Building Blocks of Finance: Steering FP&A in Manufacturing

Client Overview

Our client is a $1.6 billion private equity-backed leader in the manufacturing of exterior building products across North America with award-winning brands and solutions. Their nationally recognized portfolio of premier brands offers innovative, sustainable, and modern building materials, including siding, cladding, windows, patio doors, and metal products trusted by homeowners, contractors, and architects alike. Focused on performance, durability, and timeless design, their products enhance energy efficiency and reliability across residential and commercial markets. With a commitment to innovation, they integrate AI-powered forecasting and intelligent tools into their supply chain to deliver smarter, faster outcomes for customers.

The Challenge / Mandate

Following a recent acquisition by a private equity firm, the company embarked on an ambitious transformation program to modernize operations and accelerate value creation. As part of this initiative, the leadership team identified a need for advanced FP&A support to synthesize large volumes of operational and financial data and translate them into actionable insights for strategic decision-making. The consultant was tasked to:

• Build and refine financial models for annual planning and forecasting.
• Pull and analyze data from disparate systems to create a unified financial narrative.
• Synthesize findings into clear, concise insights for leadership.
• Develop and deliver board-level presentations that effectively communicate business performance and guide strategic conversations.
• Partner closely with the CFO and PE sponsors to support scenario planning and provide visibility into key value creation levers.

Search Strategy

We targeted seasoned FP&A professionals with strong management consulting pedigrees and proven expertise in financial planning, modeling, and board-level storytelling. The ideal candidate combined Big 4 or top-tier consulting experience with post-consulting FP&A roles in private equity-backed or large manufacturing environments. Critical attributes included advanced Excel modeling skills, comfort working with complex data sets, and the ability to distill technical insights into high-impact presentations. Prior exposure to transformation environments and private equity dynamics was considered a strong plus.

The Placement

We placed an independent management consultant and FP&A leader with 15+ years of experience driving sustainable EBITDA growth and value creation initiatives for Fortune 500 and PE portfolio companies. With a background in top-tier consulting and hands-on corporate finance roles, he brought a unique ability to bridge strategy and execution. His expertise included designing value creation programs, executing financial transformations, and delivering clear, data-driven insights to senior stakeholders. Notably, he had extensive experience crafting board presentations and partnering with PE sponsors to align financial performance with business objectives.

The Outcome

The consultant successfully developed a robust financial planning and analysis framework that provided the CFO and board with clear visibility into operational and financial performance. He built dynamic models to support scenario planning and strategic decision-making, streamlined reporting processes, and designed board presentations that helped secure alignment on key initiatives. By integrating disparate data sources and identifying margin improvement opportunities, he enabled leadership to track value creation initiatives and act decisively on performance trends. His contributions not only accelerated the annual planning process but also positioned the finance function as a strategic partner in the company’s transformation journey.