Executive Search and Leadership Intelligence

Timelines vary with seniority, sector, and market. Highly specialised technical or aerospace and defense mandates typically take longer than commercial roles, since the qualified leader pool is smaller and reference work more involved. We agree a specific, realistic timeline with the board as part of the initial mandate briefing, not as a generic promise upfront.

Every search begins with an agreed confidentiality protocol covering how the mandate is described externally, who is told internally, and how approaches to leaders are made. Leaders we approach are never told which specific organisation is hiring until they choose to proceed to a serious conversation. The same discretion applies in reverse: no employer is ever told who has been approached without that leader's consent.

If a shortlisted leader does not proceed, or an appointment does not work out early on, we return to the market and continue the search. The mandate continues under its original terms, at no additional cost to the board. We extend a search rather than present a compromise candidate, and no mandate closes early.

Yes — boards frequently ask us to benchmark a strong internal candidate against the external market before deciding. We assess that candidate using the same structured framework and reference approach applied to every external leader in the mandate. This gives the board comparable evidence either way, rather than a choice made on instinct alone.

A recruitment agency typically fills a defined role from those who respond to an advertisement, often across many roles at once. Executive search is retained, confidential, and research-led: a single mandate, a market fully mapped before any conversation begins, and leaders approached directly. The relationship is with the board or CEO, not a transaction per role filled.