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A Recruitment Business Built on Experience, Grounded by Reality

Hawthorn One was created with a clear focus: manufacturing finance recruitment.

We recruit for manufacturing and engineering businesses across Lancashire and Greater Manchester, connecting them with finance professionals seeking careers in production led environments.

Manufacturing finance is different. It goes beyond reporting numbers to understanding BOMs, WIP, labour variances, stock movements, raw material pricing and the operational pressures behind the figures.

That understanding shapes how we recruit. Delivering recruitment that creates lasting value for both businesses and people.

 

Why Hawthorn One Exists

Manufacturing deserves a finance recruitment partner with true sector focus, not stretched across multiple indistries, but as a deliberate area of expertise.

Too often candidates are assessed against generic finance criteria, resulting in shortlists without true manufacturing exposure and capable finance professionals overlooked because their CV doesn’t fit a standard template.

 

Hawthorn One was created to:

  • Deliver quicker, with confidence.
  • Recruit with real sector insight.
  • Build long term partnerships.

Recruitment works best when it’s collaborative, transparent and grounded in sector knowledge.

Meet our Leaders

  • A portrait of Lucinda O’Neill

    Lucinda O’Neill

    Founder

    Lucinda is a proven Recruitment leader and Founder with nearly two decades of experience in finance recruitment and executive search in the North West. She specialises in supporting manufacturing and engineering businesses, partnering with owner-managed, private equity-backed and listed companies to build high-performing finance teams and long-term relationships built on trust and consistent delivery.

  • A portrait of Cassie Cherry

    Cassie Cherry

    Director

    Cassie is an experienced Recruitment Director with over a decade of experience in finance recruitment and executive search. She has built her career across the North West, partnering with high-growth, private equity and venture-backed businesses to secure high-calibre finance talent, combining strong market insight with a quality-led, detail-focused approach.

How we work

Our recruitment processes are structured, consultative and tailored to the level of hire through three distinct approaches: executive and leadership search and selection, qualified finance recruitment and transactional finance appointments.

  • Understand

    We begin by understanding your business, finance structure and hiring objectives, or your career ambitions and motivations. Every search starts with a clear brief, structured role definition and a shared understanding of what success looks like.

  • Advise

    We provide clear, honest guidance informed by market insight, including salary benchmarking, candidate availability and targeted market mapping where required.

  • Deliver

    Our delivery approach is tailored to every role, from targeted search and market mapping for retained leadership hires to structured competency-based screening and detailed candidate briefings for finance and support roles.

  • Support

    We remain engaged throughout and beyond the placement, supporting long-term success through ongoing advice, market insight and relationships with both clients and candidates.
Explore our Work

Manufacturing Finance Sector Expertise

Our specialism sits firmly within manufacturing finance.

We recruit across:

  • All manufacturing and engineering sectors.
  • Businesses of all sizes and ownership structures.
  • From entry level finance through to C-suite. Permanent and Interim.

By remaining focused on our niche, we deliver insight and consistency, not a diluted, generalist service.

Find Out More
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Giving Back to the Sector We Serve

Hawthorn One donates a percentage of earnings to Primary Engineer, supporting engineering education and helping inspire future talent within manufacturing and related industries.

It’s our way of giving back to the sector that continues to shape our work.

Start a Conversation

Whether you’re building a finance team or considering your next career move, we’re here to support you. Speak to Hawthorn One and start a conversation built on understanding.

Contact Us