Portfolio CFO Bulletin - August
Bronzegate
Elevating private equity backed portfolio companies through exceptional CFO and finance leadership appointments.
Welcome to our monthly newsletter for CFOs working in Private Equity backed businesses. This month we have a market update from Kieran Clyde, Principal at Bronzegate, a recent case study from Kieran Price, Principal, and more from Bronzegate.
Market trends:
Driving Impact with Interim Finance Leaders
Kieran Clyde, Principal at Bronzegate, provides an overview of the finance leader trends midway through 2025.
As the demands on CFOs continue to intensify, many private equity firms are turning to interim finance leaders to drive rapid transformation and stabilise underperforming assets. In today’s market, where the margin for error is narrow and expectations are high, interims offer a fast, flexible route to results.
At Bronzegate, we’re seeing increased investor appetite for interim CFOs with deep transformation experience - often brought in to professionalise finance functions, unlock data, or steer the business through a critical inflection point. Read the full article to understand what's driving this shift in expectations and how investors can position their offer to attract the right talent.
Case study:
Head of FP&A
The challenge
The business needed to strengthen its senior finance team as part of an ambitious buy-and-build strategy. Alongside the appointment of a new Group CFO, the business required an experienced Head of FP&A to build the function from the ground up and provide robust support across reporting, forecasting, and strategic planning in a high-growth, acquisitive environment.
Our approach
Using our dedicated European CFO-X network and original research methodology, we mapped the market across multiple sectors to identify candidates with the right combination of FP&A expertise, private equity experience, and adaptability. The search focused on professionals who had successfully built FP&A capabilities within PE-backed, buy-and-build environments and could quickly gain credibility with both management and investors.
Outcome
The successful candidate had recently returned to France after leading a full FP&A build-out in a Canadian tech business undergoing rapid M&A. Their track record, technical capability, and alignment with ProductLife’s strategic goals made them an ideal fit. The appointment was made swiftly, with the candidate hitting the ground running in a complex, cross-border setting.
Insights:
Hiring Finance Leaders: Why Executive Search is the Fastest Route to Value
Under resourcing of the finance function is the key challenge facing Portfolio CFOs this year. As CFOs are under increasing pressure, having the right team in place is critical to delivering value - but competition for the best candidates is fiercer than ever.
Is executive search the key to securing finance leaders who will make a lasting impact? In his latest article, Kieran Price, Principal at Bronzegate, outlines why executive search is the most effective route for securing high-performing finance talent. From mitigating the risk of mis-hires to enabling sharper alignment with the value creation plan, search delivers more than just a shortlist.
About Bronzegate
Bronzegate is the largest team in Europe exclusively focused on delivering finance leadership talent to Private Equity backed companies.
Our Finance, M&A and Strategy interim practice, works closely with Portfolio CFO’s to develop their team structures and capabilities.
Kieran Price and Kieran Clyde lead our well-established permanent and interim practice, sourcing CFOs and Director level finance & strategy talent to support Private Equity CFOs. The practice includes delivering exceptional interim FP&A leaders, Group Controllers, Regional / Divisional CFOs and Heads of M&A to portfolio businesses across the UK and Europe.