RECRUITMENT
Ambitious – Fleet Recruitment founder Neil O’ Connor( right) has appointed experienced finance director Sean Kelly.
RECRUITING
WORDS: PAUL FRASER PICTURE: TOM BANKS
Fleet Recruitment launches‘ Your First Finance Director’ for Teesside’ s SMEs
For ambitious Teesside SMEs, scaling up turnover isn’ t just about driving sales, it is about cash control, insightful reporting, intelligent planning and robust financial decisions.
To help regional businesses navigate this critical transition, Sedgefield-based Fleet Recruitment has launched Your First Finance Director( YFFD).
Operating out of Salters House, Fleet Recruitment has spent the last 12 years building a formidable reputation for excellence in sales, IT and senior finance recruitment.
Boasting high-profile clients such as Zenith, Grosvenor, Salesfire, Sixt and the North East Autism Society, the agency prides itself on doing things differently from the typical high-street recruiter.
This ethos of firsthand industry experience is the driving force behind the new initiative.
YFFD is designed around the core belief that hiring a finance director is the most crucial – and potentially perilous – hire a growing business will make.
To spearhead the service, Fleet has Sean Kelly, a highly experienced finance director who has spent the last 17 years supporting and running SME finance functions in the region. Sean joined Fleet in the last 12 months to lead senior finance recruitment.
“ That first FD hire is the single most dangerous hire because that person can either make you or absolutely break you,” explained Sean, who has spent more than
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a decade working with growing SMEs and assessing early-stage investments.
“ We have examples, like a £ 4m to £ 5m turnover company we know who appointed an FD without using us. Within 18 months, they had gone. They mismanaged forecasts and went bang.”
Sean’ s background makes him uniquely qualified to match candidates with ambitious businesses.
“ I came out of Durham University and was a finance director in London aged 28,” he said.“ But I always wanted to work with smaller businesses, adding value rather than playing politics.
“ We are making the service work nationally, but we want to help people in this Teesside region. We want to shout from the rooftops.”
YFFD focuses on quality relationshipbuilding with companies anticipating the need for a financial director within 24 months, starting with a phone call and face-to-face meeting to understand the business and the need.
“ Your founder is your best ambassador, your best salesperson and your best strategist. If they’ re working spreadsheets, then that is costing them a fortune,” Sean said.
“ I don’ t just want to recruit someone who will be great at producing numbers, I want someone who will add value.
“ You could take a finance director too early, before there’ s a real need. Or seek someone too late and miss opportunities. We can advise on the right route at the right time.” Fleet Recruitment was founded by Neil O’ Connor, a former head of sales frustrated by the lack of specialised recruiters in the market.
He said:“ We recruit in the lanes where we have walked miles in the shoes. With my career of 30-odd years in selling, I can smell a porky pie from 100 yards.”
Neil believes Sean’ s presence guarantees that same elite standard for financial leadership roles, delivering Fleet’ s promise of firsthand expertise.
Neil added:“ I’ m a sales director, Sean is a finance director. We can take a brutally detailed brief to make sure no candidate is set up to fail. We interview candidates within an inch of their lives before they go to the clients.
“ With Sean’ s talent and the depth and variety of the work he has done, we can hold the SMEs’ hand to make sure that is right.
“ We have clients ranging from young management teams to family-run businesses going for decades who now want to take control of their finances.”
Built on honesty, transparency, fairness and great communication, Fleet Recruitment’ s latest offering ensures that when an ambitious Teesside business hits its early-stage milestones, it has the precise financial leadership required to scale with absolute confidence.
Visit fleetrecruitment. co. uk
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