Clubhouse Studio hired a fractional Finance Director with enki
1. The Challenge
Clubhouse Studio is a 20+ person creative agency working with some of the UK’s leading lifestyle brands. When their Finance Director left, the team faced a familiar startup dilemma: they needed senior financial leadership - but didn’t need (or want) a full-time hire.
“The skill set needed at the FD level is very necessary, but isn’t necessary five days a week.”
The hiring lead had seen fractional finance work in other companies - but wasn’t sure what level to aim for, what the commitment should look like, or how to define the role with a new MD joining.
“Previously I probably would’ve said, ‘Let’s find a consultant.’ But now that fractionals are becoming so much more embedded in everyday business… it was a bit of a no-brainer, to be perfectly honest.”
2. The enki Process
The enki process began with an Ambassador Call: a 30-minute scoping session with one of enki’s experienced fractional FDs to help Clubhouse align on the right seniority, day rate, and weekly cadence.
“We scoped the role in one call — literally: these are the areas that are important to us, what level should we pitch this at?”
“Having that person available to talk us through what the reality of it is — what to consider, what level we needed, potential challenges — was so, so helpful.”
Once the role was scoped, enki pushed it out to our pre-vetted community of fractional finance professionals. A curated shortlist landed in their inbox within days.
“Time-wise, with regards to submitting the brief and getting profiles back — really wonderful. Super quick.”
Clubhouse interviewed just two candidates. One stood out for her flexibility, clarity, and hands-on leadership. She was hired within three weeks.
“There were a couple of standout candidates… There was almost no question asked about going ahead with this.”
3. The Result
The Fractional FD onboarded gradually - starting with one day per week during the outgoing FD’s final weeks, ramping up to two days with the flexibility to increase availability during busy periods like budgeting and year-end.
“She’s so flexible. She’s been really aware of what we need, and transparent about what she needs too.”
“We’re merging in, we’re moving that together.”
With the finance function stabilised, Clubhouse Studio could focus on growth - knowing they had a seasoned FD in the room for the moments that mattered.
4. Why They Loved enki
For Clubhouse Studios, enki made a critical hire feel refreshingly simple - and far more strategic than a typical recruiter-led process.
“I felt very supported… especially having that ambassador call first.”
The Ambassador Call turned a vague resourcing need into a clearly defined role - aligned on seniority, day rate, availability, and outcomes - before a single candidate was shown.
“Those of us not in finance will swing around different titles at ease… We were assuming we wanted an FD, when actually we needed an FC or vice versa. That insight made a big difference.”
From there, the process was clean and fast. No back-and-forth. No resumé overload. Just a curated shortlist of top-tier fractional operators who were ready to go.
“Time-wise, with regards to submitting the brief and getting profiles back - really wonderful. Super quick.”
And once the right candidate showed up, the decision was obvious.
“It just honestly made it like a zooming. The candidates were good. There was almost no question asked about going ahead with this.”
enki combined clarity, quality, and speed - helping Clubhouse Studio fill a senior role in a way that felt modern, founder-friendly, and entirely under control.
Hiring senior finance talent shouldn’t be messy, expensive, or overwhelming.
With enki, it isn’t.