For advisory and consulting firms, growth often starts with an opportunity in the market.
A new service line. A growing client need. Expansion into a new region. Or an opportunity to build capability around an area where demand is increasing.
But identifying the opportunity is only the beginning.
Value creation has become one of the defining priorities for finance leaders, particularly across private equity and PE-backed businesses.
The expectations placed on finance have changed. Strong reporting, controls and financial discipline remain essential, but increasingly, they are only the starting point.
Today's finance leaders are being asked to improve forecasting, strengthen cash and working capital management, deliver better commercial insight, support transformation, integrate acquisitions and help identify where the business can create greater value.
In short, finance is moving closer to the center of business performance.
With more candidates available than during the post pandemic hiring boom, the balance of power has shifted towards employers.
But a candidate rich market can sometimes create a different challenge: the search for the “perfect” candidate.
For many private equity firms, the focus is increasingly on what happens after the deal closes. Building a stronger portfolio company is about more than growing revenue or completing the next acquisition. It is about creating a business that is better positioned for its next stage of growth.