Building a finance transformation team

MEDIA · TEAM BUILD · FINANCE TRANSFORMATION

Helping a leading UK media business build the specialist team for a major finance transformation, from the initial leadership appointment to the people responsible for requirements and process change.

• Head of Finance Transformation appointed with specialist D365 F&O expertise.
• 2 x Business Analysts and Process Owners recruited to progress requirements and process change.

The challenge

A leading UK media business was embarking on a significant finance transformation to modernise its financial infrastructure, simplify its operating model and create a more scalable foundation for growth.

The programme centred on a migration to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (D365 F&O), alongside consolidating trading activity across fewer legal entities and standardising finance processes.

The business needed to build a dedicated transformation team, beginning with a Head of Finance Transformation to lead the requirements phase and establish the direction for the programme. The brief subsequently expanded to include two Business Analysts and Process Owners, providing the supporting capability to translate business needs into detailed requirements and practical process change.

Finding the right combination of expertise

The initial leadership search brought together specialist technical requirements, sector complexity and time pressure.

Direct D365 F&O experience was essential, significantly narrowing the candidate pool. The client needed someone who could combine hands-on platform knowledge with the commercial judgement to operate within a complex, multi-entity media business.

The appointment required four core capabilities:

• Technical expertise: a strong understanding of D365 F&O and ERP requirements definition.
• Finance transformation leadership: the ability to lead requirements gathering and translate business needs into a future operating model.
• Commercial and operational understanding: experience navigating complex finance operations across multiple legal entities.
• Stakeholder leadership: the credibility to challenge established processes, engage stakeholders and secure agreement on standardisation and automation.

The individual needed to take ownership of the wider transformation agenda, ensuring that technology decisions supported meaningful changes to how finance operated.

Finding this blend of expertise in a constrained specialist market required a focused search. With limited scope for a prolonged hiring process, the client needed experienced leadership in place quickly to maintain programme momentum and establish the wider team.

Our approach

Talentedge supported the client from the initial leadership search through to recruitment across the wider programme team.

Establishing the leadership

We focused the initial search on professionals whose D365 F&O expertise was matched by experience leading finance transformation in complex organisations.

Alongside technical knowledge, we considered their ability to challenge legacy processes, bring finance and technology stakeholders together, and translate commercial priorities into practical requirements. This led to the appointment of a Head of Finance Transformation to take ownership of the requirements phase.

Building the team around the leader

With the leadership appointment secured, our remit expanded to include two Business Analysts and Process Owners.

These roles added the capacity to capture business requirements, examine existing processes and support agreement on new ways of working. By extending the search to the supporting team, we helped the client establish the broader capability needed to progress the programme.

Maintaining focus across the team build

Throughout the assignment, we assessed each role against the wider programme’s needs, keeping specialist expertise, operational understanding and stakeholder skills central to the search.

Delivered through Talentedge’s Amplify model, our approach prioritised relevant specialist talent and the pace required to keep recruitment aligned with the programme.

The outcome

• Critical transformation leadership secured: The client appointed a Head of Finance Transformation to lead the programme’s requirements work at a pivotal stage of the ERP migration. This established the leadership needed to align stakeholders, challenge legacy processes and set the direction for the wider team.
• A dedicated transformation team built: The recruitment of two Business Analysts and Process Owners brought requirements leadership, business analysis and process ownership into a dedicated team. Together, these appointments gave the client the specialist capability to progress the programme from defining business needs towards practical process change.
• Immediate capability needs addressed: In a niche, technically demanding talent market, Talentedge fulfilled the programme’s immediate recruitment requirements and extended support as the team took shape. Each appointment contributed to the capability needed for a time-sensitive transformation.
• Strong client feedback and continued partnership: Following successful delivery of the recruitment requirements, the client provided excellent feedback and returned with further roles. This repeat business demonstrated confidence in Talentedge’s ability to understand the programme and support its evolving needs.
• A foundation for longer-term change: The team was built to support the transformation’s longer-term objectives: standardised processes, improved data integrity, greater automation and more consistent financial reporting.

While the realised operational and financial benefits have not yet been quantified, the recruitment outcome was clear: the client had secured specialist leadership and built the supporting team needed to take the programme forward.

From the first appointment to the wider team

Building a transformation team means understanding how individual appointments fit together and what capability the programme needs at each stage.

By supporting this client from the first leadership hire through to the wider team, Talentedge helped establish the specialist capability needed to move its finance transformation forward.

Building a finance or technology team? Talk to Talentedge about support from your first leadership appointment through to the specialists who make it happen.