By Jane Singleton, published 5 October 2026
Private equity has a remarkable ability to spot potential in a business.
It can identify an opportunity, negotiate an acquisition, develop an investment strategy and assemble a suitably impressive PowerPoint explaining how the value will be created.
And then comes the awkward bit.
Somebody actually has to deliver it.
Preferably with accurate numbers.
Because while capital can buy a business, it takes people to make that business worth more.
And few people have a greater influence on that journey than those responsible for its finances.
The Numbers Don't Improve Themselves.
A business acquired by a private equity investor can find itself operating in a rather different world.
Where the previous owner may have been perfectly comfortable reviewing the management accounts three weeks after month-end, the new investors might prefer them considerably sooner.
Ideally, accurate, accompanied by meaningful commentary and with a forecast that bears some resemblance to what eventually happens.
Unreasonable? Not particularly.
But it does require the right people, processes and financial leadership, often found through focused private equity finance recruitment and targeted FP&A recruitment to strengthen insight.
The finance function must move beyond reporting what happened last month to helping management understand what should happen next.
That requires technical competence, commercial maturity and the confidence to challenge decisions when necessary- capabilities that effective private equity finance recruitment and FP&A recruitment are designed to secure.
The CFO Who Was Perfect Yesterday Might Not Be Perfect Tomorrow.
This is one of the more delicate realities of private equity ownership.
The CFO who successfully supported a founder-managed business may be entirely capable of guiding it through its next stage of growth.
Equally, the demands of acquisition integration, investor reporting, refinancing and an eventual exit may call for experience that the existing leadership team has not previously needed.
Neither situation should be assumed.
A sensible investor assesses the capability already in place before deciding what needs to change.
Sometimes the answer is a new CFO.
Sometimes it is a stronger Financial Controller, a first-class FP&A professional or some well-chosen interim expertise.
And sometimes the existing team simply needs better support by adding talent from private equity recruitment to lift reporting quality.
Recruiting well is about solving the actual problem, not automatically reaching for the most expensive job title.
Different Stages. Different People.
The finance requirements of a portfolio company rarely remain static.
Acquisition: Stronger reporting, financial controls and greater visibility of cash- often accelerated by private equity finance recruitment and immediate access to private equity accounting jobs talent.
Growth: Commercial finance, forecasting, additional accounting capacity and support for new investment- where FP&A recruitment and CFO recruitment can reshape decision-making cadence.
Transformation: Systems specialists, project accountants and experienced interim leaders sourced via private equity finance recruitment to drive change.
Exit: Robust financial information, due diligence support and leadership capable of explaining the numbers under serious scrutiny.
The challenge is recognising what the organisation needs before the absence of those skills becomes painfully obvious.
Ideally before the board meeting.
One Portfolio. Several Businesses. Quite a Few Recruitment Challenges.
An investment firm may be working with multiple portfolio companies, each facing different challenges.
One business needs an interim Financial Controller.
Another is recruiting a permanent finance team.
A third requires a CFO with the experience to manage ambitious growth and an eventual exit.
These are different appointments, but they share a common requirement: professionals with the technical expertise and commercial understanding to make a positive contribution- precisely what disciplined FP&A, CFO, and private equity finance recruitment are built to deliver.
At Sheridan Maine, we specialise in accounting, audit and tax recruitment across industry and professional practice.
Our services include interim and contract recruitment, permanent contingency recruitment and executive search.
That means we can support individual appointments or recruitment requirements arising across several portfolio businesses, including sourcing candidates for private equity accounting jobs and bespoke private equity finance recruitment mandates.
Capital Opens Doors. People Deliver Results.
The best investment strategy in the world is still only a plan until somebody executes it.
Financial leadership, accounting capability and specialist expertise all contribute to that execution.
Investors rightly spend considerable time evaluating the businesses they acquire.
It makes equal sense to consider carefully the people who will help deliver the investment plan, whether through CFO recruitment for leadership, FP&A recruitment for insight, or private equity accounting jobs for precision.
After all, you can buy the business on Friday.
You still need somebody who knows what they're doing on Monday.
Let's Talk Finance Talent.
Whether you're acquiring a business, strengthening an existing portfolio company or preparing for the next stage of growth, Sheridan Maine can help you identify the right accounting, audit and tax professionals.
Sheridan Maine – We're ready when you are.
