Finding leaders who turn an investment thesis into an executable value-creation plan.
We partner with UK Private Equity Investors and CEOs to identify, assess and hire C-suite and senior leaders who are proven and capable of delivering growth, value creation, transformation and the exit.
Trusted By
Our Track Record
Private equity-backed businesses operate in high-stakes, high-velocity environments where leadership quality is critical to value creation. Marble Hill Partners specialises in supporting investors and management teams with tailored talent solutions across the investment lifecycle — from due diligence through to exit.
Since 2008 we have supported Private Equity investors, their Portfolio companies, and Private company owners to identify and secure the very best leadership and senior level talent to deliver the investment plan and drive value creation.
Our work spans four key areas: C-Suite Search, C-1 Search, Pre-Hire Talent Mapping, and Pay & Reward Benchmarking.
We have deep market insight and a clear understanding of the private equity ownership, and as a result we can be a true partner and advisor to our clients as they look to build out their leadership capability.
Stats
years in the Private Equity market
completed Executive & Senior search assignments
completed Interim assignments
Private Equity Investors partnered with
%
of placements are present at the next exit
weeks to shortlist stage
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Our Role
We provide Executive & Senior level Search, Talent Insights and Pay Benchmarking solutions to Private Equity-backed and Privately Owned businesses in the UK. We support businesses during pressured events, such as a post-investment leadership review, a confidential Executive replacement, a team build-out, interim project management, pay driven retention programmes, or exit preparation.
02
Our Rigour
We partner with Executive Teams and Investors to thoroughly understand their business needs and talent requirements for growth. Our expertise is combined with our proprietary ‘Right Mindset’ Assessment tool, allowing us to reduce hiring risk by identifying the very best talent who have an increased likelihood of value creation.
03
Our Goal
We ensure that PE-backed and Private businesses like yours are equipped with the most capable leadership, accelerating growth and creating value. Our goal is to introduce the best talent in the market, ensuring your company reaches its potential and can navigate the nuances that come with these ownership models.
04
Our Specialism
We work with UK-based Privately Owned or Private Equity-backed businesses in the lower-mid market, with enterprise valuations of between £10m and £250m, across all sectors, both at the point of investment when there is an immediate need to up-skill, as well as throughout the lifecycle for key person changes that can deliver the growth plan.
The Problems We Solve
Senior appointments in private equity-backed businesses are rarely about filling an empty seat. They are usually triggered by a change in ownership, strategy, performance or ambition.
We help investors, boards and management teams identify the leadership required for the next stage of the value-creation plan.
Replacing a critical leader discreetly
The situation
A senior executive is underperforming, planning to leave or no longer suited to the next stage of the business. The search must begin before the change can be communicated internally or externally.
The client question
“How do we identify a stronger successor without creating unnecessary disruption or market speculation?”
Our solution
We conduct confidential market mapping and targeted search under strict information controls. This gives the board visibility of credible successors before making an irreversible leadership decision.
Buy-and-build and integration
The situation
The business is completing acquisitions, but its leadership structure, reporting, systems and culture have not kept pace. The platform now needs greater control without losing momentum.
The client question
“Do we have the leadership capability to integrate multiple businesses and create one scalable group?”
Our solution
We identify CFOs, COOs, Integration Directors, Transformation Directors and Group People Directors with proven experience of post-acquisition integration. We focus on leaders who can protect current performance while establishing the systems, structure and accountability required for continued growth.
Organic growth and commercial acceleration
The situation
The business has a credible proposition and ambitious growth plan, but revenue performance remains inconsistent. Sales may be overly dependent on the founder, a small number of customers or an underdeveloped commercial function.
The client question
“Who can build a more predictable commercial engine and turn our growth ambition into measurable revenue?”
Our solution
We find Chief Commercial Officers, Chief Revenue Officers, Managing Directors, Sales Directors and pricing leaders who can improve commercial discipline, strengthen routes to market, develop the team and deliver sustainable organic growth.
Making a leadership decision before it becomes urgent
The situation
The board believes additional capability may be required, but the role, timing or internal succession options are not yet clear. Launching a full search would be premature, but waiting could create avoidable risk.
The client question
“What does the external market look like, and what options would we have if we decided to act?”
Our solution
We provide targeted talent intelligence, succession mapping and compensation benchmarking without requiring the client to launch a full executive search. This creates an informed view of the market and allows the business to act quickly when the timing is right.
Building management depth
The situation
The business depends too heavily on a small number of senior leaders. There is limited succession beneath them, and the next layer of management may not yet be ready to assume greater responsibility.
The client question
“Where are our leadership risks, and do we build, develop or recruit the capability we need?”
Our solution
We combine leadership assessment, succession planning and external talent mapping. This allows clients to compare internal capability with the external market before deciding whether to develop existing people or recruit additional leadership.
Exit preparation and leadership succession
The situation
The investment is approaching its next stage, but the leadership team may not yet be ready for an exit, refinancing or secondary transaction. A key executive may also be planning to leave, creating an important succession risk.
The client question
“Is the team that brought us this far also the team that can maximise value at exit?”
Our solution
We help investors and boards assess leadership readiness, benchmark the existing team and map the external market before a vacancy becomes urgent. Where change is required, we identify CEOs, CFOs, Chairs, NEDs and Transformation Officers capable of strengthening performance and building buyer confidence.
Professionalising a founder-led business
The situation
A successful founder has built a strong business, but the organisation now requires greater structure, management depth and operational discipline. The challenge is to professionalise without losing its entrepreneurial energy.
The client question
“How do we strengthen the leadership team without undermining the founder or damaging what made the business successful?”
Our solution
We map the capabilities already present, identify the most important gaps and find complementary leaders who can introduce structure without unnecessary bureaucracy. This may involve appointing a first CFO, COO, People Director, Chair or Managing Director.
Moving from entrepreneurial to scalable
The situation
The business has grown quickly, but processes, systems and leadership responsibilities have not kept pace. Decisions remain concentrated among a small number of people and performance becomes harder to manage as the organisation expands.
The client question
“What leadership do we need to move from successful entrepreneurial business to scalable organisation?”
Our solution
We identify executives who have navigated the same stage of growth before. We look for evidence of building teams, introducing operating rhythms, improving management information and creating accountability without slowing the business down.
Strengthening financial control
The situation
The business has outgrown its existing finance function. Reporting is slow, forecasting is unreliable or the investor does not have sufficient visibility over cash, performance and risk.
The client question
“Do we have the financial leadership and information required to make confident decisions?”
Our solution
We identify CFOs and Finance Directors who can improve reporting, forecasting, controls, cash management and board-level insight. We distinguish between technically strong finance leaders and those who can genuinely influence commercial and operational performance.
Improving performance
The situation
The business is behind plan. Revenue growth, margins, cash conversion or operational performance are not meeting expectations, and the investor needs to understand whether the problem lies in the strategy, execution or leadership.
The client question
“Do we need to change the plan, strengthen the team or replace a key leader?”
Our solution
We help investors benchmark the current leadership team against the demands of the value-creation plan. Where new capability is required, we conduct a discreet search for executives with relevant turnaround, transformation or performance-improvement experience.
Creating operational leverage
The situation
Revenue has grown, but margins have not followed. Processes are inconsistent, productivity varies and the business may be adding people faster than it is increasing output.
The client question
“Who can make this business more efficient and scalable without damaging customers or growth?”
Our solution
We find COOs, Operations Directors and Transformation leaders who can simplify processes, improve productivity and establish repeatable ways of working. The emphasis is on measurable EBITDA improvement, not transformation activity for its own sake.
Roles and Sectors
Our expertise has led us to conduct searches for all senior and executive roles including:
- Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
- Chief Financial Officer and Finance Director
- Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Growth Officer
- Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer
- Chief People Officer and Human Resources Director
- Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Operating Officer
- Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Product Officer
- Head of e-Commerce and Direct to Consumer
- Head of Sales, Sales Director and Business Development Director
- Chair and Non-executive Director
- Investment Director and Partner
Within sectors such as:
Automotive ~ Aerospace ~ B2B ~ B2C ~ Banking & Financial Services ~ Business Services ~ Construction ~ Consulting ~ Consumer ~ Education ~ Energy ~ EV Charging ~ Engineering ~ Facilities Management ~ FMCG ~ Healthcare ~ Infrastructure ~ Investment Management ~ Leisure ~ Manufacturing ~ Pharmaceutical ~ Printing ~ Professional Services ~ Property Management ~ Publishing ~ Retail ~ Software ~ Technology ~ Training
C-Suite and C-1 Search
We lead critical searches for C-suite roles with a sharp focus on investor alignment, change-readiness, and cultural fit.
Every appointment is made with the value creation plan in mind — fast, focused, and right-first-time.
Alongside this, through our modular search approach, we can support the hiring of those reporting into the Exec at C-1 level, identifying high-calibre functional heads that can deliver as well as strengthen the Exec bench for succession — such as Finance Directors, HR leaders, Commercial Heads, and Operations Leads – either at the time you need them or as part of a long term growth plan.
Interim Management
Our interim executives are handpicked for their track record in value creation environments.
We maintain a network of PE-proven CFOs, COOs, transformation directors, M&A specialists, HR leaders, and functional specialists who understand the pace, pressure, and performance standards of the PE world.
Every candidate is rapidly deployable — often within days — ensuring we can respond quickly to our client’s critical needs, whether that be a systems implementation, long term cover for a colleague or specialist experiences for a particular project.
Talent Mapping
Before any hire is made, we offer pre-hire talent mapping to bring market clarity and reduce risk. Whether used pre-deal, pre-search, or during growth planning, our talent mapping provides a real-world view of leadership availability, competitive positioning, and succession options.
This intelligence informs sharper role specifications and enables confident, data-led decision making, so when you decide to bring in new Leaders, you are a step ahead of that process.
Pay & Reward Benchmarking
Our pay & reward benchmarking service helps ensure your leadership and senior compensation is competitive, aligned, and structured for performance.
We benchmark total reward across relevant comparators, advise on incentive design, and support remuneration committees and investors in creating packages that attract, retain, and motivate the leaders you need.
What Our Clients Say
“I have used the Marble Hill team several times for Executive and Senior level recruitment and they have delivered on time on each occasion, against some difficult requirements. I find they are particularly good at finding candidates who are more regionally based outside of London, that other head-hunters often fail to identify. I find their communication style is second to none and what really impresses me is the great feedback of the experience that is given by the candidates – both successful and unsuccessful – this is really important. I would highly recommend James and the team!”
“We needed a CFO with a profile that could make an immediate impact on this business, especially as we get closer to an exit process. Marble Hill Partners knew our space very well and their track record meant they intuitively knew the core competencies needed for this person, and understood the level of success that we were looking for, as this hire was critical to us. The search process had good pace, with some great candidates being shortlisted, which really gave us confidence we would find the right person. End to end it has been a great search process and I would recommend Marble Hill Partners.”
“Marble Hill Partners have successfully placed 3 Managing Directors within our investment portfolio over the last few years.
They carefully adapted each search to our requirements and worked side by side with us as we engaged the talent market with very specific criteria, for what are always critical positions for the growth of our portfolio businesses and value creation.
I would definitely recommend Marble Hill Partners to any Investor looking to identify and add high quality executive and senior leadership talent into one of their portfolio businesses.”
It is all about “The Right Mindset”
From our extensive Exec Search experience and having conducted an independent psychological research study, we know that the high-pressured nature of private equity ownership is not for everyone, and believe that it takes a certain ‘type’ of person to navigate it.
Our research proved this belief, and since then has become a core part of our candidate assessment process, spotlighting those core skills and identifying leaders you can count on.
Download a copy of our insights into the ‘Right Mindset’ to learn about:
- Our research methodology
- How to utilise the Right Mindset
- Consequences of having the wrong mindset
- Variations by differing business functions
- How to apply the Right Mindset
