Executive search · private equity, finance, hedge funds
Executive search for private equity, finance and hedge funds
Rainmakrr finds senior people for private equity firms, the companies they back, hedge funds and finance teams.
We search for partners and investment professionals, portfolio company CFOs, operating partners, chief operating officers, investor relations leads and non-executive directors.
Rainmakrr is run by Fractional Quest Ltd, which also places fractional and interim executives through Fractional Quest.
- Private equity and portfolio companies
- Hedge funds and asset managers
- CFO, COO, IR and NED searches
- Run by Fractional Quest Ltd
Who are you hiring?
Deal team and partner hires for buyout, growth and credit funds.
See how we search →Permanent CFOs for PE-backed businesses, with fractional and interim options.
See how we search →Operating partners and value creation leads for a fund or a portfolio.
See how we search →COO, CFO, risk, compliance and investor relations for hedge funds.
See how we search →Retained search for finance directors, COOs and NEDs.
See how we search →01/ what we search for
The seats we search for
Six kinds of hire make up most private markets and finance leadership briefs.
Pick a seat to see what the search involves.
PARTNERS · PRINCIPALS · ASSOCIATES
Partners and investment professionals
Deal team hires for buyout, growth, infrastructure and private credit funds, from associate to partner.
The search tests deal experience, sector depth and how the person originates and leads transactions.
PE-BACKED COMPANIES
CFOs for private equity backed businesses
A portfolio company CFO runs the numbers the sponsor and the lenders watch: cash, covenants, the value creation plan and the exit.
We search for permanent CFOs and finance directors for businesses at each stage of the hold.
VALUE CREATION
Operating partners and value creation leads
Operating partners work across a portfolio on commercial, operational, digital or people plans.
The search looks for operators who have done the job inside a business and can work alongside a deal team.
COO · CFO · RISK · COMPLIANCE
Hedge fund leadership and infrastructure
Hedge funds hire chief operating officers, CFOs, heads of risk, compliance officers and investor relations leads as they grow.
In the UK many of these roles are regulated and the hire must fit the firm’s obligations under the FCA Senior Managers and Certification Regime.
FUNDRAISING · LP REPORTING
Investor relations and capital formation
Fund managers hire investor relations and capital formation leads to run fundraising, limited partner reporting and investor communications.
Some managers use an external placement agent for a raise; our placement agent directory lists firms that do that work.
NEDS · CHAIRS
Non-executive directors and chairs
Sponsors appoint chairs and non-executive directors to portfolio company boards, and many fund managers add independent directors.
For listed companies the UK Corporate Governance Code sets the expectations on board independence.
02/ the options
Executive search, or another route?
Not every senior hire needs a search.
Here is how a search compares with the other ways a fund or a finance team fills a seat.
→ Search suits seats where the right person is not looking.
→ In-house works when the shortlist is already in your network.
→ For a gap or a part-time seat, hire a fractional or interim executive through Fractional Quest.
03/ process
How we run a search
What we undertake on every brief.
- 01
Brief
A call on the seat, the fund or company, the plan the hire must deliver and the timing.
START - 02
Map
We map the firms, funds and companies where the experience sits, and agree the target list with you.
RESEARCH - 03
Approach
We approach people confidentially, including those not looking, and assess them against the brief.
OUTREACH - 04
Shortlist
You meet a shortlist of assessed candidates, with our notes and references we take ourselves.
SHORTLIST - 05
Close
We manage interviews, the offer, the notice period and the start date.
START DATE
04/ before you brief
What to have ready
A short list of what makes a search start well.
Tick off what you already have.
0 of 12 ready
05/ about
Search, directories and news
Rainmakrr has three parts.
The first is executive search for private equity, hedge funds and finance leadership, run by Fractional Quest Ltd.
The second is a set of firm directories: private equity firms in the UK, the largest and smaller firms in London, mid-market firms in Europe, real estate private equity firms and placement agents.
Every directory is unranked and links to each firm’s own website.
The third is news on private equity, hedge funds, deals, regulation and senior finance hires, each item written in our own words with a link to the primary source.
UK Private Capital, the industry body formerly called the BVCA, puts private capital’s annual contribution to the British economy at almost £200bn, equating to 7% of GDP (economic contribution report).
06/ questions
Questions, answered
Rainmakrr runs executive search for private equity firms, their portfolio companies, hedge funds and finance leadership teams.
It also publishes unranked firm directories and private markets news.
Rainmakrr is run by Fractional Quest Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 17322105.
Its registered office is 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ.
Partners and investment professionals, portfolio company CFOs and finance directors, operating partners, chief operating officers, heads of risk and compliance, investor relations leads, non-executive directors and chairs.
Yes, through Fractional Quest, which places fractional, interim and part-time executives.
If a portfolio company needs finance leadership for part of the week, you can hire a fractional CFO.
No.
Each directory lists firms alphabetically with their base, a short description of their focus taken from their own website, and a link to that site.
We do not rank firms or publish assets under management.
Book a 15-minute call using the calendar on this page, or email hello@fractional.quest.
15 minutes · video or phone
Book 15 minutes to talk through the hire
Tell us the seat, the fund or company, and the timing. We set out how we would run the search.
- 0115 minutes, video or phone
- 02We scope the role and the search
- 03A written search plan after the call
- 04Permanent, interim and fractional briefs
Pick a day that suits · live availability
07/ sources
Sources and further reading
Primary sources for the rules and figures on this page.