FP&A Lead – Scaling Consumer App

• Industry: Consumer Technology
• Revenue: £72M revenue with ~20% EBITDA
• Investment: Bootstrapped
• Hiring Trigger: UK and US Expansion
• Time to hire: 6 weeks from initial briefing
• Model Used: Amplify

Building an FP&A Function at a Key Scaling Milestone

Client Context

A profitable, bootstrapped consumer technology business in the social app space, generating c.£72M in revenue with ~20% EBITDA and operating across London and the US.

The business had grown steadily without external funding, supported by a well-established finance team covering core reporting, control and compliance. However, as the company reached a new stage of scale, the shape of the finance function no longer fully reflected the needs of the business.

The Inflection Point

This was less about fixing a problem and more about recognising a shift in what the business required from finance.

At this stage of growth:

• Decisions around pricing, user acquisition and product investment were becoming more complex
• Leadership needed clearer visibility on performance drivers
• Planning needed to move from reactive reporting to forward-looking analysis

The existing team was strong from a technical and reporting perspective, but there was no dedicated FP&A capability to support this next phase.

The Hiring Challenge

The brief was to hire someone to establish an FP&A function from scratch.

This created a different type of search challenge because most FP&A professionals step into existing structures, where processes, reporting lines and expectations are already defined. In this case, the role required someone to:

• Define what “good” looks like in a business that hadn’t previously had this capability
• Build models, reporting frameworks and KPIs from the ground up
• Work closely with the CFO while integrating into an established team with a different focus

There was also a need for:

• Experience working with consumer or product-led metrics (e.g. cohort analysis, monetisation, engagement)
• A hands-on approach, given there was no team to inherit
• The judgement to balance structure with pragmatism in a fast-moving environment

Finding individuals with this combination of build experience, commercial perspective and willingness to operate as a standalone contributor proved to be the main source of friction in the process.

Our Approach

The search required a shift away from a conventional “like-for-like” profile.

Rather than focusing narrowly on sector background, we prioritised individuals who had:

• Built or significantly reshaped FP&A capabilities in scaling businesses
• Worked in environments where data, product and commercial decision-making are closely linked
• Demonstrated the ability to operate independently and introduce structure without over-engineering

This widened the lens beyond direct competitors and allowed us to focus on capability rather than job titles or brand names.

Outcome

The successful hire was made within six weeks.

The individual joined with a clear mandate to establish the FP&A function and began by:

• Building core financial models and forecasting processes
• Introducing initial performance metrics and reporting structures
• Working closely with the CFO to support forward-looking decision making

Over time, this created a more balanced finance function, combining strong financial control with the commercial insight needed to support continued growth.