Gold Standard Finance: Leading Growth for a Precious Metals Marketplace

The Client

Our client is a rapidly growing institutional precious metals provider and alternative asset technology platform that serves both individual investors and the wealth management industry. Its offering includes a seamless tech-enabled marketplace integrated with major trading platforms, and a global logistics and storage network with insured vaults in key locations, including New York, Zurich, and Singapore.

As the company diversifies and expands into adjacent sectors, it remains focused on providing the safest, most reliable, and scalable solution for physical precious metals ownership—while building the financial and operational infrastructure to support long-term strategic growth.

The Challenge

To support its next phase of scale, the company sought a Head of Finance who could serve as both a strategic thought partner and a hands-on financial leader. This role would be the top finance position, reporting directly to the founding team with a mandate to optimize financial performance, strengthen operational infrastructure, and build the foundation for a potential future CFO appointment.

Key priorities included:

• Leading all aspects of FP&A, corporate finance, treasury, and stakeholder reporting
• Developing robust budgeting, forecasting, and KPI tracking processes
• Overseeing financial operations, including A/R, A/P, and payroll
• Implementing scalable financial systems and controls, including ERP selection
• Driving data-driven business insights and value creation across business units
• Managing cash flow and liquidity while supporting strategic capital allocation
• Engaging with investors, lenders, and board members through clear, insightful communication
• Building and mentoring a high-performing finance team in a fast-paced, complex environment

The ideal candidate would combine technical finance expertise with strong strategic acumen and the ability to operate at both the detail and boardroom level. A proven track record of scaling finance functions, leading financial modeling and compliance, and partnering with executive leadership was essential.

Our Approach

We ran a focused search targeting finance executives with experience scaling high-growth, founder-led, or investor-backed businesses—particularly in financial services, technology, and B2B marketplaces.

Key search criteria included:

• 8+ years in finance leadership roles within growth-stage companies
• Deep FP&A, corporate finance, and treasury expertise
• Strong command of GAAP, compliance, and operational finance
• Experience establishing KPI dashboards, financial infrastructure, and scalable reporting
• Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to synthesize complex financial data into clear strategy
• Experience navigating investor relations, capital structuring, and non-bank financing
• Strategic orientation with the grit to be hands-on in a dynamic, fast-evolving environment

We prioritized candidates who could serve as true partners to the executive team—capable of bridging long-term vision with short-term executional needs.

The Placement

We placed a seasoned finance executive with deep experience building and leading finance functions in international technology companies across AI, software, and fintech. His track record included:

• Leading finance for global AI product providers, raising non-bank debt, and managing multi-lender credit relationships
• Establishing FP&A and accounting operations, delivering 20% cost reductions through process optimization
• Preparing a company for a public transaction via SPAC, overseeing investor due diligence
  
• Building globally consolidated financial reporting, implementing IFRS 15 compliance, and creating sales incentive models
  
• Structuring legal and tax-optimized corporate entities and IP holding structures
  
• Leading financial operations and budgeting systems across multiple international entities

His ability to combine strategic finance leadership with technical execution made him the ideal candidate to lead the finance function through the company’s next stage of growth.

The Outcome

The placement successfully completed the Head of Finance mandate, building a high-performing finance function, delivering clarity to executive stakeholders, and setting the stage for scalable growth.

Thanks to his leadership, the company improved its internal controls, strengthened cash flow forecasting, and introduced robust performance tracking systems that enabled deeper insight into operational performance. His partnership with the executive team led to stronger financial discipline, investor confidence, and clearer reporting to the board.

Recognizing his impact and leadership potential, the company promoted him to SVP, further affirming the strategic value of the placement.