Advice & Resources, Executive Search & Interim, Private Equity
Tom Goatly, Business Director
– Last Updated: August 2026
The days of relying on cheap debt and rising valuations to generate returns are largely behind us. For UK private equity firms, the focus has shifted towards something far more hands-on, creating value through operational improvement, strategic transformation and successful acquisitions.
That shift has changed how portfolio companies hire senior talent.
Rather than waiting months to recruit permanent executives, many investors are bringing in experienced interim leaders who can make an immediate impact. Whether it’s stabilising a newly acquired business, leading a transformation programme or preparing a company for exit, interim executives are increasingly becoming a key part of the private equity playbook.
Holding periods are becoming longer, and investors are under greater pressure to demonstrate sustainable value creation before an exit.
When every month counts, businesses simply cannot afford lengthy executive recruitment processes or extended onboarding periods. Instead, they need proven leaders who have delivered similar outcomes before and who can begin adding value almost immediately.
This is where experienced interim executives stand apart. They arrive with a clear objective, a proven methodology and the confidence to make difficult decisions from day one.
The period immediately following an acquisition often sets the direction for the entire investment.
Many management teams are exceptional operators but have limited experience working within a private equity-backed environment, where reporting, cash management and performance visibility are expected almost immediately.
As a result, many investors appoint Interim CFOs, Transformation Directors and senior operational leaders to establish the foundations for growth. These specialists quickly introduce robust financial controls, improve management information, strengthen reporting for investors and create meaningful KPIs that give stakeholders confidence from the outset.
For interim appointments the timeline is compressed further still, with stabilisation expected within weeks rather than months. The underlying phases hold across both routes — we set out what investors should expect from a PE CFO in the first 100 days in more detail separately.
Their role is not simply to keep the business running. It’s to create structure, clarity and momentum during one of the most important stages of the investment lifecycle.
With organic growth becoming harder to achieve, buy and build strategies continue to dominate much of the UK mid-market private equity landscape.
However, acquiring businesses is only one part of the equation. Successfully integrating them is where real value is either created or lost.
Bringing together different finance functions, technology platforms, operating models and company cultures requires dedicated leadership. Asking an existing management team to absorb that responsibility while continuing to run the business often stretches resources too far.
That is why many private equity firms now appoint Interim M&A Directors, Integration Leads and Business Transformation specialists to oversee post-acquisition integration.
These professionals focus entirely on delivering the integration programme, allowing senior management to remain focused on customers, employees and commercial performance.
Interim recruitment is just as valuable towards the end of an investment as it is at the beginning.
As an exit approaches, investors often look for targeted improvements that can strengthen EBITDA and maximise enterprise value without increasing long-term overheads.
This might involve improving pricing strategies, delivering procurement savings, leading digital transformation projects or streamlining operational processes. Rather than creating permanent leadership positions for short-term objectives, private equity firms can bring in specialists with the exact experience needed to deliver measurable results before the business goes to market.
It’s a focused, commercially driven approach that delivers expertise precisely when it’s needed.
Technical capability alone isn’t enough in a private equity environment.
The most successful interim leaders combine commercial awareness with the ability to influence stakeholders, manage change and deliver results under pressure. They understand the pace, expectations and accountability that come with working in investor-backed businesses because they’ve operated in those environments before.
At Broster Buchanan, we work closely with private equity firms and portfolio companies across the UK to identify interim finance, transformation and executive leaders who can step into critical assignments quickly. Our network includes experienced Interim CFOs, Finance Directors, Transformation Directors, Integration Leads and senior programme specialists who have delivered successful outcomes across acquisitions, business transformation and value creation initiatives.
In private equity, timing can be just as important as capability. Having access to proven interim leaders who can make an immediate impact gives investors the flexibility to respond quickly, reduce execution risk and keep value creation moving forward throughout the investment lifecycle.
Where a portfolio company needs finance or transformation leadership in post quickly, our Executive Search & Interim Practice can move at deal pace without compromising on calibre.
Brief Us on an Interim Requirement
Tom Goatly – Business Director
Executive Search, Interim and Business Transformation
t: +447518243627
e: tomgoatly@brosterbuchanan.com
