Accordion has expanded its European CFO technology practice with three senior hires in London as private equity sponsors increase pressure on portfolio companies to upgrade finance systems.
The financial consulting firm has appointed Adil Rehman and James Wainwright as Senior Directors and Nicholas (Nick) Mascia as Director. The roles sit within Accordion’s CFO Technology Practise and focus on ERP, corporate performance management, CRM and data architecture for private equity-backed businesses.
The move reflects growing demand from European private equity sponsors for more robust finance technology in their portfolio companies. Sponsors now expect finance functions to support faster decision-making, stronger reporting and clearer value-creation tracking.
Growing PE demand
Accordion focuses on private equity-owned companies. The firm advises sponsors and portfolio CFOs on how to build and scale finance technology infrastructure.
The consultancy sees rising expectations from sponsors who want finance platforms in place from the early stages of an investment. It reports increased demand for strategy and implementation across ERP, CPM/EPM, CRM, data architecture and AI-focused finance tools.
Mukesh Shah, Managing Director and Head of Accordion’s CFO Technology Practise, said investment in finance systems has moved up the agenda for portfolio leaders. “PE-backed CFOs can no longer treat finance tech as a back-office afterthought,” said Shah. “Adil, James, and Nick will help our clients build scalable finance platforms that enable real-time decision-making, drive margin expansion, and support growth without sacrificing oversight or control.”
Accordion now has more than 100 certified technology specialists across global delivery locations. The firm works with sponsors and CFOs across multiple software platforms.
London build-out
The three new hires are based in London. The office is a growing hub for Accordion’s European private equity work.
Andy Burgess is Senior Managing Director and London Office Leader. He said sponsors want practical routes from value-creation planning to operational delivery.
“For a PE sponsor, value doesn’t come just from acquisition; it comes from execution, growth, and eventual exit,” said Andy Burgess, Senior Managing Director and Accordion London Office Leader. “Expanding our CFO Tech bench in Europe gives our clients a practical path to translate sponsor value-creation plans into scalable operating models and strong equity stories.”
The expanded London team works with sponsors, operating partners and portfolio leadership teams. The focus areas include modernising finance organisations and standardising processes across portfolios.
Mandates and focus
Accordion’s CFO Technology offering covers both advisory and hands-on implementation. The practice supports projects that range from system selection to full-scale roll-outs across finance and commercial functions.
Its work on ERP focuses on strategy, selection and implementation leadership. The firm aims to create unified system architectures across finance and operations.
On corporate performance management and enterprise performance management, the team deploys planning, forecasting, consolidation, reporting and analytics platforms. These tools give sponsors and CFOs greater visibility on performance and liquidity.
The practice also designs and delivers CRM programmes. These often centre on Salesforce and link revenue, sales and customer operations. Accordion applies CRM to areas such as configure-price-quote, quote-to-cash, billing and revenue recognition.
Data architecture and integration form another strand. The team creates data platforms that can support analytics, cash flow forecasting and contract-focused tools under AI and automation models.
Background of new hires
Rehman joins as Senior Director. He is a specialist in finance systems advisory and implementation. His experience covers ERP, EPM, reporting and treasury solutions. He has worked with both high-growth start-ups and global enterprises.
Wainwright also joins as Senior Director. He focuses on financial and operational performance improvement through technology. His work includes CRM implementation and optimisation. He has worked with a wide range of sponsors and portfolio companies on finance system deployment and commercial outcomes.
Mascia joins as Director. He concentrates on planning processes, operational efficiency and extracting value from technology investments. He has led technology projects across sectors including telecommunications, media, manufacturing and financial services.
All three have experience with private equity-backed companies. Their work has included performance management and finance transformation programmes.
Private equity context
Accordion positions its CFO Technology offering specifically around private equity ownership. It works with portfolio companies through the full investment lifecycle from acquisition through to exit.
The firm typically engages when sponsors push for rapid scaling and greater reporting sophistication. This often coincides with bolt-on acquisitions, new market entry or preparation for a sale process.
Shah said early investment in modern finance infrastructure has become a key theme for sponsors. “Sponsors and CFOs who invest early in a modern finance backbone unlock optionality,” said Shah. “Whether growing aggressively or preparing for exit, having clean data, connected systems, and tech-enabled processes makes all the difference, operationally and in valuation.”
Accordion plans to use its London-based senior hires to expand work with European private equity sponsors and CFOs on finance technology transformation across portfolios.