Sharp Consultancy
Sharp Consultancy is a UK specialist accountancy and finance recruitment consultancy serving Yorkshire and the North Midlands. It operates eight discipline-specific service lines plus The CFO Partnership executive search division, generating revenue from permanent placement fees, temporary/interim margins, and retained executive search.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersLeeds, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Sharp Consultancy does
Sharp Consultancy is a UK-based specialist recruitment consultancy focused exclusively on accountancy and finance roles, operating across Yorkshire and the North Midlands from offices in Leeds and Sheffield. The firm was founded approximately three decades ago (sources state 1992 and "more than 30 years"), is privately held, and in May 2024 was transferred to an Employee Ownership Trust, leaving it independently owned by its workforce rather than by founders, external shareholders or a private equity sponsor. It positions itself as "Yorkshire's largest, most experienced and best-connected independent" finance recruiter, with a headcount in the 101-250 band.
The firm's service portfolio is organised around eight specialist disciplines — Transactional Finance, Transactional Temps, Part Qualified, Qualified, Senior, Interim Specialists, Professional Practice and Private Equity — each staffed by dedicated consultant teams, plus an executive search sub-brand, The CFO Partnership, that handles CFO, Finance Director and senior interim appointments. Supporting the recruitment business are an annual Salary Survey publication (with 2025/26 and 2026/27 editions), an online job board filterable by sector and location, a candidate self-service portal for CV submission and job alerts, and a "Leaders Insight" content series profiling sitting CFOs. The technology stack is conventional: a Volcanic CMS-hosted website with Google Analytics, an internal candidate database with electronic profiling, and standard email-driven job alert workflows; there is no public API, no proprietary AI tooling, and no disclosed technology differentiator beyond ISO 27001 hosting.
Sharp earns revenue through three streams: (1) permanent placement fees charged to employer clients on successful candidate placements; (2) temporary and interim placement margins, where Sharp processes payroll for temps and retains a spread between client charge rate and worker pay; and (3) retained or exclusive executive search fees via The CFO Partnership. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, consistent with UK specialist recruitment norms. The GTM motion is consultative and relationship-led, combining inbound candidate submission portals, job board postings, request-a-call-back flows, and proactive outreach, supplemented by industry events and seminars. Customer logos visible on the website (Peter Roberts Motorhomes, Shine Care, European Respiratory Society, Arville Textiles, Andel, Armeg UK, Worksop College) suggest a long tail of regional SMB and mid-market employers rather than concentrated enterprise accounts.
Sharp Consultancy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sharp Consultancy
- Legal name
- Sharp Consultancy
- Website
- https://sharpconsultancy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Sharp Consultancy is a UK specialist accountancy and finance recruitment consultancy serving Yorkshire and the North Midlands. It operates eight discipline-specific service lines plus The CFO Partnership executive search division, generating revenue from permanent placement fees, temporary/interim margins, and retained executive search.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sharp Consultancy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Accountancy & Finance Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare) (BPACAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Financial Services Leadership Search (Banking/Insurance/PE/Asset Mgmt) (BPACAAAF)
Keywords
Where Sharp Consultancy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Leeds
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Sharp Consultancy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Permanent placement fees: Revenue generated via fees charged to employer clients for successfully placing candidates into permanent finance and accountancy roles. This is the primary revenue stream across Sharp's specialist sectors (Transactional, Part Qualified, Qualified, Senior, Professional Practice, Private Equity, CFO Partnership).
- Temporary and interim placement fees: Revenue generated from placing temporary, contract and interim finance professionals into client businesses. Sharp processes payroll for temporary workers, retaining a margin/spread between the client charge rate and the worker pay, with payroll records retained for up to 7 years as required by law.
- Executive search (CFO Partnership): Revenue from senior executive-level retained or exclusive search engagements for CFO, Finance Director and senior interim appointments through the firm's CFO Partnership division.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | — | Quote-based recruitment fees for permanent, temporary, interim and executive search engagements |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Sharp Consultancy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sharp Consultancy is a specialist recruitment consultancy placing accountancy and finance professionals into permanent, temporary, interim and executive roles for employer clients across Yorkshire and the North Midlands. The firm operates eight discipline-specific service lines (Transactional, Part Qualified, Qualified, Senior, Interim, Professional Practice, Private Equity) plus an executive search division (The CFO Partnership), supported by an annual Salary Survey and a website-based job board and CV portal.
Product overview
Sharp Consultancy is a specialist recruitment consultancy, not a technology platform, offering a portfolio of nine specialist finance/accountancy recruitment service lines together with an executive-search sub-brand (The CFO Partnership). The portfolio is organised around distinct disciplines — Transactional Finance, Transactional Temps, Part Qualified Finance, Qualified Finance, Senior Finance, Interim Specialists, Professional Practice and Private Equity — each of which is staffed by a dedicated consultant team operating from offices in Leeds and Sheffield and covering Yorkshire and the North Midlands. The CFO Partnership sits alongside these as the executive-level offering for CFO and Finance Director appointments. Supporting the recruitment services are an annual Salary Survey research publication, an online job board (filterable by sector and location), and a candidate self-service portal for CV submission and job alerts. Sharp Consultancy is an employee-owned business, having transferred to an Employee Ownership Trust in May 2024.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The CFO Partnership: Executive division of Sharp Consultancy focused on senior finance and CFO-level executive search across Yorkshire and the North Midlands.
Products and services
- Transactional Finance Recruitment Permanent recruitment for entry-level and early-career accountancy and finance roles including accounts assistants, purchase ledger, sales ledger and credit control positions across Yorkshire and the North Midlands.
- Transactional Temps Recruitment Temporary transactional finance recruitment covering credit control, purchase ledger, sales ledger, payroll and accounts assistant roles, with over 30 years' specialisation across Yorkshire and the North Midlands.
- Part Qualified Finance Recruitment Recruitment for part-qualified accountants and finance professionals studying towards ACA, ACCA, CIMA and AAT qualifications across Yorkshire and the North Midlands.
- Qualified Finance Recruitment Permanent and interim recruitment for fully qualified accountants (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) covering roles such as FP&A Manager, Group Management Accountant and Finance Business Partner across Yorkshire.
- Senior Finance Recruitment Recruitment for senior finance roles including Financial Controller, Finance Manager, Head of Finance and senior management accountant positions across Yorkshire and the North Midlands.
- Interim Specialists Recruitment Temporary and interim placement of senior finance professionals, including Interim FP&A Manager, Interim Finance Manager and Interim Commercial Finance Manager roles across Yorkshire and the North Midlands.
- Professional Practice Recruitment Recruitment into accountancy practices for qualified and part-qualified audit, accounts and tax professionals, including Audit Senior and Junior Accountant positions in regional firms.
- Private Equity Recruitment Recruitment of finance professionals into private equity-backed businesses, including PE portfolio finance leadership, investment and corporate development roles.
- The CFO Partnership (Executive Search) Executive division of Sharp Consultancy delivering CFO, Finance Director and senior executive search across South Yorkshire and the North, leveraging long-standing relationships with high-performing finance leaders.
- Sharp Consultancy Salary Survey Annual benchmarking report on accountancy and finance salaries, hiring trends and market insights across Yorkshire and the North of England, published yearly (most recently the 2026/27 edition).
Companies that use Sharp Consultancy
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles2 records
Sharp Consultancy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature2 records
Sharp Consultancy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sharp Consultancy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Marks Sattin: UK-wide specialist accountancy and finance recruitment firm with offices across London and major UK cities. Competes with Sharp at the senior and executive end and offers a national alternative for multi-site Yorkshire employers.
- Hays UK: Global recruitment firm with a large UK accountancy and finance division. Serves the same candidate pool as Sharp and competes for Yorkshire-based employers, though as part of a much broader multi-sector portfolio.
- Michael Page (Finance): Global PageGroup division operating across the UK including finance/accountancy recruitment at qualified, senior and executive levels. National brand with significantly larger marketing budget competes for the same candidates and clients as Sharp.
- Robert Half UK: Global specialist in finance, accounting, technology and legal recruitment with a UK presence. Competes with Sharp across interim, qualified and senior finance roles, with broader geographic reach and a permanent/interim placement model.
- Reed UK: UK-wide generalist recruiter with a dedicated accountancy and finance practice. Provides a national alternative to Sharp for employers and competes for candidates across all experience levels including temporary placements.
Direct peers
- SF Recruitment: Midlands-based specialist accountancy and finance recruiter (Birmingham/Nottingham) operating a comparable service-line model with permanent, temporary and interim finance divisions.
- Elevation Recruitment: Sheffield and Yorkshire-based accountancy and finance recruitment specialist serving similar transactional through senior-level roles in the same regional market as Sharp.
- Brewster Partners: Yorkshire-based specialist accountancy and finance recruitment firm with offices in Leeds, Sheffield and beyond. Direct competitor in the same regional Yorkshire market with overlapping service lines across transactional, qualified and senior finance placements.
- Pratap Partnership: Yorkshire-headquartered specialist finance and accountancy recruitment consultancy with a similar regional focus and comparable service offering across permanent, interim and executive finance hires.
Emerging players
- Lord Search & Selection: UK boutique executive search and interim firm operating in the CFO and senior finance space. Comparable to Sharp's CFO Partnership division at the executive end of the market, though operating with a broader geographic remit.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sharp Consultancy social profiles
Digital presenceSharp Consultancy compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Sharp Consultancy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sharp Consultancy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Sharp Consultancy subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Sharp Consultancy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sharp Consultancy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sharp Consultancy
What does Sharp Consultancy do?
Sharp Consultancy is a specialist recruitment consultancy placing accountancy and finance professionals into permanent, temporary, interim and executive roles for employer clients across Yorkshire and the North Midlands. The firm operates eight discipline-specific service lines (Transactional, Part Qualified, Qualified, Senior, Interim, Professional Practice, Private Equity) plus an executive search division (The CFO Partnership), supported by an annual Salary Survey and a website-based job board and CV portal.
Is Sharp Consultancy a public or private company?
Sharp Consultancy is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Sharp Consultancy founded?
Sharp Consultancy was founded in 1994. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Sharp Consultancy based?
Sharp Consultancy is headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Sharp Consultancy make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Permanent placement fees are the primary driver. The others are temporary and interim placement fees and executive search (CFO Partnership).
Who are Sharp Consultancy's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Marks Sattin, Hays UK, Michael Page (Finance), Robert Half UK and Reed UK. Direct peers are SF Recruitment, Elevation Recruitment, Brewster Partners and Pratap Partnership. Lord Search & Selection is listed as an emerging player.
Does Sharp Consultancy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sharp Consultancy.
What industry is Sharp Consultancy in?
Sharp Consultancy's product category is Accountancy & Finance Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAC, Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare), with a secondary code of BPACAAAF, Financial Services Leadership Search (Banking/Insurance/PE/Asset Mgmt). Its NAICS code is 561312 and its SIC code is 7361.