Hiring during an acquisition: Finance Manager for D2C Consumer Products

‍Client: High-Growth D2C & Retail Consumer Products Business

A rapidly scaling consumer products business approached us during a critical phase: the business was undergoing acquisition by a major global FMCG group. As part of the transition and future growth planning, they urgently needed to appoint a Finance Manager to support a maturing finance function. This newly created role was pivotal – the FM would not only oversee another team member from day one but also be positioned to scale into a leadership role, managing a growing finance team aligned with ambitious post-acquisition forecasts.

The Challenge

We worked closely with the internal TA team (who had attempted to recruit for the position directly) to establish the obstacles they had faced in filling the role, which included:

• Difficulty finding candidates with relevant industry experience in fast-paced, high-growth D2C or FMCG environments.
• Limited success identifying individuals with the technical capabilities required to operate effectively under the pressures of an acquisition.
• A lack of candidates with the potential and ambition to grow into a senior finance leadership role.

With time-sensitive pressures from the acquisition timeline, the TA team and business needed a solution quickly and through working closely with all stake holders we helped them find a path to success.

Our Solution

Leveraging our deep talent network within consumer and FMCG sectors, we engaged our curated pool of finance professionals who had not only the right technical grounding but also a proven track record in high-growth, transformation-heavy businesses.

• We quickly identified and shortlisted candidates who:
• Had direct experience in D2C/retail or fast-moving consumer environments.
• Demonstrated strong financial acumen, particularly within businesses undergoing rapid scale or structural change.

Showed clear career trajectory potential, aligning with the client’s future vision for the finance team.

The Result

We successfully placed a Finance Manager who not only met but exceeded the client's expectations. The selected candidate:

• Brought relevant industry and acquisition-side experience.
• Stepped seamlessly into the current operational needs.
• Was capable of scaling with the business and building a future team around them.

The client saw an immediate uplift in the finance team’s output and is already planning the next phase of team growth, with the new hire positioned at the core of that development.

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