Recruiting Financial Leaders In 2025 Webinar Series

Recruitment is slowing, budgets are tight, and financial decisions have never mattered more. This two-part webinar series is built for business founders & operators ready to scale, but unsure who to hire next, how to structure their finance team, or how to attract top talent without overpaying.

Across two 45-minute sessions, our in-house experts will share straight-talking, practical advice on:

When you need senior financial leadership - and when you don’t
How to build a lean, scalable finance team
What finance talent really wants in 2025, and how to attract it

If you're navigating growth and feeling the pressure to “get it right” on your next finance hire, this is a must-attend series.

Many SME owners know something’s not quite right in their finance team, but they’re not sure what to change, who to hire, or how much they should be spending.

In 2025, getting it wrong is costing real money.

With rising costs, tight cashflow, cautious investors, and fewer funding options, your finance team is either helping you survive - or making things worse. Whether you're battling poor forecasting, hiring indecision, or wondering if your accountant is really covering what you need, this webinar will give you clarity.

Who is it for:

This webinar series is for UK-based business owners, founders, and Managing Directors who are:

Hiring into your finance team (or considering it)
Feeling uncertain about whether your current setup is fit-for-purpose
Managing finance yourself but increasingly worried about accuracy, insight, or planning
Curious about fractional, interim or blended finance support - but don’t know where to start

Hosted by:

Nils Lloyd-Penny is Recruitment & Operations Director at EFM, leading national recruitment and delivery across a network of experienced finance professionals. With a background in consulting at Accenture and over 15 years' experience, he specialises in matching businesses with the right financial leadership, whether interim or permanent, and brings deep insight into building high-performing teams that support growth and change.

Jonathan Wheeler is Managing Director of EFM and an experienced Finance Director with over 18 years in senior finance roles. He specialises in helping SMEs navigate complex challenges - from crisis management and business turnaround to growth, scale-up, and exit planning. Jonathan brings a practical, down-to-earth approach, combining strategic insight with real-world experience across a range of sectors.

Agenda:

In just 45 minutes, we’ll show you:

Why full-time FDs are often the wrong hire, and how fractional or blended teams can deliver more impact for less
How to structure your finance function for your stage of growth, not just fill a job title
The latest hiring trends from the front line - including what top finance talent wants in 2025, and how SMEs can still attract them
How to avoid overpaying for the wrong skillset (e.g. asking an FD to do bookkeeping, or hiring a CFO when you need a hands-on FC)
Why flexible and project-based finance leadership is now the preferred route for investors, candidates and cash-conscious founders
How to write job briefs, run interviews, and structure onboarding to get the best hire and keep them

Bonus:

We’ll also share real-world case studies of SMEs using fractional finance leadership to:

Get investor-ready
Improve forecasting and cash control
Avoid expensive hiring mistakes

If you’re still relying on your bookkeeper, asking your accountant to cover strategy, or unsure what a Finance Manager actually does, you’re not alone.

As small and mid-sized businesses scale, financial needs become more complex - but most finance teams grow reactively, not strategically. The result? Founders overspend, overhire, or overstretch the wrong people… and still don’t get the insight they need.

In this practical, 45-minute session, we’ll help you diagnose what your finance team should look like, who you really need (and when), and how to structure support without blowing your budget.

Who is it for:

This session is perfect for founders, CEOs and business owners who:

Are growing beyond basic bookkeeping and want smarter insight
Feel unsure who they need next — or how to afford it
Want to build a finance team that supports strategy, not just compliance
Are ready to stop firefighting and start scaling

Hosted by:

Paul Jesson is an experienced Finance Director and Chartered Accountant with over 35 years in senior roles across both privately owned and international businesses. He has advised more than 100 companies on critical financial events including MBOs, fundraising, acquisitions, and business restructuring. Paul brings a calm, strategic perspective to complex financial challenges—making him a trusted voice for business leaders navigating change and growth.

Agenda:

In just 45 minutes, you'll learn:

What a scalable finance team looks like at £500k, £1m, £5m and £10m+ turnover
The difference between a bookkeeper, accountant, FM, FC, FD and CFO - and why it matters
How to spot when you've outgrown your current setup (and what to do about it)
Why asking one person to do everything (compliance, strategy, reporting) is hurting your business
When to upgrade, outsource, or go fractional — and how to balance cost, control and capability
The
warning signs that your accountant isn’t enough anymore — and what they can’t (or shouldn’t) be doing
How to avoid “skill stretch” — where roles are misused and value is lost
The rise of fractional, interim and blended teams — and how they make budgets go further
How to match your finance hires to your culture, pace, and growth goals

Webinar Series: Recruiting Financial Leaders In 2025

Webinar 1- Hiring Smart: What Business Owners Need in a Finance Leader Now

Thursday 2nd October 2025, 10:00-10:45

Who is it for:

Hosted by:

Agenda:

Bonus:

Webinar 2- From Bookkeeper to Board: Building a Scalable Finance Function

Thursday 4th December 2025, 10:00-10:45

Who is it for:

Hosted by:

Agenda: