Sectors

Exec Capital recruits chief executives, C-suite leaders, non-executive directors and senior interim and fractional executives across the main sectors of the UK economy. Sector knowledge matters at this level because the candidate pool, the regulatory backdrop, the pay conventions and the things that actually predict success all differ from one industry to the next.

This page is the index to our sector practices. Each section summarises the senior roles we are most often asked to fill, with cards linking to the specialist page and any hiring guide. If your business spans two sectors or you are unsure which page fits, tell us about your hire and we will point you in the right direction.

Financial services

Financial services is the largest part of our work. Senior appointments in regulated firms carry personal accountability under the FCA’s Senior Managers and Certification Regime, which is currently being reformed as part of the government’s wider financial services agenda. The right candidate has to be approvable as well as capable, and the timetable must allow for the regulator’s assessment. We cover the sector through specialist pages grouped below, with an overview on our financial services hub.

Banking and insurance

In commercial and challenger banking the roles we see most are chief risk officers, chief credit officers, heads of corporate banking and the finance and compliance leaders who hold senior manager functions. In insurance and reinsurance the demand tends to sit with chief underwriting officers, chief actuaries, claims and distribution leaders, and the board members of Lloyd’s and London market businesses, where the PRA as well as the FCA has an interest in who is appointed.

Investment, wealth and private capital

Asset managers and wealth managers typically come to us for chief executives, chief operating officers, heads of compliance and money laundering reporting officers, along with portfolio management and client leadership. Private equity and venture capital work covers the firms themselves (operating partners, finance and compliance leads) and their portfolio companies, where the brief is usually a CEO, CFO or COO to deliver a value creation plan. Family offices hire chief investment officers, CEOs and finance leads, with a premium on discretion.

Markets, trading and fintech

Stockbrokers and forex firms most often need a managing director or chief executive, a head of trading, a head of compliance and a risk lead, sometimes part-time. Fintech and digital asset businesses tend to hire their first experienced CFO, chief risk officer or compliance lead as they approach authorisation, a funding round or a step change in scale.

Hiring guides: Financial services executive hiring guide · Insurance executive hiring guide · PE executive hiring guide · Family office executive hiring guide

Technology, media and telecoms

Technology clients range from venture-backed SaaS businesses hiring their first chief technology officer to established companies that need a CIO, a chief information security officer or a leader for AI and data. The best candidates pair technical depth with the ability to explain risk and cost to a board. In media and telecoms the briefs are more often commercial: chief executives, managing directors and marketing leaders who can grow revenue through changing distribution models.

Hiring guides: Tech and SaaS executive hiring guide · Media and telecoms executive hiring guide

Industrials, energy and consumer

Manufacturing clients usually hire managing directors, operations directors and finance directors, often in owner-managed or PE-backed businesses preparing for growth or a sale. Energy and utilities businesses need leaders who can work within economic regulation and long investment cycles, while renewables developers and operators tend to hire chief executives, CFOs and project finance leads as they move from development into construction and operation. Construction and contracting firms most often ask for chief executives, commercial directors and operations directors with clear project delivery records. FMCG and retail searches centre on commercial, sales and general management leaders who can work across retailers, wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels. In logistics, the most common senior brief is a supply chain or operations leader who can improve service and cost together.

Hiring guides: Manufacturing hiring guide · Energy and utilities hiring guide · Renewable energy hiring guide · Retail and consumer hiring guide · Logistics and transport hiring guide

Real estate

Real estate clients include developers, investors, property managers and specialist lenders. The senior roles we see most are chief executives and managing directors, finance directors who understand development funding and investment structures, and asset or fund management leads.

Hiring guides: Property and real estate hiring guide

Healthcare and life sciences

In independent healthcare, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and health technology, the roles we typically fill are chief executives, CFOs, chief operating officers and non-executive directors. Candidates need to manage clinical quality and regulatory approval, for example from the MHRA, alongside the commercial pressures of a competitive market,.

Hiring guides: Healthcare and life sciences hiring guide

Education

Education clients include independent schools, training providers, higher education businesses and edtech companies. Typical briefs are a bursar or finance director, a chief operating officer, or a chief executive for an edtech business that needs commercial leadership alongside an understanding of how schools and institutions buy.

Hiring guides: Education and edtech hiring guide

Public sector and charity

Public bodies and arm’s-length organisations come to us when they need commercial, financial or operational leadership alongside an understanding of public accountability. Ministerial appointments follow the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments, so the process has to be open and well documented. Charities typically hire chief executives, finance directors and trustees; trustees take on the duties set out in the Charity Commission’s guidance, The essential trustee (CC3).

Hiring guides: Public sector hiring guide · Charity and not-for-profit hiring guide · How to appoint charity trustees

Professional services

For accountancy and audit firms, consultancies and advisory businesses, the roles we see most are managing and senior partners, audit and tax partners, and the finance and operations leaders a growing partnership needs. Audit firms in particular need partners who meet the regulatory and quality requirements of the work,.

Hiring guides: Professional services hiring guide · How to hire a legal director

Leisure and hospitality

Hotel groups, restaurant and bar operators and leisure businesses usually need chief executives, chief operating officers and finance directors who understand multi-site operations, labour cost, property and brand.

Hiring across sectors

Some of the most useful appointments are cross-sector: a CFO who has worked in both financial services and technology, or an operations leader who has run plants in manufacturing and then moved into logistics. We present deep sector specialists alongside executives whose experience transfers from an adjacent industry, so the client can choose with the full picture. Roles such as the chief financial officer, chief operating officer and non-executive director are often where transferable experience is most valuable.

Where the need is urgent, interim executive recruitment can put an experienced leader in post while a permanent search runs, in any of the sectors above.

Frequently asked questions

Do you recruit in sectors not listed here?

Yes. The pages above reflect where we are asked most often, not a closed list. If your sector is not shown, tell us about the role and we will say plainly whether we can help.

Can you fill sector roles on an interim or fractional basis?

Yes. Every sector on this page can be served through permanent executive search, interim appointments or our fractional C-suite service, depending on how much senior time the business needs.