A niche finance director hire made simple for a property group in transition.
A property business working across commercial, residential and land redevelopment was in the middle of significant structural change when their finance director announced their retirement.
The Challenge
The person responsible for finding the replacement Finance Director had only just joined the business. She had never recruited at this level before and wasn’t sure where to start. She also had two real concerns. The business was changing fast, which she feared would make the role harder to sell to candidates. And it needed someone with niche industry experience, which narrowed the field further.
She called Kayley at Sewell Wallis, who was a long-term connection, seeking help with what was proving to be a potentially stressful hiring process.
Our Approach
We already knew someone who looked like a spot-on fit. He was an experienced FD with the specific sector experience the business needed, so rather than starting a broad search, we introduced him straight away.
Once the client had met him, things moved quickly. After two interviews, they were ready to make an offer.
At that point, they hesitated. A standard process would usually mean seeing more candidates, and they worried they should do the same. We offered to send more people over, but we were honest with them. This was a niche role, they had found someone they liked, and seeing more candidates didn’t feel worth it for the sake of process alone.
The Outcome
The client moved forward with the candidate they had favoured from the start. A role they had expected to be a hard fill was completed after two interviews.
By handing the search to a recruiter who knows both the market and the industry, the client avoided a long, drawn-out process, and a senior hire that had felt daunting became a straightforward one.
Filling a niche role with tricky timing?
If you’re facing a hard-to-fill role, you don’t have to work out the process alone. We know the finance market in Yorkshire and North Derbyshire, and we’ll be straight with you about who’s out there and what your search really needs.
Get in touch with our team to talk through your next finance hire.