Become the Finance Director Your
Recruitment Business Needs

Step into the boardroom with confidence.
Lead with strategy. Shape the future.

If you’re a Head of Finance navigating your way through a growing recruitment business or a senior finance leader from another sector ready to master recruitment finance, this course is your launchpad.

Aspiring FDs isn’t about ticking CPD boxes.

It’s about becoming the kind of Finance Director who commands respect, influences strategy, and plays a pivotal role in scaling a business, including preparing it for exit.

What You’ll Walk Away With

By the end of this 6-month course, you won’t just feel more capable, you’ll be ready to operate at board level with clarity, confidence and credibility.

  • A clearly defined FD mindset and the strategic thinking to match.

  • The skills to lead and restructure a high-performing finance team.

  • Frameworks to build stronger relationships with SLT, NEDs and CEOs.

  • Tools to write market-leading commission schemes that drive sales.

  • Knowledge to prepare a business (and your role in it) for exit.

  • Real-world case study experience, not theory, actual business strategy.

  • A powerful peer network of finance leaders in the recruitment industry.

  • The ability to communicate financials in a way that drives commercial decisions.

  • Confidence to influence boardroom conversations and shape company direction.

Who It’s For

Heads of Finance in recruitment firms who are managing teams early in their career with no finance leader to learn from.

FDs from outside the sector who want to hit the ground running in recruitment finance and understand what drives value in this industry.

This mix of experience and ambition makes for rich conversation, meaningful connection, and a strong peer network, a highlight of every cohort.

  • “Aspiring FDs is an excellent course delivered in a highly engaging way, connecting you to industry experts and providing an invaluable peer network. I would strongly recommend it to any finance professional in the recruitment industry.”

    Sarah Brinkley, Verticality Ltd

  • “Paul is truly inspirational and holds a wealth of knowledge and experience. He is approachable, shows genuine interest in both personal development and progression and has a wealth of understanding of both the recruitment sector and finance.”

    Sarah Wilson, National Locums

  • “The course covered a broad scope of highly relevant, industry-specific material which I have found extremely helpful to apply to my day-to-day work. And I’ve built a great network of peers with whom I can share ideas, knowledge and experiences.”

    Louise Barker, Annapurna Recruitment

  • "Thoroughly enjoyable course. Paul is very engaging and helpful. Found it useful to be part of a network that is so relevant to what I am doing. Also good to hear others going through similar issues and that I haven’t made it all up!"

    Dan Ngai, La Fosse Associates

  • "Aspiring FDs was excellent, great content and a perfect mix of levels and understanding to enable good debate on all subjects."

    Lisa Morrison, X4 Group

  • "I was sold after the first paragraph of the course content and with further reading felt as though it was something I very well could have written for myself."

    Lisa Palowski, Forward Role Recruitment

The Modules: Strategic, Practical, Impactful

Over 6 x half-day modules (spaced across 6 months), you’ll cover:

Module 1

The FD Mindset & Operating at Board Level

Get clear on what a real FD looks like and how to become a trusted advisor to your CEO and board. Learn how to communicate financials in a way that lands with non-finance people.

Module 4

Leading a High Performing Finance Team

Master leadership skills, not just management. Understand how to motivate, appraise and build a team that runs at pace and scale.

Module 2

Remuneration Schemes, Budgeting, Forecasting & Funding

Write incentive plans that fuel growth, and learn how to lead budgeting processes that get full board buy-in. Understand recruitment-specific funding options and reporting frameworks.

Module 5

Managing Other Support Functions

Get confident with areas often handed to finance: IT, HR, Marketing, Legal, and Compliance. Learn how to turn each one into a value-add, even without deep experience.

Module 3

M&A: Preparing for Exit

Learn how to maximise valuation, attract acquirers, and build financial plans for exit. Hear directly from M&A lawyers, CF advisors and FDs who’ve done it.

Module 6

The Case Study

Put everything into practice. Work with your cohort to develop and present a 3-year strategy to grow and exit a fictional recruitment business, just like many of our real clients.

Meet Your Mentor:
Paul Glynn

Paul isn’t just a course leader, he’s the FD many aspire to be.

With nearly 20 years of finance leadership in recruitment and £250m+ turnover across his portfolio of clients, he brings the real-world experience most courses only dream of.

  • 2 senior FD roles in high-growth recruitment firms

  • Founder of Aristar: outsourced finance & CFO consultancy

  • Completed 7 recruitment sector M&A transactions

  • Regular keynote speaker for LinkedIn, TRN & more

  • Trusted advisor to 40+ recruitment company boards

  • Trained over 100+ finance leaders through Aspiring FDs

  • “I believe it’s down to the Aspiring FDs course that two weeks before the end of the course, I was promoted to Finance Director.”

    Sarah Wilson, Finance Director, Cook Recruitment Group

  • “The most practical, impactful training I’ve ever done as a finance professional. Paul has a way of demystifying the technical and making it feel doable.”

    Former Delegate

  • "The course content, speakers and contacts throughout the course were invaluable. It has given me the confidence to implement a number of changes to positively impact all levels within the business."

    Birju Shah, Explore Group

  • "The post course support has been great. Paul is always available by email and phone. We have kept our Whatsapp group going which is great, as we regularly bounce ideas off each other."

    Bradley Adams, Austin Fraser

  • "I have found it all a great insight at what is needed to accurately and efficiently step up. The guest speakers also add a great ‘real life’ spin on what we are taught."

    Anonymous post session feedback

  • "Of course we picked up bits from Paul and his guest speakers, but the key was being able to build a network of peers to refer to."

    Anonymous post session feedback

  • "I am starting to operate at a higher level with the CEO and developing more of a business partnering relationship with him."

    Anonymous post session feedback

Your Investment

£4,500 + VAT

Includes all 6 modules, access to industry guest speakers, case study work, and ongoing peer support.

Spaces are limited to ensure every delegate gets personal guidance and connection, and places fill fast.

Ready to sign up?

Take your place at the board table. Shape the future of your business. Build the career you know you're capable of.

Book a call with Paul to find out more.