CFO Network Quarterly Update – September 2025

The third quarter of 2025 has seen a steadier market backdrop, with cautious optimism continuing to balance against ongoing economic headwinds. Inflation remains sticky, and although interest rates have held, many businesses are still navigating cost pressures and subdued consumer confidence. Despite these challenges, Yorkshire and the East Midlands have shown resilience, with August proving unseasonably busy for senior finance hiring – particularly across private equity and privately owned sectors.

Senior finance recruitment continues to serve as a reliable measure of regional confidence. The data on confirmed CFO and Finance Director appointments, combined with the insight we gather from our conversations with leaders, advisors and investors, provides a detailed picture of how businesses are responding to the current climate. These perspectives often reveal a more grounded reality than the broader headlines suggest.

We remain close to international and national developments, but our focus is firmly on what they mean for Yorkshire and the East Midlands. By combining hard data with the lived experiences of our CFO network, we are able to track short-term market movements while also keeping sight of the longer-term shifts shaping leadership demand in the region.

Key Headlines from Q3 2025

• 6% decrease vs previous quarter.
• 9% increase vs same quarter last year.
• 10% decrease in rolling 12 months.
• Volume of appointments/searches holding steady, with August unusually strong.

Gender Diversity

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This quarter, 28% of CFO and FD appointments were female and 72% male, consistent with the previous quarter and broadly in line with the three-year average. While progress remains gradual, the sustained presence of female finance leaders in the regional market demonstrates that diversity is holding firm.

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‍The Hot Sectors

The sectoral distribution of appointments this quarter highlights continued strength in core industries:

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• Manufacturing & Engineering – 29%
• Technology – 14%
• Healthcare – 9%

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‍Other Commentary

• Private Equity continues to play a strong role in driving activity. Appointments in PE-backed companies remain at healthy levels, supported by ongoing investment and the need for high-calibre finance leadership.
• Privately Owned Businesses are also hiring actively, with several notable moves in long-established regional companies.
• Early-stage and scale-up businesses are again present in the market. Even when full-time hires are not yet viable, many are engaging with the finance leadership community through fractional and project-based roles.

‍Interim Market

Demand for interim finance leaders remains variable, but with a consistent upward trend emerging. This is being driven by a combination of factors:

• Cost pressures, as businesses look for flexible solutions to manage resources.
• Change and transformation programmes, requiring specialist interim expertise.
• The countdown to Budget ’26, anticipated with a fair sense of gloom, prompting many organisations to seek short-term support in planning and preparation.
• Departures of incumbent FDs, often with notice periods that do not allow a reasonable handover.

The interim market continues to evolve, and we expect this trend to carry forward into Q4.

Our Outlook

Identifying simple, consistent trends remains challenging, but several clear themes are visible:

• A healthy volume of CFO and FD appointments continues to flow through the market, driven by growth, new positions, and upgrades in talent.
• Candidate activity remains high, with strong engagement in many processes. While this brings employers greater choice, it also adds complexity when navigating career motivations.
• Confidence among established businesses appears to be growing, with many now acting more decisively after a cautious start to the year.
• The fractional CFO market continues its upward trajectory, and we expect growth of 30–40% across 2025, reinforcing its position as a mainstream leadership solution.

2025/26 CFO NETWORK ANNUAL REPORT – YORKSHIRE & EAST MIDLANDS

We launched our 2025/26 CFO Network Annual Report this month — the most comprehensive assessment of the CFO and Finance Director community in Yorkshire and the East Midlands. It brings together confirmed appointments, profile data and live market intelligence from our network, advisers and investors to give a clear, local view of leadership across the region.

What is inside

• Population & demographics: Analysing the 3,172 CFOs and FDs in Yorkshire and 2,930 in the East Midlands, along with the 450-500 appointments made in the year.
• Sector & ownership mix: distribution across manufacturing, services, healthcare, technology, PE-backed, privately owned and listed businesses.
• Diversity lens: 23% of CFOs are female and 30% of appointments over the past year.
• Compensation indicators: headline ranges for base, bonus and LTIP prevalence by ownership type and company size.
• PE and transaction activity: where investor involvement is increasing, and what that means for the CFO mandate.
• Interim & fractional market: adoption patterns, typical triggers and the projects driving demand.

To request your copy or discuss the findings, please contact Gillian McBride.

Email: gillian@pratappartnership.com  Mobile: 07936 364480