Top CFO And Finance Executive Search Firms For 2027

The chief financial officer has become one of the most demanding roles in any leadership team. Today’s CFO is expected to run a tight finance function, partner with the CEO on strategy, lead transformation and, in many companies, prepare for an IPO, a sale or a refinancing. CFO and finance executive search firms help boards, CEOs and investors find those leaders, along with controllers, treasurers, heads of FP&A and the rest of the senior finance team.

This list of the top CFO and finance executive search firms for 2027 includes global firms with dedicated financial officer practices and specialists that place CFOs into private equity backed, venture-backed and life sciences companies. It is part of our executive search and recruiting hub, where you can also compare fees, process and assessment.

How we chose: every firm below markets CFO or finance leadership search on its own website, and we checked each one against independent coverage. We only included facts we could confirm, and we ranked firms on the depth and evidence of their finance practices.

CFO And Finance Executive Search Firms At A Glance

Firm	Base	Best For	Focus
Spencer Stuart	Chicago, global	Large-company and global CFO searches	Financial Officer practice
Egon Zehnder	Global, 71 offices	CFO succession and full finance teams	Financial Officers practice
JM Search	King of Prussia, PA	PE-backed and public company CFOs	Financial Officers center of excellence
Russell Reynolds Associates	New York, global	CFO appointments and succession planning	Financial Officers practice
Odgers Berndtson	Global, 14 US offices	Listed, private and public sector CFOs	CFO and financial management practice
Bespoke Partners	San Diego	CFOs for PE-backed software companies	Software and SaaS finance leaders
True	Philadelphia	Public and PE-backed company CFOs	Finance executive search
SPMB	United States	CFOs for growth and venture-backed tech	Financial officer practice
ZRG	Rochelle Park, NJ	Interim finance cover and first-time CFOs	Financial officers and strategic finance support
Klein Hersh	Horsham, PA	Biotech and life sciences CFOs	Life sciences and healthcare search

Best CFO And Finance Executive Search Firms For 2027

1. Spencer Stuart — More Than 1,200 Senior Finance Searches In Two Years

Spencer Stuart was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in Chicago, with more than 60 offices in over 30 countries. Its Financial Officer practice is a global, dedicated team of more than 70 consultants, many of whom have finance backgrounds, and it reports more than 1,200 senior-level finance searches over the past two years.

The practice covers chief financial officers and roles across accounting, audit, controls, corporate development, FP&A, investor relations, risk, tax and treasury. Clients range from Fortune 500, FTSE 100 and DAX companies to private equity firms, their portfolio companies, emerging companies and nonprofits.

Spencer Stuart suits large and listed companies running a high-profile CFO search, especially when the role crosses borders.

2. Egon Zehnder — CFO Succession And Finance Team Building

Egon Zehnder, founded in 1964, has 71 offices in 37 countries. Its Financial Officers practice works with boards and CEOs at public and private companies, private equity portfolio companies and family-owned businesses, at global, group, regional and division level.

Beyond CFO search, the practice recruits controllers, treasurers, heads of tax, investor relations, corporate development and internal audit leaders, and helps companies build internal CFO succession pipelines. Its research includes a global survey of nearly 600 CFOs on the evolving role and the path to CEO.

Egon Zehnder suits companies that want to plan CFO succession over several years, not only fill a vacancy.

3. JM Search — More Than 1,000 CFO Placements Into Public And PE-Owned Companies

JM Search was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. In December 2020 it formalized its finance work as a dedicated Financial Officers center of excellence, covering CFOs, chief accounting officers, VPs of finance, treasurers, and controller and FP&A roles that report to the C-suite.

At that launch, the firm said it had placed more than 1,000 CFOs into public and private equity owned companies over the previous decade, and that CFO placements for private equity backed companies had typically made up more than 40% of its search assignments since 2001.

JM Search suits private equity backed companies and their sponsors, and public companies that want a firm with deep CFO volume.

4. Russell Reynolds Associates — Financial Officers Practice With Board Advisory

Russell Reynolds Associates was founded in New York in 1969 and has more than 500 consultants in 47 offices. Its Financial Officers practice advises clients on CFO appointments and succession planning, and its consultants often work alongside the firm’s Board and CEO Advisory partners.

The firm’s past CFO work includes a 2017 CFO search for Energizer Holdings. Its private capital practice also recruits portfolio company CFOs and assesses finance leaders against a sponsor’s value creation plan.

Russell Reynolds suits boards that want CFO search combined with succession advice and leadership assessment.

5. Odgers Berndtson — CFO And Financial Management Practice Across Sectors

Odgers Berndtson has operated for more than 50 years and has a broad international network, including 14 US offices from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. Its CFO and Financial Management practice works with listed companies, private equity firms, government bodies and not-for-profits, from FTSE 100 companies to fast-scaling startups.

The US CFO practice is co-led from New York by partner Russell Boyle, who previously spent 22 years at Egon Zehnder, where he founded and led the US CFO practice and co-founded its global CFO practice.

Odgers suits organizations outside the usual corporate mold, such as public bodies and nonprofits, as well as companies that want a global firm with a long CFO track record.

6. Bespoke Partners — CFOs For PE-Backed Software Companies

Bespoke Partners is headquartered in San Diego and focuses on private equity backed software and SaaS companies. Its dedicated finance practice recruits CFOs, controllers and FP&A leaders, and by 2022 its CFO practice had passed 100 placements.

The firm caps each recruiter at six searches, runs more than ten backchannel reference checks per search and guarantees that placed candidates stay at least one year, or it redoes the search.

Bespoke suits software companies and their sponsors looking for a CFO who understands recurring revenue and SaaS metrics.

7. True — Finance Executives For Public And PE-Backed Companies

True is a Philadelphia-based executive talent firm that describes itself as the sixth largest executive search firm globally. Its finance search team recruits CFOs and other finance executives for public and private equity backed companies across software, internet and e-commerce, consumer, media, industrial and business services.

Searches cover CFOs as well as controllership, FP&A, divisional finance, tax and treasury roles. True also offers interim and fractional talent, which can help when a finance leader leaves at short notice.

True suits growth companies and PE-backed businesses that want a large firm with dedicated finance recruiters.

8. SPMB — CFOs For Growth Equity And Venture-Backed Technology

SPMB has been building executive teams for more than 40 years and runs a Finance and HR function alongside its technology and investment practices. In August 2026 it appointed partner Christy Mihos to its financial officer and private equity practices.

Mihos recruits CFOs and senior finance leaders for private equity, growth equity and venture-backed technology companies, has led hundreds of CFO and senior finance searches, and has worked with clients including Silver Lake, Insight Partners, Five Elms Capital and Blue Star Innovation.

SPMB suits technology companies preparing for a new funding round, a sale or an IPO.

9. ZRG — Financial Officer Search With Interim Finance Support

ZRG is headquartered in Rochelle Park, New Jersey and serves clients in more than 35 countries. It recruits financial officers through retained search and offers strategic finance support through its interim solutions, with a target of placing interim leaders within 24 to 48 hours.

The firm publishes CFO insights, including guidance on hiring successful first-time CFOs, and uses its Zi platform to bring data into hiring decisions.

ZRG suits companies that need interim finance cover now and a permanent CFO later, or that are open to a strong first-time CFO.

10. Klein Hersh — CFOs For Biotech And Life Sciences Companies

Klein Hersh was established in 1998 and is headquartered in Horsham, Pennsylvania. It focuses on life sciences and healthcare, placing CEOs and C-suite leaders including CFOs for pharmaceutical, biotech and healthcare companies and VC and PE-backed businesses.

In 2025 it helped recruit Brandon Hants, a finance executive with more than 25 years in biopharma and life sciences, as CFO of TRexBio. If you are hiring across healthcare more broadly, see our list of the top healthcare executive search firms and recruiters.

Klein Hersh suits biotech companies that need a CFO who understands clinical-stage funding and investor relations.

How To Choose A CFO Executive Search Firm

What Kind Of CFO Do You Need?

An IPO-ready CFO, a private equity CFO focused on cash and leverage, and a transformation CFO in a mature company are very different hires. Define the next three years before you brief a firm, then ask for recent placements that match that profile. Think too about the wider team: a new CFO may need a stronger controller, head of FP&A or treasurer, and some firms can run those searches in parallel.

Does The Firm Have A Dedicated Finance Practice?

Firms with named financial officer practices, such as Spencer Stuart, Egon Zehnder and JM Search, keep ongoing relationships with sitting CFOs. That network shortens the search and improves the quality of referencing. Specialists can be just as strong in their niche: Bespoke Partners for PE-backed software, SPMB for venture-backed technology and Klein Hersh for life sciences. Ask who will lead your search, how many CFO roles they have closed in the last two years and how many of those leaders are still in post.

How Will Candidates Be Assessed?

Technical finance skills are easy to check. Judgment, influence with the board and the ability to partner with the CEO are harder. Ask how the firm evaluates those qualities, and consider formal executive assessment for final candidates.

Do You Need Interim Cover During The Search?

Audits, closes and lender reporting do not wait for a new CFO. Several firms on this list offer interim finance leaders. Our guide to interim vs fractional executives explains which model fits.

What Will The Search Cost?

Most CFO searches are retained, with the fee linked to first-year cash compensation. Our guide to executive search fees explained sets out typical structures so you can compare proposals on a like-for-like basis.

Conclusion

The best CFO and finance executive search firms combine a deep network of sitting finance leaders with a clear view of what each company needs from its next CFO. Global practices at Spencer Stuart, Egon Zehnder and Russell Reynolds Associates lead on large and listed company searches, while JM Search, Bespoke Partners and SPMB bring focused experience with private equity, software and venture-backed companies.

Be precise about the CFO profile, check the firm’s recent finance placements and plan interim cover if you need it. With those three steps in place, you will give the search the best chance of landing the right finance leader.