Our analysis suggests that 2022 has been one of the busiest years for the appointment of new CFOs and Finance Directors across Yorkshire and the East Midlands.

The past three months have been no different – the second busiest quarter of financial leadership appointments over the past two years. Let us remember that this period is September, October and November – a period that saw two Prime Ministers installed, the mini-budget and the Autumn Statement. At the time of writing this in early December, the number of new recruitment campaigns starting continues to be high. It is very good to see businesses in Yorkshire and the East Midlands continue to thrive, despite against a backdrop of what seems like constant negative news.

There are so many growing businesses, strong sectors, and a high volume of transactions across our region. Some of the headlines include:

• Technology and Healthcare businesses have seen a noticeable rise in activity – They account for more appointments than the engineering and manufacturing sectors for the first time this year.
• Growth is still the dominant reason for new hires. Turnaround accounted for less than 5%.
• Women represented 31% of the appointments.

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We have just completed our analysis of the whole landscape of FDs and CFOs across Yorkshire (East Midlands to come in 2023). We will be presenting our report in January. Some of the headlines from the research includes:

• The manufacturing and engineering sectors represent the largest slice of activity for the hiring of new finance leaders, followed increasingly closely by IT and Technology
• Private Equity backed businesses accounted for 33% of hiring activity
• Growth has been the dominant factor in the recruitment for 43% of the total hires
• Female representation in executive finance positions is 16%

Our report will also analyse the existing population of CFOs and Finance Directors - looking at sector, demographics, salary and rewards amongst other areas.