The Brief

Developing AI that enables vehicles to understand and navigate the world, Wayve combines advanced research with ambitions for global commercial deployment. The business appointed STOIX to recruit a strategic right hand to the CFO: a newly created Director of Finance with the experience to develop its finance function as the company grew.

The Challenge

The brief demanded someone who could move confidently between detailed financial reporting, strategic input and team leadership. They needed to be comfortable creating structure from scratch and making progress through the pace and ambiguity of a scale-up. 

Technical expertise was only part of the picture. Wayve needed a leader suited to its culture, able to support a growing team and work within a business backed by major international investors. The appointment called for someone who could combine financial discipline with the adaptability of a scale-up leader. The search also had to reconcile compensation expectations and sustain candidate engagement through the summer. 

Our Solution

STOIX mapped talent globally, across technology, scale-up and private equity-backed businesses. Alongside reviewing a high volume of inbound interest, the team approached passive candidates and explored their experience, motivations and potential fit with Wayve’s environment. 

Working closely with Wayve’s leadership and talent team, STOIX acted as a sounding board on the search strategy and candidate assessment. From 135 people identified and 68 candidate conversations, seven candidates progressed to client interviews with three reaching the final stage.