CFO Executive Search Case Study: Acorn Capital | Kaizen Recruitment

The Client: Acorn Capital, a Specialist Australian Investment Manager

Acorn Capital is a specialist Australian investment manager focused on investing in emerging companies and micro-cap businesses across both listed and unlisted markets. For more than two decades, Acorn has supported the growth of innovative Australian businesses by providing capital and strategic investment expertise.

The Challenge: Replacing a Long-Serving CFO in Boutique Funds Management

Acorn Capital engaged Kaizen Recruitment to partner with its CEO and Chief of Staff in appointing a Chief Financial Officer.

Why was this CFO search difficult to fill?

This was a critical leadership appointment for the business, replacing a long-serving executive who held broad responsibilities across finance, investment operations, oversight of outsourced service providers, governance, and business operations.

The successful candidate needed to bring a unique combination of technical capability and commercial leadership. Acorn required an executive who could operate strategically at the leadership level while remaining hands-on across key operational functions, including:

• Investment operations and fund administration oversight

• Custodian and vendor management

• Financial management and reporting

• Regulatory and compliance support

• Operational scalability to support future business growth

Given the specialised nature of the role, the ideal candidate needed deep experience within investment management and a strong understanding of the operating model of boutique funds management businesses.

Kaizen's Approach: Executive Search for Financial Services Leadership

As Australia's specialist financial services executive search firm, Kaizen Recruitment leveraged its extensive network across the funds management industry to conduct a targeted search.

Working closely with Acorn's leadership team, we developed a comprehensive market map of senior finance and investment operations professionals across the investment management sector. Our search focused on both active and passive candidates, ensuring access to talent not available through traditional recruitment channels.

Through our industry relationships and market knowledge, we identified a shortlist of highly qualified candidates from leading investment management organisations. The candidate pool represented a diverse range of backgrounds, from high-performing finance leaders ready to step into their first CFO role to experienced CFOs with established track records in funds management.

Beyond candidate identification, Kaizen provided:

• Detailed market mapping and talent intelligence

• Salary and remuneration benchmarking

• Interview design and assessment support

• Stakeholder management across the executive team and Board

• Offer management and negotiation

• Resignation and onboarding support

The Outcome: Hamish Wood Appointed CFO of Acorn Capital

Kaizen successfully delivered a high-quality shortlist within the agreed timeframe, enabling Acorn Capital to move efficiently through the assessment process and secure its preferred candidate.

The successful appointment of Hamish Wood brought a highly regarded finance executive with deep funds management experience and strong operational leadership capability. His appointment provides Acorn with the financial and operational leadership required to support the next phase of the firm's growth.

The assignment demonstrated the value of specialist executive search expertise, deep industry networks and a partnership-based approach to securing critical leadership talent within the Australian funds management industry.

Candidate Testimonial

"I would highly recommend Matt and the team at Kaizen Recruitment. They supported me throughout the entire recruitment process and were highly professional at every stage. Communication was honest, transparent and timely, making the experience both positive and seamless."

- Hamish Wood, Chief Financial Officer Acorn Capital

Get in Touch

If you are struggling to answer questions like:

"How long does an executive CFO search typically take?"

"What does Kaizen Recruitment look for in a funds management CFO?"

Please fill in the form below and a member of our team will be in touch. Based in Melbourne and Sydney, Kaizen Recruitment specialises in financial services recruitment nationally across funds management, wealth management, superannuation, investment consulting, fintech and insurance.