Precision Perspectives 2025

Michael Bentil
Dec 15, 2025
4 min read

A Year of Conversations, Lessons and Looking Ahead

By Michael Bentil, Founder of Talent Precision Group

As we reach the end of 2025, it is the right moment to reflect on the first year of Precision Perspectives and the conversations that shaped it. The intention behind the series was straightforward: create a platform where senior finance leaders could share their experiences and offer practical insight into how they lead.

This year we spoke with Antonio, Zhanna, Thibaud and Ewelina. Each brought a different approach to leadership and career development, yet consistent themes emerged across all four discussions.

Below is what we learnt, what it means for the finance talent market and how Precision Perspectives will evolve in 2026.

What We Learnt from This Year’s Interviews

Leadership is becoming more human

All four leaders highlighted the increasing importance of communication, trust and clarity. Technical capability remains essential but is no longer enough on its own.

Finance leaders who succeed are those who can bring people with them, explain the why behind decisions, and create alignment across the business. The expectation is no longer just accuracy and control, but influence and partnership.

The implication is clear. Organisations that continue to prioritise technical excellence without leadership capability will struggle to scale.

Transformation is constant

System change, operational redesign and tighter performance expectations are now permanent features of the finance environment. Transformation is no longer a programme with an end date.

Leaders who treat change as continuous, and who build teams that can adapt rather than react, are better equipped to sustain performance. Those waiting for stability before acting are falling behind.

This reinforces why transformation experience is no longer a differentiator. It is a baseline expectation.

Career paths are non-linear

Each conversation reinforced that finance careers rarely follow a perfect plan. Progress is shaped by timing, adaptability and decision making rather than rigid progression.

Potential and mindset play a growing role in long term success, particularly in environments where roles evolve faster than job descriptions. Leaders who remain open to lateral moves and unexpected opportunities build broader capability over time.

For employers, this requires a shift away from checklist hiring towards assessing trajectory and learning capacity.

Visibility drives impact

Whether supporting commercial teams or influencing strategic decisions, leaders who remain visible and accessible build stronger partnerships across the organisation.

This mirrors our own emphasis on clarity and communication within recruitment. The most effective finance leaders do not operate behind the numbers. They engage early, explain trade offs, and stay connected to the wider business. Influence today is built through presence, not position.

What This Means for 2026

Strategic finance talent will remain in high demand

FP&A, Commercial Finance and transformation focused roles will continue to be priorities for organisations navigating uncertainty and growth. Demand will increasingly centre on leaders who can operate across strategy, execution and stakeholder management.

Pure technical depth without commercial context will limit progression.

Leadership capability will be a differentiator

Hiring decisions are placing greater weight on adaptability, communication and stakeholder influence. Organisations are more selective, but also more deliberate, in identifying leaders who can operate in ambiguity. This is where misalignment between role expectations and candidate capability is most costly.

The market is shifting towards proactive planning

Companies are looking further ahead, building talent pipelines and acting earlier to secure capability. Reactive hiring is giving way to advisory led workforce planning.

Our approach at Talent Precision Group is deliberately aligned with this shift. Precision today means timing, context and foresight, not just speed.

TPG enters 2026 with a sharper focus

This year strengthened our understanding of what clients and candidates value most. Clarity, quality and long term relationships remain central to how we operate.

Precision Perspectives plays a key role in that. It informs how we advise, how we challenge, and how we support decision making across the market.

The Future of Precision Perspectives

In 2026, Precision Perspectives will continue with an expanded and more structured direction:

Broader coverage of senior European finance leaders
We will widen the scope of the series to reflect the diversity of leadership across the Benelux market and the UK.
Increased integration of talent market insight
Each interview will more clearly connect leadership themes with the realities of the current hiring environment.
More founder commentary
Providing context on what we see across the market will remain central to the series.

Precision Perspectives has become a core part of how we gather and share insight with our clients, candidates and wider network.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Antonio, Zhanna, Thibaud and Ewelina for contributing to the first year of Precision Perspectives and for their openness throughout our discussions.

Thank you to our clients and candidates for your continued trust. Your engagement with the series and the conversations we have every day strengthen the service we deliver.

Thank you to our wider network for the feedback and support that helped refine the series.

Closing Reflection

2025 has been a year of progress and learning for Talent Precision Group. Precision Perspectives has provided valuable insight into the mindset of senior finance leaders and has helped shape our understanding of the market.

We move into 2026 with clarity, focus and a commitment to delivering the highest standard of recruitment across the Benelux and UK finance community.

More to follow next year.