Four Ways to Deploy the Right Leader.
Permanent, interim, fractional and portfolio retainer, matched to the moment, not the mandate.
Matched to the moment.
Permanent
Most permanent searches begin too late, after the gap has already become expensive.
A retained search for a senior appointment in a regulated firm is never just a hiring decision. It sets the firm's regulatory posture, its credibility with investors and the shape of its leadership culture for years. A permanent search also sometimes begins too late to solve the immediate problem, which is why we look at the timeline before the brief. Every search is run personally, end to end, from a market we already know: who is genuinely available, at what level, and whether they can operate under FCA and PRA scrutiny. Candidates are assessed for stage and regulatory complexity, not just track record. And where the seat cannot sit empty while the search runs, an interim leader from our bench holds the line, so urgency never overrides rigour.
- A defining appointment the board intends to keep
- Succession planned ahead of need, not after a resignation
- A role carrying SMF accountability for the long term
Interim
Some gaps cannot wait for a search. The firm needs a leader in the building this week.
An SMF exit, an s166 review, an M&A integration, a licence event: moments when a leadership gap becomes a regulatory event overnight. Some gaps need cover before a permanent process can realistically conclude, and that is the work interim does. Experienced operators deployed in days, not months, providing full-time cover for a defined period, with SM&CR accountability addressed from day one.
- An SMF holder has resigned and the seat cannot sit empty
- Regulatory remediation or an s166 review is under way
- Post-deal integration needs senior hands immediately
Fractional
Many firms need the capability before they need the headcount.
Senior leadership for one to three days per week, structured as an IR35-compliant SoW. The firm gets the seniority, the investor credibility and the regulatory fluency without the full-time overhead, at the stage where that is exactly the right level of resource.
- Pre-fundraise, where investor-grade credibility matters
- Newly authorised and building the leadership layer
- Scaling faster than the leadership infrastructure
Portfolio Retainer
Across a portfolio, leadership risk is not an if. It is a when.
For PE houses with regulated FS assets, the question is not whether a CFO or CRO will move during the hold period. It is what happens in the first week when they do. The Portfolio Retainer is an annual partnership built for exactly that moment. One relationship covers every asset: priority access to our bench, deployment in days when a gap opens, and a standing adviser on leadership risk across the portfolio. The retainer is fully credited against mandate activity, so the commitment converts into delivery, not a standing fee.
- Multiple regulated FS businesses under one roof
- Value creation plans that depend on the leadership layer
- No appetite for a cold search when a gap opens mid-hold
Compare at a glance.
Not Sure Which Structure is Right?
Book a call and we will work through it together. The right answer is usually obvious once the conversation starts.