Directorbank

CFO Remuneration Study – UK & Germany, 2026:
We are pleased to share our latest CFO Remuneration Study which has been designed to help inform PE investors and company boards as they attract, retain and reward senior finance leadership.

The study draws on two complementary sources – a recent survey of CFOs and Finance Directors within our candidate network, and data gathered through conversations with finance professionals during our ongoing search activity.

For the UK, together these form a combined study universe of 373 participants spanning private equity-backed, privately owned, and listed businesses from the UK mid-market. For Germany, the combined study universe is 264 participants spanning private equity-backed and privately owned businesses from the German mid-market.

Extensive desk research has also been conducted to supplement and verify the findings.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the finance professionals who gave their time to participate in our survey – your contribution is greatly appreciated.

To open the UK report, please click here: Directorbank_UK_CFO Remuneration Study 2026

To open the German report, please click here: Directorbank_Germany_CFO Remuneration Study 2026

Event Summary: 10 key takeaways from the BUY & BUILD Midlands Insider Dealmakers Lunch Series:

Last week, Directorbank’s Ben Gilbert and Simon Thomas attended the Midlands Insider Dealmakers Lunch Series which focused on Buy & Build strategies. They heard from from investors, corporate acquirers, advisors and operators who are actively executing these strategies across the UK and Europe.

Ben has written a summary of the ten key themes that emerged from the discussion, along with some broader reflections on the main takeaways from the event.

Click here to access the report

Buy & Build continues to be a dominant driver of mid-market growth. What was particularly interesting in this discussion was how much the model continues to evolve. While access to capital remains important, the conversation has clearly shifted. Increasingly, the differentiator between successful platforms and those that struggle is not simply the deal itself, but the strength of underlying strategy, leadership capability and operational discipline that supports it.

DIRECTORBANK – REVIEW OF 2025:
Following a cautious start to 2025, Directorbank has observed a steady increase in demand for executive talent across the Private Equity space. While investors remain prudent, a shift towards optimism is emerging, with PE firms placing further emphasis on driving growth, efficiency and strategic alignment within their portfolio companies. Although deal volumes have yet to fully accelerate, the perception of assets as undervalued, combined with a gradual easing of inflation and interest rates, indicates a likely uptick in investment activity as the year progresses.

In terms of Executive Search, we’ve seen sustained demand for Chairs, NEDs, CEOs/MDs, and Sales & Marketing Directors. However, there has been a marked rise in the need for commercially minded CFOs and COOs reflecting an increased focus on financial agility, strategic foresight, and operational excellence at the Board level.

Sector-wise, performance within Industrials and Tech & Comms has remained strong, with Business Services also demonstrating resilience. Our German practice has also delivered excellent results, contributing a third of our overall business, and was once again recognised as a ‘top search consultant for Private Equity’ in WirtschaftesWoche’s annual survey.

In-house, we remain committed to enhancing our candidate database and leadership assessment capabilities to meet the evolving needs of our clients. This investment allows us to provide more effective, data-driven insights and highly relevant Board-level talent aligned to the growth, opportunities and challenges ahead.

Looking forward, our focus remains firmly on delivering high-quality, tailored Executive Search solutions for our Private Equity investor and Board clients. We also look forward to further building client relationships through our calendar of networking dinners, facilitating valuable connections between top-tier executives and investors.

Click here to view a summary of our activity and highlights.

Directorbank recognised as a top search firm in the ‘Private Equity’ category of the annual survey of Germany’s best search consultants.

We are very grateful and proud to announce that Directorbank has once again been recognised as a top search firm in the Private Equity category, as well as two specific industry categories, by German Business Magazine “WirtschaftsWoche” in its annual survey of Germany’s best search consultants. We are delighted by the news and would like to thank all our clients as well as our candidates for their ongoing trust in us and for the great teamwork we’ve shared.

For the year ahead we look forward to working with you all – clients both old and new – and will continue to work hard to source truly exceptional leaders with the skills, experience and characteristics to make a real impact on business performance.