› partnership pitch · for companies hiring leadership · june 2026

The C-suite you need.
Not the cost of one.

Fractional · interim · advisory · pods 48h brief → shortlist 40–60% cheaper than full-time
▼ fractional.quest nationwide UK · day-rate transparent · outside IR35
01 / the problem

A full-time hire is the wrong shape
for most scaling companies.

TOO EXPENSIVE

£180k–£360k loaded

A permanent CFO costs a fortune before equity. Most growing companies need the judgement, not the headcount.

TOO SLOW

3–6 months

A retained search drags across quarters. Fundraises, lender deadlines and board crises don't wait that long.

WRONG CAPACITY

5 days for a 2-day job

You pay for a full week of seniority when the problem only needs part of one.

▼ fractional.quest02 / 11
02 / the shift

Fractional leadership is the fastest-growing
way companies buy seniority.

£5.7bn
Global fractional executive market, 2025 — +14% a year
Fractionus 2025
400%
Growth in roles tagged fractional or interim since 2022
LinkedIn
48hrs
Our brief-to-shortlist, vs 3–6 months traditional
Quest data
2,400+
UK C-suite placements in our rate dataset
Quest data
▼ fractional.quest03 / 11
03 / what we provide

One vetted network. Four ways to engage it.

01 / CORE

Fractional

1–3 days / week

Board-level leadership on a part-time retainer — permanent seniority, a fraction of the cost.

02 / TRANSITION

Interim

full-time · fixed term

A full-time operator for a defined window — covering a gap or leading a transformation.

03 / GUIDANCE

Advisory

board-level · ad hoc

A seasoned exec on call for the board — counsel and investor prep, no standing seat.

04 / SCALE

Embedded pods

multi-role

A whole leadership layer — CFO, CTO, CMO in concert — stood up in weeks, not a year.

▼ fractional.quest04 / 11
04 / the economics

The same leadership, for 40–60% less.

Fractional CFO · 2 days/wk£138,000
Full-time CFO · loaded cost£362,000
Year-1 saving£224,000 · 62%
Fractional: £1,500/day × 2 × 46 weeks. Full-time loaded: £240k base + 28% on-costs + search fee.
$ fq pod --cfo=2 --cto=2 --cmo=1
› fractional pod: £24,500 / mo
3 perm equivalents: ~£68,000 / mo

› saving: £43,500 / mo (64%)
stand-up time: ~3 weeks
A three-role leadership layer for the cost of one mid-level full-timer.
▼ fractional.quest05 / 11
05 / the differentiator

We don't just fill a seat.
We build the whole layer.

Most firms place one executive and leave. We assemble coordinated pods — a CFO, CTO and CMO who plug into each other and into your board from week one — so a scaling company gets a functioning leadership team, not a sequence of solo hires spread across a year of searches.

▼ fractional.quest06 / 11
06 / how it works

Brief to boardroom in days.

1

Brief

A 30-minute call to scope mandate, cadence, budget and the outcomes that matter.

day 0
2

Shortlist

3–5 vetted operators, each with rate benchmark, track record and IR35 status.

within 48h
3

Meet

You interview your favourites. We handle scheduling, references and rate.

day 3–7
4

Start

Signed outside IR35, embedded, with a 30-day fit checkpoint.

week 2
▼ fractional.quest07 / 11
07 / why the shortlist is good

Every operator clears a 7-step funnel.

STEP 1–2Identity & credentials verifiedRight to work, professional qualifications, clean track record.100%APPLY
STEP 3–4Track record & referencesTwo prior C-suite mandates evidenced; backdoor references taken up.34%PASS
STEP 5–6Capability & scenario interviewA real mandate scenario, run by a Quest partner who has held the role.12%PASS
STEP 7Mandate-fit matchOnly the right sector, stage and chemistry for your specific brief.3–5TO YOU
▼ fractional.quest08 / 11
08 / coverage

The whole C-suite, on transparent rates.

RoleMedian day rateBand (P25–P75)2-day/wk · yearvs full-time
CFOFractional CFO£1,500£1,200 – £1,800£138k−62%
CTOFractional CTO£1,300£1,000 – £1,600£120k−59%
COOFractional COO£1,200£900 – £1,500£110k−57%
CMOFractional CMO£1,150£900 – £1,400£106k−55%
CPOFractional CPO£1,200£1,000 – £1,400£110k−56%
▼ fractional.quest09 / 11
09 / why partner with quest

Search firms list people.
We analyse the market.

01 / PRICE TRUTH

Day-rate transparent

Every rate benchmarked against 2,400+ placements and published indices. No markup mystery.

02 / SPEED

48-hour shortlist

Two days, not two quarters — the network is pre-vetted, not assembled on demand.

03 / STRUCTURE

Outside IR35

Every engagement CEST-tested with substitution rights. Compliance handled, not hand-waved.

04 / TEAM BUILD

Whole pods

Coordinated leadership layers who already know how to work together, stood up in weeks.

05 / NO LOCK-IN

Flex up & down

Two days becomes three for a raise, then back down — without renegotiating from scratch.

06 / UK COVERAGE

Nationwide

Operators across London, the regions and remote — matched on sector and stage.

▼ fractional.quest10 / 11
› ready when you are

Let's scope the gap
in one call.

A 30-minute intro is all it takes to understand your mandate and put a vetted shortlist in front of you within 48 hours. No retainer to start the conversation.

Book an intro call 30 minutes.
Zero commitment. We scope your mandate and return a shortlist in 48h. › hello@fractional.quest
▼ fractional.questnationwide UK · partnership pitch · june 2026