Long term recruitment support for a PE-backed scaling business
We partnered with this fast-growing, PE-backed business to scale their finance team as the business went from strength to strength.
The Background
Founded in 2015, this business has grown quickly in the decade it's been established, and they needed a recruitment partner to support them while they scaled their Finance team. We placed a Finance Director with them in 2021, and the rest, as they say, is history.
We followed the FD placement up with 4 more hires into that team, and to date, we've made more than a dozen placements, helping them build a finance team to support the rapid growth they've experienced and continue to do so - our most recent placement was in July 2026.
What began as a single hire into a small business with big plans to scale has grown into an ongoing partnership across the whole finance function.
We've recruited a range of roles for the business, including:
- Leadership roles - Finance Director, Financial Controller
- Qualified finance roles - Management Accountant, Project Accountant and a range of interim placements
- Transactional finance roles - Assistant Accountant, Purchase Ledger Assistant, Finance Assistant and a number of temporary transactional staff
- Specialist roles - Data Analyst
This mix reflects a relationship built on trust rather than a single successful hire. This business has leaned on Sewell Wallis not just for permanent recruitment, but as a flexible resource for interim and temporary cover too, a sign of a partner they turn to whatever the need, not just when a role happens to fit.
The Roles We've Worked On
Finance Director
In 2021, the business was in a springboard position, on the edge of a major growth phase. They hadn't attracted any private equity interest up to that point, but PE investment was a specific goal they were working towards, and they knew their next FD hire needed to be built around that ambition.
This wasn't a generalist FD brief. The client needed someone who could redefine financial reporting and demonstrate visible, credible results to support an investment case. They also needed experience in writing and positioning investment proposals, with established existing relationships within the PE community.
Kayley placed a candidate she'd known for years, someone who'd been a client of hers early in her recruitment career, and who had exactly this profile: proven PE experience and the reporting and relationship-building skills to take the business from no PE interest to investment-ready.
Since that placement, the business has grown five times in size, completing two investment cycles with a third planned.
Financial Controller
Finding the perfect hire through a candidate they almost never met.
When the previous FC resigned, the business ran their own recruitment campaign alongside engaging Sewell Wallis in a search, running direct and outsourced routes in parallel.
They moved a number of candidates to interview, however, Kayley kept working the search to ensure all bases had been covered. A strong candidate came to her on the day the business were conducting second-stage interviews for their own candidates.
The candidate Kayley had found was ideal, with the right experience. She reached out directly to the hiring manager, who, rather than lose the opportunity to timing, ran a first and second interview wrapped into one for the candidate.
They had the technical background the business needed, and were a strong cultural fit - they were offered and accepted the same day.
Grow your team with expert talent
Our consultants are experts in placing candidates into roles with firms seeking investment, or going through an investment cycle.
Whether you're a candidate looking to join a scaling business or a client who needs an experienced hand to steer you through your next growth period, our team can find what you're looking for.