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Finance Director Executive Search
Robert Walters is a leading provider of Finance Director executive search, partnering with UK organisations to appoint senior finance leaders who drive performance, strengthen governance and support long-term commercial growth. Our specialist FD head-hunters leverage deep market insight, rigorous assessment and extensive networks to help businesses secure high-impact Finance Directors across all sectors.
Connect with our network of senior finance leaders
Our Finance Director search specialists work closely with organisations across the UK to identify leaders capable of supporting strategic planning, managing risk, elevating financial control and shaping commercial direction. Whether you require an FD to lead a finance transformation, guide a scaling business, strengthen investor confidence or oversee multi-entity reporting, our consultative and insight led approach ensures every appointment supports long-term organisational success.Ready to begin your finance director executive search? Speak with our team or submit your vacancy for a confidential discussion.
Why choose us for Finance Director hiring?
Deep expertise in senior finance recruitment: For over 40 years, Robert Walters has delivered Finance Director and C-suite finance appointments across listed companies, private equity–backed firms, global corporates and high-growth SMEs.
Access to a mature network of senior finance talent: Our network includes Finance Directors, Group FDs, divisional FDs, Heads of Finance and transformation focused senior leaders with strong commercial and technical depth.
Insight-driven search methodology: We provide real-time market intelligence on FD salary trends, equity structures, reporting lines, transformation priorities and talent availability.
Recognised leaders in the UK finance community: We organise the annual Finance Awards North West, Midlands Finance Awards, and London & South East Finance Awards – reinforcing our deep connection to the UK’s finance leadership landscape and giving us unrivalled insight into the capabilities of top-performing FDs.
A rigorous, confidential and end‑to‑end search process: From early discovery to shortlist assessment and onboarding, we manage a discreet search process that protects both business and candidate confidentiality.
Leadership advisory support: Our coaching and assessment programmes help new Finance Directors accelerate impact and embed high-performing behaviours from day one.
Sectors & industries we recruit Finance Directors across:
We recruit for a wide range of industries, supporting organisations with both permanent and interim FD requirements. We understand the differing financial leadership needs across sectors, ensuring each search is tailored to business size, maturity, commercial structure and growth strategy.
Our experience spans:
- Banking & Financial Services & Insurance
- Technology
- FinTech & Challenger Banks
- Manufacturing, Engineering & Industrial
- Retail, Consumer & Ecommerce
- Property, Construction & Infrastructure
- Healthcare, Life Sciences & Pharmaceuticals
- Professional Services
- Private Equity & Investor-led businesses
UK Finance Director salaries
Gain clarity on Finance Director salary ranges, averages and contract rates across the UK, including different regions. Understanding market trends will help you create an informed, attractive compensation package that rivals competition. Explore 2026 salary data, and understand the factors impacting salaries.
Finance Director job description template
Define a clear and compelling brief with our comprehensive job description template, outlining responsibilities across financial strategy, control, commercial decision making, transformation, governance and leadership. A structured role profile enables an efficient and targeted finance director executive search process.
Talent development for Finance Directors
Enhance your hiring strategy with our tailored coaching, leadership development and assessment programmes. Delivered by industry‑leading coaches, these services support FD transitions, strengthen leadership capability and ensure incoming finance leaders can accelerate performance, drive change and influence effectively at board-level.
Meet our Finance Director recruiters
Howard Green
Executive-level Finance Recruitment, London & South
Howard leads Finance Director recruitment across London and the South, specialising in senior finance appointments such as Finance Directors, Group Finance Directors and senior commercial finance leaders.
With over 20 years’ experience in talent management consulting, he has a strong track record partnering with publicly listed, multinational and private equity–backed organisations to appoint Finance Directors who deliver operational rigour, strategic insight and commercial performance. His experience spans Europe, North America and the Middle East, giving him deep global perspective on modern finance leadership. Howard also works closely with our Consultancy and Advisory teams to support clients with leadership assessment, succession planning and broader organisational finance challenges.
Habiba Khatoon
Executive-level Finance Recruitment, Midlands
Habiba’s team leads Finance Director recruitment across the Midlands, bringing over 15 years’ experience and a strong network of senior finance leaders across the region. Since joining Robert Walters in 2014, she has built and led the Birmingham finance recruitment team and now oversees the wider Midlands operation.
Her team’s remit includes board-level and senior finance hiring — including Finance Director, Financial Controller and senior finance leadership appointments - for FTSE 100 companies, high-growth businesses and investor-backed organisations. Highly experienced in transformation-focused and commercially driven mandates, Habiba partners closely with leadership teams to strengthen finance capability as organisations scale or undergo change.
Adam Dickinson
Executive-level Finance Recruitment, North West
Adam’s team delivers Finance Director and senior finance leadership recruitment across the North West. He draws on more than 15 years of specialist finance search experience and an extensive network of regional finance leaders. His background includes senior management roles within major recruitment firms, giving him strong insight into the North West finance landscape and evolving demands on modern Finance Directors.
Adam has a proven track record appointing FDs into high-growth, established and investment-backed organisations, helping them secure leaders who can drive robust financial control, commercial decision-making and organisational performance. Based in our Manchester office, he partners closely with boards and senior leadership teams to deliver impactful, high calibre finance hires.
Submit a hiring requirement
Tell us about your requirement, and a member of the team will be in touch to arrange a no-obligation discussion.
Bespoke salary benchmarking
Using a combination of our own data, publicly available insights and our recruitment experts, we build bespoke overviews of the salaries and benefits required to attract talent.
FAQs
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What skills and experience are most in demand for Finance Director roles in 2026?
Across the UK, organisations are seeking Finance Directors who combine strong technical finance capability with commercial acumen, transformation experience, and the ability to influence at board level.
Skills such as data driven decision-making, financial modelling, process optimisation, leadership of multidisciplinary teams, and experience in regulatory or investor led environments are increasingly essential.
Businesses also value FDs with proven experience modernising finance functions, enhancing reporting quality, and supporting strategic growth or restructuring.
If you’re hiring in 2026, our finance director executive search specialists can advise on the capabilities your market is prioritising. Submit your hiring requirement or get in touch today.
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What trends are shaping Finance Director hiring in the UK right now?
Finance Director hiring in the UK is being reshaped by several market trends, including:
Greater strategic expectations: FDs are now expected to act as commercial partners, influencing long-term planning and business strategy beyond core reporting and control.
Digital and data transformation: organisations want FDs confident with automation, analytics and modern finance technology as finance teams evolve. Find out more in our finance transformation guide.
ESG, compliance and governance focus: sustainability reporting, risk management and regulatory alignment are becoming more central to the FD remit.
Leadership, communication and cross functional influence: soft skills and people management capability are increasingly essential.
Rising use of interim and flexible FD models - SMEs and transformation heavy organisations increasingly engage interim or parttime Finance Directors for targeted expertise.
High-competition in the capital: Finance director recruitment in London is moving particularly quickly. Competition for top talent is especially strong in London, particular in high-growth sectors such as fintech, private equity‑backed scale‑ups and global HQs.
To understand how these trends should shape your organisations, speak to one of the UK’s leading finance director recruitment agencies, or submit your vacancy for a confidential consultation.
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How strong is Robert Walters’ network and experience in Finance Director recruitment across the UK?
Robert Walters has one of the most established senior finance networks in the UK, built over nearly four decades of partnering with FTSE businesses, private equity–backed organisations, high growth scaleups and global corporates.
Our consultants run finance director recruitment across all major UK regions - including London & the South East, the Midlands and the North West - giving us deep knowledge of regional leadership nuances and talent pools.
We are also embedded in the UK finance community through our involvement in the Finance Awards North West, Midlands Finance Awards, and London & South East Finance Awards, which recognise leading Finance Directors and finance talent each year. This national footprint ensures we can connect organisations with high performing Finance Directors who bring both strategic influence and strong operational discipline.
Tap into our network by submitting a vacancy today, or getting in touch.
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How does Robert Walters benchmark Finance Director salaries and compensation packages?
With an in-house market intelligence team and access to exclusive market mapping tools, our teams draw on proprietary salary research to advise on market aligned base salaries, bonus structures, equity packages, and long-term incentives. On top of this, our consultants speak to FDs every day, giving them a clear understanding of the expectations of top level finance talent.
This ensures organisations create compelling, competitive offers that align with business size, sector norms, and the strategic impact expected from the role. Explore our latest Finance Director UK salary benchmarking data.
As we also support with interim, fractional or part time finance director recruitment, we can offer advice on contract day rates and more.
Robert Walters also conducts market-leading research on employee benefits packages, including the benefits director level professionals are receiving, and what they most value - which can be explored in our latest UK Employee Benefits Guide.
Speak with our team for bespoke benchmarking advice or tell us about your hiring requirement for support creating an attractive compensation package.
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Do you support confidential or sensitive searches?
Absolutely. Many Finance Director searches require discretion - whether due to upcoming organisational changes, performance concerns, succession planning, or sensitive commercial activity.
We deliver fully confidential search processes, including controlled access longlists and anonymised candidate engagement.
If your organisation requires a discreet finance director executive search, contact us for a confidential discussion.