CFO Search for Private Equity

Along with the value creation thesis, making the right CFO hire at the right stage is among the highest-stakes decisions a PE investor makes. And the role has fundamentally changed.

World-class CFOs build the operating systems that turn value creation theses into investor results. Yet search still defaults to old criteria: Junior partners look for sector experience, linear career paths, and nearly identical roles. For most searches, these resumes no longer predict success. PE needs search to become a trusted strategic lever for value creation. That's what this moment demands, and it's what Access is built to deliver.

Why CFO search needs a different playbook

The Access
Difference

Most search firms can fill a role. Few know what to look for. What actually matters is situational experience: the ability to drive, build, buy, or hybrid strategies that shape value creation toward successful exits. Access combines our relationships built over decades with deep understanding of operating experience and leadership DNA required to execute each company's value creation challenge. There is value in doing one thing and doing it exceptionally well. We are the only search firm that focuses on one function, one sector, and one asset class. That's why PE trusts us to attract exceptional financial leaders others can't.

Learn more about us

Diagnose the value creation challenge
Define the operating profile
Identify the various archetypes
Accelerate the placement’s first 100 days
Stay accountable to outcomes

Our Clients

The private equity firms below have trusted us with multiple CFO searches.

Testimonials

I have worked with Jamie for over a decade. In my experience he is absolutely at the highest tier in the middle market technology CFO search space. He has the right trusted candidate relationships (developed and nurtured over many years of work), is unafraid to say what both candidates and a search committee needs to hear, is always supported by a great team, and knows what good looks like (i.e. know every detail counts) in a search process. WCAS views him as a valuable partner.
— Brian Kasser, Talent Partner, WCAS
Jamie is the rare search partner who is still doing the work himself at every stage, and it made a real difference in our CFO search. From the outset, he took the time to genuinely understand what success looked like in the seat, and that framing held throughout the process. It also showed in his CFO relationships – the slates he brought us were consistently relevant and well-calibrated rather than just broad. At the close, he partnered closely with the CEO to land the candidate. I'd work with Jamie again without hesitation.
— Matt Eisen, Partner, Hellman & Friedman
Jamie and his team are the absolute best when it comes to a CFO search! As a first time CEO making my first CFO hire, Jamie surfaced the perfect slate of candidates that matched exactly what we were looking for. And not just qualifications… but candidates who were interested, available, closable, and most importantly great fits with our culture and personalities of the management team.
— John Bax, CEO, One Source Virtual
Jamie took the time to genuinely understand how we and our diverse board define success, then led the search personally from start to finish, never handing us off to an associate. His command of the CFO market showed in an efficient, consistently relevant slate along with sharp guidance on who to pursue and how. He was equally strong on the close, sharing candid market insight on what to look for, what mattered most, and where comp expectations would land, and partnering with us to negotiate and seal the offer.
— Tom Eggemeier, CEO, Zendesk
Jamie was my search partner when I was considering a different role, and I'd work with him again without hesitation. He took the time to understand how I was each defining success, and he kept that at the center. He was a true partner and was available around the clock (and good-humored about it). What I valued most was his candor. Along the way he told me my clockspeed would be critical to the role, and he coached me on how to show it. His support didn't end at placement either. I've since been promoted to CEO and he has stayed a thoughtful resource throughout.
— Confidential placed candidate