What FD Capital does, in its own words
FD Capital is a UK finance executive search and recruitment firm, founded in 2018 by Adrian Lawrence FCA. It places fractional, part-time, interim and permanent finance directors and CFOs, financial controllers, and FCA senior manager function roles. Sister brands cover the rest of the board: Exec Capital for other C-suite seats, NED Capital and SMF Capital.
There is no public directory of candidates. You give a brief and FD Capital builds a curated shortlist, which it states takes 3 to 7 days, or inside 72 hours for urgent senior manager cover. It does not publish its own fee and says the recruitment fee is included in the FD Capital service.
As of November 2026, FD Capital does not show named executives, rates or availability before you brief it. That is the model of a search firm, and a good one for the right brief.
FD Capital and getoperators side by side
| FD Capital | getoperators | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Finance search and recruitment | Browsable bench of fractional executives, plus retained search |
| Seats | FD, CFO, financial controller, FCA SMF roles | Eleven senior seats, CFO included |
| See named people first | No, curated shortlist per brief | Yes, open to browse without an account |
| Rates shown | Market benchmarks published, own fee not published | Most profiles show the executive's own day rate, some say on request |
| Availability shown | No | Shown on the profile |
| Speed | Shortlist in 3 to 7 days, 72 hours for urgent SMF cover | Meet someone within days, in the seat within one to three weeks |
| Permanent hires | Yes | Yes, through retained search |
Who FD Capital suits better
A regulated firm that needs an FCA senior manager function holder, especially at short notice. FD Capital states cover inside 72 hours for urgent SMF roles and runs a brand dedicated to them. getoperators does not specialise in regulated appointments.
A company hiring a financial controller rather than a CFO. That seat sits below the eleven executive seats on getoperators, and FD Capital places it directly.
A buyer who would rather hand over a brief and receive a shortlist than browse. A finance-only search firm with a qualified accountant at its head is a sensible place to send that brief.
getoperators suits the buyer who wants to see the people and the rates first, or who needs a CFO and a COO or CMO from the same place.
What a fractional CFO costs in the UK
FD Capital publishes market benchmark day rates for a fractional CFO of £600 to £1,200, as published on their site in November 2026. Those are its view of the market, not its own fee. The band getoperators publishes for the same seat is £800 to £1,500 a day, with the higher end for fundraise, exit and regulated work. Both are published openly, so you can read them side by side and decide where your role sits.
On the getoperators band, one day a week is £3,067 to £5,750 a month and two days is £6,133 to £11,500, across 46 billable weeks. Most profiles on the bench show the executive's own rate, and the rate they publish is the rate they receive. The company pays getoperators a fee of its own, set out in the Terms of Business.
Other alternatives to weigh
- The CFO Centre: part-time CFOs and FDs in 18 countries on a flexible monthly contract, no up-front recruitment fees, 30 day period in most cases. Named CFOs shown, prices not published.
- Toptal: a global freelance marketplace with fractional, interim and part-time CFOs, FP&A and interim controllers, billed hourly or at a fixed weekly price, with an average time to match under 24 hours.
- Retained search for a permanent FD: getoperators runs Operator Search, with a researched shortlist in five business days.
Common questions
What is the difference between FD Capital and getoperators?
FD Capital is a finance search firm: you brief it and it sends a curated shortlist. getoperators is a bench you can browse first, with named executives, their day rates on most profiles and their availability, across eleven seats. Both handle permanent hires through search.
How much does FD Capital charge?
It does not publish its own fee, and says the recruitment fee is included in the FD Capital service. It does publish market benchmark day rates for fractional CFOs of £600 to £1,200, which describe the market rather than its charges.
Is FD Capital better than getoperators for regulated finance roles?
For FCA senior manager function roles, usually yes. FD Capital specialises in them, runs SMF Capital for them, and states urgent cover inside 72 hours. For an unregulated CFO seat where you want to see rates first, the bench is the faster read.
More of them, on hiring, contracts and what a fractional engagement costs, on the fractional executive FAQ.