A leading Alternative Asset Manager had recently acquired a minority stake in a renewable energy company, one of the most significant renewable infrastructure transactions in the UK market, representing approximately £2bn.
This strategic transaction created a new, business-critical opportunity within their lean Treasury Finance team. The role was permanent, which is rare for a team with extremely low turnover, and it required a highly technical candidate responsible for the ongoing accounting, treasury integration, and financial stewardship of the newly acquired renewables portfolio.
Following their investment, the new Treasury Finance position was created to:
This was a newly created role requiring a world-class technical profile with the credibility to operate in a high-calibre, high-IQ environment.
This was one of the most demanding mandates in the Treasury Finance market, with several constraints that severely limited the candidate pool.
1. Extremely Niche Candidate Requirements
The client required a profile with a highly specific background:
This combination effectively reduced the available candidate pool to fewer than 50 individuals in London.
2. Market Saturation and Control
Prior to engaging Goodman Masson, the client had worked with a few other recruiters for three months with minimal traction. This resulted in conflicting information and potential over-saturation of the narrow market. The client needed to remove the other agencies and go exclusively with a partner who could ensure absolute control, as any misstep or mixed messaging could permanently lose a top-tier candidate.
3. Highly Selective and Passive Audience
The target population for this role were already:
Most candidates declined initial outreach, requiring a compelling, personalised approach to spark interest and sell the long-term opportunity, as the base salary was slightly under the market rate for this calibre of candidate.
Goodman Masson executed a tailored, intensive 13-day search built around precision, confidentiality, and depth to overcome these challenges.
Sourcing Strategy
We identified a targeted pool of $\sim50$ high-calibre ACA candidates from the Big 4 with 3–6 years PQE. Instead of mass mails, we used 1-to-1 tailored messaging emphasising:
Screening and Qualification
Shortlisted candidates were rigorously assessed on technical accounting depth, treasury literacy, exposure to infrastructure/renewables, and maturity/cultural fit. Crucially, they were assessed on Excel modelling capability given the client's historically high drop-out rate at this stage.
Stakeholder Management
We provided deep benchmarking to help the client understand the true talent pool and managed salary expectations delicately. The pitch was reframed to appeal to top-quartile candidates, focusing on the business and long-term opportunity rather than solely on immediate compensation.
The client secured a best-in-class ACA Treasury Finance hire following a rigorous and highly selective search.
The successful candidate has integrated strongly, taken ownership of the renewable company portfolio, and built credibility quickly, strengthening the client's internal financial oversight of the newly acquired assets and providing long-term succession strength.
The process delivered a highly effective recovery of a stalled search.
13 days: Time to identify the winning candidate
37 days: From brief to accepted offer (end-to-end)
Search recovery: Role had been with prior agencies for 3 months with no success
• A five-candidate prospectus was delivered, all directly meeting the brief
• 3 of 5 candidates passed the Excel technical assessment (a record, vs. 0 prior to our involvement)
• 2 of 5 candidates progressed to the final interview
Want to learn more about how we can support your hiring needs? Get in touch with our Treasury team here
For a leading Alternative Asset Manager, Goodman Masson executed an exclusive 37-day search, securing a critical Treasury Finance Manager to oversee a £2bn post-acquisition renewable infrastructure portfolio after a three-month stalled search.
