Tax teams play a critical role in financial services organisations. Whether it’s ensuring compliance, enabling global growth or supporting strategic decision-making, they’re often right at the centre of the action.

But finding the right talent, particularly during periods of change is no easy task. Exactly what one of our recent financial services clients, a leading provider of post-trade solutions, found when they were going through a major ownership transition.

They needed to rapidly establish a scalable tax function to support their international operations, but the challenge was finding individuals with the right balance of technical expertise, commercial awareness and the ability to build from the ground up.

Thanks to a focused search from Sanderson, they were able to secure a high-calibre tax team ready and raring to go. Read on to find out how we did it…

What was the challenge?

Our client approached us during a pivotal moment in their journey. They were transitioning away from their existing ownership structure and preparing for acquisition by a private equity investor. They were looking to strengthen their operational infrastructure, all starting with tax.

At the same time, they needed to ensure this tax function could support their global operations as they were working across more than 30 locations globally spanning the UK, US, Sweden, India and Singapore, so this was no easy feat.

The first priority was appointing a Head of Tax, alongside building out the wider team with a Tax Manager and Tax Analyst.

But there were challenges.

A Head of Tax is a role requiring a rare combination of strong technical expertise with the ability to operate in a changing environment, manage multiple stakeholders and build a scalable tax function from the ground up.

Their perfect candidate was someone who could navigate corporate tax compliance with ease, manage reporting, transfer pricing and outsourced tax providers without breaking a sweat, and all while supporting the setup of new entities globally.

What was our solution?

It was clear from the start that this was no standard tax recruitment assignment. But it was still no match for the Sanderson team.

Speed and precision were critical thanks to the acquisition taking place, so we quickly mobilised and implemented a targeted search strategy focused on highly specialised tax professionals with the right mix of technical, commercial and leadership capability.

We cracked on with a targeted search covering:

• International corporate tax environments
• Financial services organisations
• Multi-jurisdiction tax structures
• Transfer pricing and compliance
• Building and developing tax teams
• Operating in fast-paced, changing environments

Most importantly, we focused on identifying candidates who could not only manage the current tax requirements, but who had the skills needed to support their long-term vision.

What was the result?

Thanks to our thorough understanding of the client, we successfully delivered a strong shortlist of high-quality tax professionals across all the required roles. We started with the appointment of a Head of Tax and then went on to support the build-out of the wider tax team, placing both a Tax Manager and Tax Analyst.

This was a fantastic outcome meaning our client was able to rapidly establish a tax capability with the strength and structure needed to support their global operations during a period of significant change, but that was set up to support their long-term strategic objectives.

Key outcomes included:

• Successful appointment of a Head of Tax to lead the function
• Subsequent delivery of a Tax Manager and Tax Analyst to build out the wider team
• Became a trusted recruitment partner to support the ongoing growth of the function
• End-to-end support across multiple specialist tax hires

Could we help you achieve similar outcomes?

Building a specialist tax function requires more than finding qualified candidates. It demands a deep understanding of the business, its challenges and where it’s heading.

Whether you’re building out a new function, scaling your team or navigating a period of change, we can help you secure the talent needed to deliver long-term success.

Reach out to [email protected] if you fancy a chat about how we can help support you to reach similar goals.

Today’s Treasury leaders sit at the heart of organisational success, balancing liquidity, managing risk and enabling strategic growth. But hiring the right talent can be challenging.

During a period of global growth and an ownership change our client, a leading FinTech organisation, needed to quickly build a strong Treasury function. The challenge was finding senior talent with the right mix of technical expertise, leadership and transformation experience.

Sanderson delivered a focused, efficient search, securing high-calibre Treasury professionals who could both manage today’s demands and shape their future operations.

The result was a fully equipped team ready to support global operations, drive strategy, and add long-term value, all with minimal disruption. Read on to find out how we did it…

What was the challenge?

Our client, a leading FinTech organisation providing infrastructure and workflow solutions for global financial markets, approached us during a period of significant transformation as they looked to build and strengthen their Treasury function.

They were already operating across more than 30 locations across the world and following a major ownership transition involving global shareholders and a private equity investment, they needed a Treasury capability that could not only support their next phase of growth and change, but that could operate across a complex international landscape.

First up, they needed us to identify a senior Treasury leadership team, including a Head of Treasury alongside a Senior Manager and Analyst-level appointments.

But there were challenges.

A Head of Treasury is a role requiring a rare blend of technical expertise, strategic thinking and leadership capability. It’s someone who can establish and develop a function while supporting wider business objectives, so they needed candidates with the right combination of experience across:

• Global cash and liquidity management
• Debt servicing and capital structure optimisation
• Financial risk management
• Covenant reporting and compliance
• Regulated business environments
• Treasury transformation and automation
• Stakeholder management with shareholders, lenders and senior executives

What was our solution?

Due to the seniority and specialist nature of the roles required, speed and precision were critical.

So, the Sanderson London team quickly set to work, immediately focusing our search on highly specialist Treasury expertise. We conducted a targeted search focused on candidates with experience covering:

• Treasury leadership within multinational organisations
• Private equity-backed or regulated businesses
• Complex debt structures and covenant management
• Global cash forecasting and liquidity optimisation
• FX, interest rate and wider financial risk management
• Treasury technology, automation and process improvement
• M&A and investment strategy support
• Building and transforming Treasury functions

We made sure to identify individuals who could not only manage the existing Treasury requirements, but who could also help shape the future operating model of our clients’ organisation.

What was the result?

With a targeted search process, we successfully delivered a strong pipeline of credible Treasury professionals for all the roles required, with the right combination of technical capability, transformation experience and commercial understanding.

The client successfully scaled their Treasury function with the right talent needed for their global organisation and to support them during a period of significant change.

Not only that, but the skills this new Treasury team brought helped them to establish a function capable of supporting not only their operational requirements, but their long-term strategic goals.

Key outcomes included:

• Identification of candidates with direct experience operating in complex global environments
• Shortlisted professionals aligned to the organisation’s strategic objectives
• Provided the exact leadership and operational Treasury expertise the client required
• A recruitment process managed with speed, precision and minimal business disruption
• Delivered significant cost savings by reducing contractor usage and cutting unnecessary third‑party spend.

Could we help you achieve similar outcomes?

Building specialist finance functions requires more than finding qualified candidates. It requires understanding the business challenge, the technical requirements and the future direction of the organisation.

Whether you’re strengthening your Treasury team, transforming finance operations or building specialist capability during a period of change, Sanderson can help you identify the talent needed to deliver critical business outcomes.

To discuss how we can support your next key hire, get in touch on [email protected]

If you’re looking to increase your permanent hiring capacity and get the right people on board to achieve your goals, but your talent acquisition teams are stretched, you might need a partner that has the agility to fulfil your needs with a solution completely tailored to you.

This is exactly what Hargreaves Lansdown, a leading British financial services company based in Bristol were searching for.

They needed a partner who completely understood their business to work as an extension of their talent acquisition teams to help them overcome a period of increased hiring demand and get them the permanent talent they needed.

Building on our existing relationship, Sanderson were able to effectively implement a tailored RPO solution that seamlessly integrated with the existing TA team and hiring community.

The Challenge

Hargreaves Lansdown approached Sanderson to help address capacity challenges in their talent acquisition team, driven by high volumes of technology hiring. With a trusted existing partnership and strong integration already in place, Sanderson was able to step in quickly as an extension of their team, delivering a tailored solution at pace while maintaining quality.

The Solution

Building on our existing partnership with Hargreaves Lansdown, we set to work launching a tailored RPO solution to support their talent acquisition strategy during this period of increased hiring demand.

We implemented a fully embedded RPO model, designed to seamlessly integrate with the existing TA team and hiring community that focused on:

• Collaboration with hiring managers
• Detailed onboarding processes
• Enhancing candidate experience

The Result

Fill in the form below to read on and discover how we successfully helped them achieve results like delivering 15 hires in under 5 months across 6 different tech stacks supporting both legacy and greenfield product teams and reducing their time to hire from 60 days to an average of 34 days.

Insurance companies operate in highly complex and heavily regulated environments meaning they don’t just need to hire talent; they need to hire specialists.

Whether it’s understanding complex risk trends, meeting strict regulatory requirements like Solvency II or making sense of huge amounts of data, insurance companies need people with specific expertise to keep their operations running smoothly.

This need for specialist talent is especially clear in actuarial teams and even more sought-after in roles like Internal Model Specialists. These specialists require a strong understanding of how different asset classes behave under varying market conditions, alongside the ability to combine actuarial expertise with advanced stochastic and risk modelling techniques. They must assess how portfolios respond across a range of scenarios from expected market movements to severe stress events enabling insurers to better understand their risk exposure, capital requirements and financial resilience.

These roles are specialised and hard to fill, but insurance companies working with Sanderson trust us to deliver. Just as our London team did for this leading life insurer…

What was the challenge?

A market-leading life insurance provider came to us when they were looking to hire a candidate for a highly specialised interim actuarial position, an Internal Model Specialist. This was a role they needed to fill to support a critical enhancement to their Solvency II Internal Model framework.

The client needed us to identify an experienced contractor capable of designing and implementing an explicit interest rate volatility risk framework, including swaption-driven dynamics, calibration methodology, dependency modelling and even governance-ready documentation.

What was our solution?

It was clear from the outset that this role demanded highly niche expertise. Due to the technical complexity and scarcity of suitable contractors in the market, speed and precision were critical.

So, we quickly mobilised to conduct a thorough search that was broken down to look for candidates with experience covering:

• Solvency II / Solvency UK Internal Models
• Interest rate and swaption modelling
• Yield curve and PCA frameworks
• Correlation and dependency modelling
• Internal Model governance and validation

What was the result?

Within just 24 hours of receiving the brief, our team delivered a fully vetted shortlist of highly credible and niche actuarial specialists each with directly relevant Internal Model and derivative modelling experience, exactly what the client was looking for.

Key outcomes included:

• Highly technical quantitative requirements broken down into targeted searches
• 3 candidates shortlisted within just 24 hours
• 100% shortlist-to-interview conversion
• Successful placement completed within one week
• Full process managed end-to-end with minimal client downtime

The client was able to hire the specialist talent they needed, and the successful candidate brought extensive experience delivering governed Internal Model enhancements within life insurance environments including interest rate volatility calibration and capital model dependency design.

Could we help you achieve similar outcomes?

If you’re looking for a recruitment partner to help you source business-critical appointments in tight turnaround times, we’re here to help.

Whether for its actuarial talent as niche as this role, or other insurance specialities you need to move quickly on to stay competitive, then don’t hesitate to reach out on [email protected] and let’s have a chat about how we can help.

We partnered with a major Outsourced Service Provider operating largescale customer service and complaint handling functions within the Financial Services sector. Their environment demands a constant pipeline of high-quality talent to maintain service excellence across high volume teams.

The Challenge

The client required ongoing recruitment support to deliver around 1,000 Customer Service Representatives and Complaint Handlers per year.

The Solution

We embedded a dedicated team within the client’s operation and built a fully scalable recruitment framework designed specifically for volume Customer Service roles, including a targeted agile attraction strategy, candidate support and passive talent engagement.

The Result

Fill in the form below to read on and discover how we successfully helped them improve their candidate experience and reach 1300 hires per year.

When you need to strengthen your talent strategy and get the right people on board to achieve your goals, sometimes you need a helping hand that works with you flexibly to address your recruitment needs.

And that’s exactly what People’s Partnership, a leading UK not-for-profit financial services company who specialise in providing workplace pensions, were looking for.

The Challenge

Their team were searching for a provider who would be able to really get under the skin of their business to understand what makes them tick and then work with them side by side to build a talent solution that would stand the test of time, as well as removing their current pain points.

The Solution

This is exactly what the Sanderson team are experts in. We thrive on absorbing the culture of each of our clients, being able to act as an extension of their brand and then design and deliver bespoke solutions that successfully meet client challenges and objectives.

After collaborating with the team at People’s Partnership, we quickly established that a Project RPO would be a perfect fit for them, working as a flexible solution to act has a helping hand to their in-house teams, but leaving them firmly in the driver’s seat.

The Result

Fill in the form below to read on and discover how we successfully helped them bolster and upskill their customer service teams…

A global Insurance company recently came to Sanderson needing to address their change management delivery and capability.

They were looking to build a permanent Enterprise Change team in a short space of time, so the Sanderson team quickly stepped in to help source, screen and deliver multiple roles in this space. Working as a strategic partner, our team delivered at pace and in a way that would set this client up for the future, and the project saw success highlights such as:

• Over 5500 candidates approached
• Creation of a bespoke cognitive assessment process
• 196hrs of hiring manager time saved
• 100% offer acceptance rates

Read on to discover how.   

The Challenge

The client had recently appointed a new Head of Enterprise Change, and they made some key observations such as the need for the company to bring in more experienced staff to support their change capabilities and delivery.

A proposal was then put together for a more effective change delivery framework which would reduce contractor cost and build a permanent internal change team. This structure came under four pillars: Portfolio Management, Change Management, Project Management and Business Analysis.

With only a handful of permanent Business Analysis and Project Managers and no Change Managers within Enterprise Change, the client needed to resource the team with the right disciplines in a short space of time.

Introducing Sanderson as a Resourcing Partner

Upon realising they needed to scale at pace, the client needed the help of a talent resourcing partner and so invited three recruitment companies to present a solution that would:

• Take responsibility for the end-to-end hiring process
• Elevate the client as an employer of choice
• Provide access to specialist talent in the insurance sector
• Save hiring managers time

During this process, it was clear for the client who would be their recruitment partner of choice.

“Sanderson was our first choice, we were drawn to their ways of working and instinctively knew it was the right path. It wasn’t just a good communication discussion, they stood out because they offered a sense of partnership but also a sense of transparency, agility and flexibility. Right from the get-go, it was their partnership approach that won the show.”

An Agile and Flexible Solution

The solution wasn’t just a “one-size-fits-all”. Led by Sanderson Insurance Practice Lead Denise Morris, we took the time to listen and work in partnership with the client. Here’s some of the key factors that stood out for them during the process:

Commitment

“They did all the heavy lifting for us”.

Sanderson hit the ground running with weekly meetings and created a dedicated reporting cycle in an interactive approach to screening, interviewing and shortlisting candidates in a short space of time.

“What worked was that we iterated our way to getting the best candidates, and that happened so fast, for the first round of screening they were coming to us with recommendations. It didn’t feel like a numbers game, Sanderson presented individuals who were quality candidates”.

With confidence in the top candidates, Sanderson offered advice and consultation in the final stages and presented the strongest CVs. This was then supported by a bespoke cognitive assessment process that was specific and unique for these types of change and transformation hires.

Flexibility

The client’s team really felt like they had a voice throughout and were heard when things needed to change. Sanderson were quick to respond to the evolving needs of the programme.

“As the recruitment process progressed, we had a much clearer vision and criteria for the type of candidates we wanted to interview. We knew what we needed, as did Sanderson, they helped to fine tune that process, they came on that journey with us.

While the scope of our requirements had evolved, our new recruits have surpassed expectations. They quality of candidates has been commented on by people outside of our team in their first 1-2 months of working here”.

A Strategic Partnership

The client reflected on the partnership and how Sanderson took their time to understand not just their strategic goals, but also their culture:

“I think one of the biggest things was the effort the team put into understanding us, what we were looking for and what we were building out. They understood the nature of the projects that we would be likely to drive and equally the projects we weren’t going to drive.

It was great to see the camaraderie being built by the new cohort of recruits. As they joined at the same time, there was a real sense of being in it together and we have worked to cement this attitude by organising workshops with the existing teams. The Sanderson team played a strategic role in helping us to construct our team charter”.

An Extension of the Team, Enabling BAU for Talent Acquisition

The client’s Talent Acquisition Lead expressed how Talent Acquisition worked seamlessly with both the Enterprise Change team, the team at Sanderson and together they delivered the work “as a triad”. Everyone had their role to play, and it freed up time for the TA team to work on the day-to-day support for the rest of the business.

“It was the effectiveness of Sanderson and the way they worked to ensure that I could carry on with my BAU job for the other parts of the business I support. I pretty much handed it over to Sanderson and trusted them to expedite this. And that’s exactly what happened. I was only really needed for facilitating admin or interviews. There was no disruption to the rest of Talent Acquisition, it was all in hand.”

Summary and reflections

A Project RPO Success

The solution we delivered here is called a Project RPO. This is a flexible recruitment solution that offers many of the benefits of outsourcing recruitment to a resourcing partner, but without the long-term commitment. You can find out more about Project RPO here.

Here’s what we delivered in numbers: 

Find out more about our RPO solution and get in touch with the team here if you’d like to have a conversation.