Case study
Scaling Nasstar’s PE Value Creation Plan with Three Specialist Hires
Nasstar partnered with Cedar to strengthen its senior team during a key private equity transformation phase. We delivered three specialist searches to support financial control, cost optimisation, and automation, securing leaders with proven PE experience and pace. These appointments accelerated operational and commercial improvement, aligning talent to a clear value creation plan.
Nasstar is a cloud and managed IT services provider undergoing a strategic transformation under the ownership of private equity firm Mayfair Equity Partners. With a clear multi-year value creation plan in place, the business is preparing for a future exit by strengthening its financial, operational, and commercial foundations.
Despite being a well-established business, Nasstar faced increasing market pressure due to price competition and margin erosion. Mayfair and the leadership team prioritised bottom-line optimisation and operational efficiency as key pillars for growth.
Following Mayfair’s investment, Nasstar needed to build out a senior leadership team capable of executing its value creation plan across finance, transformation, and procurement. Key priorities included:
- Margin Protection: Increasing market competition meant improving commercial control and operational efficiency was essential to protect margins and ensure scalability.
- Functional Expertise Gaps: The business required seasoned leaders in finance, procurement, and transformation to drive operational change and financial discipline.
- Private Equity Alignment: Each hire needed to operate at pace, deliver measurable impact, and align with Mayfair’s exit timeline and value creation strategy.
Cedar was engaged to lead three retained search processes across a six-month period. Working closely with the senior leadership team and investors, we delivered:
- Specialist, High-Touch Search Campaigns: Each role was handled as a distinct project to ensure tailored search, candidate fit, and speed of execution.
- Strategic Alignment: We mapped the market for leaders who had successfully operated in private equity environments and could drive change at pace.
- Function-Specific Insight: Provided benchmarking and search strategy advice to secure candidates capable of leading large-scale automation, cost control, and commercial transformation.
Cedar delivered three critical appointments to support Nasstar’s transformation agenda:
- Group Financial Controller – tasked with driving financial control and reporting discipline across the business.
- Procurement Lead – appointed to renegotiate supplier agreements and drive commercial cost savings.
- Transformation Lead – brought in to lead automation across finance, IT, and business operations.
These hires were made within a six-month window, with each appointment contributing directly to Nasstar’s operational and financial improvement plans. By partnering with Cedar, Nasstar built a high-impact leadership team aligned to its long-term private equity goals.