CFO Network Quarterly Update – June 2024

The latest data for CFO and Finance Director appointments across Yorkshire and the East Midlands has continued to be strong over the past few months. Some of the headlines:

• 11% increase in Q2 against the same period last year.
• 13% decrease from Q1.
• Appointments YTD are tracking over 5% up against last year.

Gender Diversity

Female appointments over the past few quarters have represented 28%, 32%, 31% and 24% of the total number. This past quarter:

• 28% female 72% male

Strongest Sectors

• Healthcare 15%
• Energy & Utilities 16%
• Manufacturing & Engineering 30%

Regional Differences

• Yorkshire had a busy quarter for appointments (8% above average run rate)
• East Midlands was more subdued but with no obvious reason,

Other commentary

• The volume of pre-deal private equity appointments is lower than in recent quarters.
• Churn has been the largest dominant factor for the appointment – the majority of appointments have been made where an incumbent FD has left for another opportunity (as opposed to retired or exited by the employer)
• There has been a larger representation of appointments in the £90-125,000 bracket this quarter – the lower quartile of reward.
• Pre-deal PE appointments remain down for the third successive quarter.
• Public sector and not-for-profit levels are consistent with previous year – usually the busiest quarter of appointments in the year.