the investment lifecycle.
Why use a specialist private equity recruitment firm?
PE appointments need to reflect investor expectations, commercial priorities and a defined investment horizon. A specialist recruiter understands those demands and can assess whether a candidate’s experience is relevant to the fund, business and situation.
What private equity roles does Finatal recruit for?
Finatal recruits investment professionals, operating partners, fundraising and fund finance specialists, alongside portfolio CFOs, finance teams, transformation and technology leaders, data and AI specialists, M&A professionals and Chairs.
Does Finatal recruit for both PE funds and portfolio companies?
Yes. We support internal fund hiring and appointments within portfolio businesses, connecting fund strategy with the leadership and specialist capability needed to deliver it.
Does Finatal offer interim private equity recruitment?
Yes. We place interim finance leaders, transformation specialists and other experienced operators for situations including leadership gaps, transactions, integration, performance improvement and exit preparation.
Where does Finatal recruit?
Finatal supports hiring across the UK, Europe and North America, with teams in London, Frankfurt, New York and Chicago and an international network of candidates and clients.
Let’s talk about what comes next
Looking to make a high-impact hire?
Tell us about your investment priorities, the capability you need and the timeframe you are working towards. We’ll connect you with the right specialist team.
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