Finance Recruitment Specialists | Better Placed

The Finance Team

Oliver Gaydon

Associate Director

Finance recruitment is where I’ve built my career. Agencies are where I’ve built my deepest network. For the past ten years, I’ve worked with independent agencies, global networks and private equity backed groups to appoint the finance people who make the business behind the ideas work. From commercial finance and FP&A through to Controllers, Directors and VP's, I focus on people who bring sharper insight, stronger control and better commercial decision making. In the past five years alone, I’ve made around 50 finance appointments into agencies, including senior and executive level hires. Many of those relationships have continued across multiple appointments as businesses have grown, leadership teams have changed and finance functions have evolved. Agency finance is a small world. The difference is not simply knowing who might be open to a move. It is knowing who has grown with an agency, who has led through change, who understands the pressure on margin and who has earned the trust of the people around them. That knowledge is built over time, through real conversations and relationships that continue long after a placement is made. My network spans London and New York, built through long standing relationships with London agencies and finance leaders whose businesses operate across both markets. That connected view is particularly valuable to international networks and private equity backed agency groups building the finance capability needed for their next stage of growth. Agency is my deepest specialism, but not my only market. I also recruit finance roles across technology, professional services, consumer, leisure and the wider creative industries, bringing the same market knowledge, honesty and judgement to every search. If you are planning your next finance hire, building capability for growth or considering your next move, get in touch and let’s start with a conversation.

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Simon Stephens

Joint Managing Director

It’s hard to believe that over 20 years have passed since myself along with my budding entrepreneurs, Andrew and Dean founded and launched Better Placed in 2002. Clearly there’s been a good accumulation of grey hairs over that time but my network and relationships with a multitude of major financial and business services clients continues to thrive. My passion to drive Better Placed into new areas, sectors, regions and expand the Real Network remains undiminished. The knowledge, credibility and track record i have within the Marketing Industry and loyal network of Senior professionals makes me a compelling asset for clients who are looking to attract and secure Senior talent to further develop their businesses.Outside Better Placed, my passion revolves around my family, sport (Not just in an armchair capacity), good Red Wine and even better holidays. If I'm not coaching my eldest son’s junior Rugby team, you'll find me watching my Sons play cricket in the Summer or enjoying socialising with friends and family.The one thing you might not know about me is that I attended a US University on a Golf Scholarship and (despite my advancing years) still play off Scratch. I also remain the only successful London Marathon Runner at Better Placed and i'm proud of it!!!

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Jack Watson

Senior Consultant

I’ve spent the last four years recruiting finance professionals across creative industries, professional services, tech and FMCG. What I enjoy most about finance recruitment is that the best hires can make a real difference to how a business thinks, plans and grows. It is not just about technical ability, it is about finding people who understand the numbers, fit the culture and can work well with the teams around them. I work with finance professionals at all levels, from people ready for their next move through to experienced hires who can add structure, insight and confidence to a business. My job is to understand what someone is good at, what they want next and where they are most likely to do their best work. For clients, I like to get under the skin of what is really needed. Sometimes that means challenging the brief, sometimes it means asking better questions, and sometimes it means helping a business think more clearly about the type of person who will genuinely succeed in the role. I try to keep recruitment straightforward, honest and useful. Good processes are built on proper conversations, clear advice and trust on both sides. That is the way I like to work, and it is what I will be bringing to the finance team at Better Placed.

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Dean Bartle

Board Director

As a Founding Director of the business, I've been part of the Better Placed journey since day one. Having helped grow the business to what it is today, my remit and focus day to day is business operations, developing the marketing strategy and brand for Better Placed, whilst still recruiting within the Agency, Retail and Leisure sectors across the north.

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Expanding Our Capability in Finance Recruitment

At Better Placed, our growth has always been shaped by what we hear in real conversations. The honest ones. The conversations where leaders talk about what is actually happening inside their organisations and candidates share the reality of what they want from work, identity, culture and contribution.One theme has become increasingly consistent. Finance plays a central role in how a business thinks and moves. Not just in reporting or control, but in shaping commercial direction, influencing decision making and guiding leadership teams through change. As our work across marketing, digital, sales and tech has continued to strengthen, expanding into finance has become a natural next step. It allows us to support clients with a more connected view of leadership. Creative vision, commercial thinking, operational clarity and now, with deeper capability, financial leadership that supports long term performance and progress.This is why we have been growing our work in finance recruitment over recent months, led by Olly Gaydon. Since joining us, Olly has become firmly embedded into the Better Placed community. Clients have welcomed his thoughtful approach and candidates value the clarity and honesty in his conversations. He has already played a meaningful part in helping organisations appoint finance talent at important moments of transition, growth and change.Olly’s background spans businesses at very different stages, from venture backed scale ups building structure for the first time, through to established brands rethinking how they work. The people he places tend to be those who influence pace, alignment and culture, as much as they influence the numbers. His network is shaped through trust, consistency and long term relationships rather than transactions. That matters to us because it reflects how we work too.What stands out about Olly is the nuance he brings to recruitment in this function. He pays attention to how decisions are made, how teams interact and what leadership really looks like day to day. He understands that the best appointments are rarely the result of simply matching capability. They come from understanding judgement, values, ambition and how someone will contribute to the broader energy of a business.This expansion is not about scale. It is about depth. It strengthens our ability to support clients in building leadership teams that feel aligned and connected across all the functions that matter to performance and culture. It also reflects who we are. A business built on relationships. A team that enjoys working alongside our clients as they evolve. A network shaped over time, through conversation, shared experience and trust. Olly shared this reflection on joining Better Placed“What struck me early on was the overwhelmingly positive feedback from leaders who have worked with Better Placed across Sales, Marketing and Tech. We offer a broad range of services, but there’s real consistency when it comes to transparent communication, market expertise and genuine post-delivery care.Drama ridden scatter gun recruitment is still all too commonplace, and I’ve been hugely impressed by the long-term advisory nature of client and candidate relationships. I specialise in Finance which is a critical function in any business whether you’re growing or consolidating. I take great pride in helping clients secure market-leading finance talent who give both confidence in the numbers, as well as the critical insights behind them."If you would like to speak to Olly or simply exchange perspectives on what is happening in the finance space, you can reach him at olivergaydon@betterplaced.com or connect with him on LinkedIn.

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Require Interim or Contract Support?

We know that working in the interim, contractor or temporary arena means needing to be agile and posses the ability to move quickly, for both our candidates and clients. That together with still understanding our clients businesses, the specifics around any particular role or project and ultimately been able to offer the right people, at the right time. All our disciplines and areas can offer support and advice in terms of Interim or Contract recruitment, from insight into market dynamics through to day rate and IR35 advice. If you would like to discuss an interim requirement or just have a question on anything related please get in contact.