Driving Growth and Integration in a PE-backed Agency Group with Mike Sprot, CFO at IDHL
The Finance Seat · 2026-02-23 · 28 min
Episode notes
In this episode of The Finance Seat podcast , Headstar Managing Director James Roach speaks with Mike Sprot , CFO at IDHL, about scaling a digital agency under private equity ownership. Mike reflects on joining IDHL during COVID, completing a PE deal remotely, and helping the business grow from 200 to 400 plus people through organic growth and acquisitions. They explore what successful integration really takes, why culture is often underestimated, and how agencies avoid losing sight of value creation. The discussion also covers life under private equity, managing performance pressure, balancing short-term results with long-term strategy, and how finance leaders are responding to AI, global expansion and increasing complexity. Mike Sprot is CFO at IDHL, a multi-brand digital marketing agency operating across the UK, Europe and the US.