Precision for the hires that can't miss.
A research-led, exclusive search for leadership and business-critical roles — the whole market mapped, every candidate assessed the same way, every stage reported.
When retained is the right call.
Some hires are too important to leave to whoever happens to be applying. Retained search puts a dedicated team on exactly one outcome: your hire.
Leadership & executive roles
Heads-of, directors and C-suite — where the cost of a mis-hire is measured in quarters, not fees, and the best people aren't applying anywhere.
Confidential moves
Replacing an incumbent, or building ahead of an announcement. We approach the market discreetly, without your name attached until it should be.
Genuinely scarce skillsets
When there are thirty people in the country who can do the job, you need the whole market mapped and approached — not a job ad and hope.
First senior hire in a new function
A first VP Sales or Head of Engineering shapes everything hired after them. We help you define the profile, not just fill it.
A search you can see into.
Discovery & definition
We build the success profile with you — the outcomes of the role, not just a spec — and agree assessment criteria upfront.
Map & approach
Full market mapping: every relevant person identified, prioritised and approached with a story worth responding to.
Assess & calibrate
Structured interviews scored against the agreed criteria, with a weekly written report on coverage, response and pipeline.
Offer, reference & land
We manage referencing, offer and resignation, then stay close through onboarding to make sure the hire sticks.
Search, with receipts.
Retained search is often a black box. Ours is the opposite — you see the market map, the approach list, the scores and the pipeline every single week.
The whole market, not the active one
Job ads reach the 15% who are looking. Research-led search reaches the rest — usually where the best answer is.
Consistent, criteria-based assessment
Every candidate scored the same way against the profile we agreed — comparable, defensible, bias-resistant.
Guaranteed, and aftercared
An agreed guarantee period on every search, and structured check-ins through the first months.
Common questions.
How is a retained search structured?
Fees are typically staged — a portion on engagement, at shortlist and on completion — in exchange for exclusivity, a dedicated research team and full market coverage. We agree the structure openly before any work begins.
How long does a retained search take?
Most searches reach a fully calibrated shortlist within two to six weeks, with weekly written reporting so you always know exactly where the search stands.
How do you handle confidential searches?
Discreetly, by design. Confidential replacements and pre-announcement hires are approached without naming your business until candidates are qualified and under NDA where needed.
What if the placement doesn't work out?
Every retained search carries an agreed guarantee period. If the hire leaves early, we restart the search — that's part of the engagement, not a negotiation.
A hire you can't afford to get wrong?
Tell us about the role in confidence — we'll show you what the market looks like before you commit to anything.