Leadership hiring.
Heads of function, directors, VPs and CXOs. We work directly with founders and top management, and search in confidence.
Most senior hires that fail, fail on fit. Not on skill.
Research reported by the World Economic Forum found that half or more of new executives fail within 18 months of taking a role. A strong CV is the easiest thing to check, and the weakest guide.
Hired for the past
Results achieved with a bigger team or a known brand do not move with the person. We look at what the next role needs.
Fit never tested
Pace, decision-making and how much freedom the role really has decide whether a leader succeeds. We test them before you meet anyone.
A role nobody defined
"Grow the business" is not a brief. We agree what the person must achieve in their first year before the search starts.
When companies call us
Building a new function
Your first head of sales, finance, HR or engineering, when nobody inside has hired for the role before.
Replacing a leader quietly
The role cannot be advertised and the team should not hear of it yet. We search without naming your company.
Scaling up
After a funding round, a new market or a new GCC, when the leadership team has to grow faster than the company can hire.
Strengthening the second line
Directors and VPs who can run their part of the business today and step up tomorrow.
How a leadership search runs.
- 1A brief with the founders or the leadership teamYou get a written role scorecard: the results, decisions and team the role owns
- 2A map of the marketYou get the companies and roles we will approach, and pay levels
- 3Direct and confidential approachWe contact people who are not looking, without naming you until they are interested
- 4AssessmentStructured interviews on leadership, decisions and results, and conversations with people who worked with them
- 5A shortlist with fitment notesYou meet a few people, each with our reasons in writing
- 6Offer, notice period and the first monthsWe stay with the candidate to the first day, and check in after they join
How we assess a leader
The same three checks we run on every candidate, taken to the level the role needs.
How they lead
The teams they have built, the people who followed them, and how they handle someone who is not performing.
How they decide
Real decisions: one that went wrong, one that was unpopular, and what they learned.
What changed because of them
Results they can explain in detail, checked with people who worked with them.
How they fit your company
Your founders, your pace and your stage. A leader who thrived at a large company may struggle at a growing one, and the reverse.
Confidential from the first call
Your name stays private
We describe the role without naming your company until a candidate is interested and you agree.
Candidates are protected too
We share a person's profile only after they agree to be put forward for your role.
Nothing is posted
Leadership searches are not advertised. We reach people directly.
Leadership roles we hire for
CXOs: CTO, CFO, COO, CHROHeads of Engineering and TechnologyHeads of ProductHeads of Sales and Business DevelopmentFinance ControllersHeads of HRHeads of OperationsDirectors and VPsIndia site leaders for GCCsCountry and business unit heads
In the sectors we know best: IT, Software and SaaS, Accounting, Finance and Banking, Manufacturing and Engineering, Computer, Network and Security, and GCCs.
Questions leaders and founders ask
How is a leadership search different from regular hiring?
Fewer candidates, approached directly, and assessed more deeply. Most of the people we present were not looking for a job until we called them.
How long does it take?
Usually a few months from the brief to the first day, and much of that is the notice period of the candidate, often 60 to 90 days for senior people. We agree a timeline with you in the first call and keep you updated as the search runs.
How do you keep the search confidential?
We do not advertise the role and do not name your company until a candidate is interested and you agree. Candidate profiles are shared only with their consent.
What does it cost?
We agree the fee with you in writing before the search starts, so there are no surprises later.
Do you hire leaders for GCCs?
Yes, including the India site leader and the first heads of function. Read about GCC hiring.
Read more: Why senior hires fail, and how to get a leadership hire right
Hiring a leader? Talk to us in confidence.
Tell us about the role. We reply with a time for a call.