Our Services
Five disciplines. One standard.
Whether you need a single specialist or an entire finance function, every engagement is led with the same rigour, discretion and care.
Permanent Recruitment
The right appointment, sourced with care and made to last.
Our permanent search is built around a deep understanding of your team, your culture and the specific demands of the role. We present a considered shortlist of professionals who can perform from day one and who intend to stay for the long term.
Finance directors and controllers
Finance directors and controllers
The senior finance professionals who own reporting, control and the integrity of the numbers. We assess technical depth alongside the commercial judgement and stakeholder presence these roles demand, and we know which backgrounds transition successfully between fund structures, portfolio companies and corporates.
Specialist technical hires
Specialist technical hires
Narrow, hard-to-fill briefs: technical accounting, regulatory reporting, treasury, tax and systems specialists. Because we work these markets daily, we know the small pool of genuine specialists and, crucially, which of them would consider a move.
Investment and portfolio finance
Investment and portfolio finance
Fund accountants, portfolio analysts and investment finance specialists who sit closest to the assets. These hires need fluency in fund structures, valuations and investor reporting. We test for it directly rather than relying on job titles.
Talent Advisory
The intelligence behind every decisive appointment.
The best hiring decisions are made long before a search is opened. Our advisory work gives leadership teams the market intelligence to act with total conviction: who the exceptional performers are, what it genuinely takes to attract and retain them, and how a finance function should be shaped for what comes next. It is the thinking our clients draw on before their competitors know a move is coming, and the reason they move first.
Market mapping and talent intelligence
Market mapping and talent intelligence
A systematic picture of the talent landscape for a given function: who holds the key roles, how teams are structured at comparable firms, and where the strongest performers sit. It turns a future hiring decision from guesswork into an informed move, often months before a search opens.
Organisation design
Organisation design
Advice on how a finance function should be shaped for the firm’s next phase: reporting lines, seniority mix, where to build versus buy capability, and the sequencing of hires. Grounded in what genuinely works at comparable firms, not in theory.
Compensation benchmarking
Compensation benchmarking
Reliable, current data on base, bonus and long-term incentives for finance roles across private equity and investment management. We draw on live mandates and direct market conversations rather than stale surveys, so offers land first time and retention risks surface early.
Succession planning
Succession planning
A clear-eyed view of internal readiness against the external market for business-critical finance roles. We help leadership understand who could step up, on what timeline, and what the market alternative looks like, before the vacancy exists.
Contract & Interim
Experienced professionals, deployed at pace.
When a transaction, transformation or period of change demands immediate capability, we provide seasoned interim and contract professionals who hit the ground running. We move quickly without ever compromising on quality.
Transaction and integration support
Transaction and integration support
Interim professionals for the moments that strain a finance team: acquisitions, carve-outs, fund launches and post-deal integration. We supply people who have done the specific work before and can operate with minimal onboarding under deal pressure.
Systems and process projects
Systems and process projects
Contract specialists for finance systems implementations, process redesign and automation work. These are professionals who combine accounting depth with genuine systems capability, a rarer profile than most firms expect.
Maternity and gap cover
Maternity and gap cover
Seamless cover for planned and unplanned absences, from fund accountants to financial controllers. We prioritise candidates who can hold the standard of the permanent team, so the function does not miss a reporting cycle.
Executive Search
Discreet, research-led search for leadership roles.
For the appointments that define an organisation, we conduct rigorous, confidential search led by partners who understand the weight of the decision. We map the market thoroughly and represent your opportunity with discretion and credibility.
CFO and finance leadership
CFO and finance leadership
Retained search for CFOs, finance directors and heads of function. These are the appointments that shape a firm’s trajectory. Led by partners, researched exhaustively, and run with the discretion these processes require on both sides.
Confidential replacements
Confidential replacements
When a change must be made before it can be announced, we run the entire search under strict confidentiality: anonymised briefs, controlled disclosure and carefully staged introductions, protecting the business and the individuals throughout.
Board and non-executive roles
Board and non-executive roles
Search for non-executive directors, audit committee chairs and advisory roles where independence, credibility and sector fluency matter as much as availability. We map beyond the usual candidates to those genuinely additive to a board.
Payroll & Compliance
Engage contract talent with complete confidence.
Our payroll and compliance support removes the administrative burden of engaging contract professionals. We ensure every placement meets its obligations, so you can focus on the work rather than the paperwork.
IR35 assessment and compliance
IR35 assessment and compliance
Clear status determinations and compliant engagement models for every contract placement, so hiring managers can engage interim talent without exposure. We keep pace with the legislation so our clients do not have to.
Right-to-work verification
Right-to-work verification
Thorough eligibility checks completed before day one, documented to the standard an audit would expect. One less compliance burden sitting with your internal teams.
Contractor payroll management
Contractor payroll management
Accurate, on-time payroll for contract professionals, with all deductions, reporting and record-keeping handled. Contractors stay focused on the work; clients receive a single clean invoice.
Common questions
The questions clients ask us most.
How quickly can you present candidates?
For interim and contract mandates we can often present qualified professionals within days. For permanent and executive search, a considered shortlist typically follows two to three weeks of dedicated work.
Do you work on a retained or contingent basis?
Both. The right model depends on the seniority, sensitivity and complexity of the appointment. We will recommend the approach that best serves your interests and explain our reasoning clearly.
Which locations do you cover?
We are headquartered in London and recruit across the United Kingdom, with the ability to support international mandates for established clients where appropriate.
What makes Carnegie different from a generalist agency?
We specialise. Our consultants have spent their careers within a small number of finance markets, which means we understand the roles, the firms and the people in a way a generalist simply cannot.
Begin a conversation
Speak to Carnegie.
Whether you are building a team, exploring your next appointment, or need flexible hiring support, we would welcome the opportunity to understand your requirements.
- Established 2006
- London · New York · Luxembourg
- Discreet & confidential