Executive Search

Our team of recruiters, each with 20+ years of experience, goes beyond conventional search practices to identify and deliver exceptional C-Suite talent.  

The Magic of the Fit

We find one-of-a-kind leaders to transform your business and lead your company for years

Finding leaders who thrive in their new environments

Great hiring isn’t just about skills; it’s about matching people to environments where they and their teams will genuinely thrive. Finding these unique leaders requires a fresh, organic approach every time—so we can deliver that special fit for every client.

You don’t need us for your ‘plain vanilla’ searches where it seems obvious where to look for the right talent; you need us when the role seems packed with “the kitchen sink,” with skills and capabilities that don’t naturally seem to fit together.

Solving complex searches with creativity, insight, and perseverance

Whether it’s the General Counsel who can also build out an operational infrastructure; the CEO for an early-stage organic food business who is hands-on, deeply connected to customers, and experienced in fundraising; or the strategic recruiting leader who can also lead learning and development—we deliver the creative problem solving, perseverance, and marketing savvy to inspire the best candidates to explore the role.

Delivering transformative hires who fuel long-term success

Our hundreds of placements have delivered game-changing results, with most lasting for over 10 years. Notably, we often deliver these placements within two months, which sets us apart from other leading retained search firms. We strive not only to delight our clients, but also to change and improve the lives of our hires so they absolutely love what they do—learning and growing from the experience.

Hiring at the executive level is one of the most consequential decisions a company makes. Getting it right brings lasting impact, trust across the organization, and improves the whole system around them.

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Case Studies

  • WE IDENTIFIED THE PLACEMENT IN THE FIRST WEEK OF OUR SEARCH FOR CERBERUS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT.

    THE NEED

    Hire an ‘air traffic controller’ for all project-staffing needs at this demanding and dynamic private equity firm. The brand new role required a special combination of skills: the ability to prioritize, allocate resources, cultivate an external network of experts, and maintain a sense of urgency – all with a managed ego.

    THE STRATEGY

    Target candidates from management consulting and financial services who had handled internal staffing and serviced challenging clients.

    THE TWIST

    Our prior search work for McKinsey and BCG helped us quickly identify the unique profile required. We immediately called “the perfect fit candidate” — he met the client within one week of starting the search and the match was clear.

    THE OUTCOME

    Within two weeks of starting the search, our client met the ‘perfect’ candidate along with four others and made their hire within the first month.

  • WE LEVERAGED OUR SKILLS AT COACHING AND ASSESSMENT TO PLACE LONG-LASTING HIRES FOR MCKINSEY & COMPANY.

    THE NEED

    Identify multiple professionals who could lead professional development and staffing for McKinsey consultants.

    THE STRATEGY

    Since the client did not want to hire from other management consulting firms, we pursued candidates from other business sectors with the right ‘intrinsic’ capabilities to do the job.

    THE TWIST

    We leveraged our experience in recruiting and coaching to develop a new interviewing approach specifically for this search. With customized questions, we quickly identified the candidates who met the ‘intrinsic’ standards for McKinsey and would ensure a strong chemistry fit.

    THE OUTCOME

    With 5 placements over six years, we helped McKinsey rebuild their Northeast Professional Development and Staffing Group. All five placements upgraded the standard for what McKinsey leadership could expect from this position, and they each remained for 6+ years.

  • WE RECRUITED A CFO/COO FROM THE FOR-PROFIT SECTOR TO JOIN OUR NON-PROFIT CLIENT…AND HE WAS QUICKLY PROMOTED.

    THE NEED

    Find a CFO/COO for a venerable, 100-year-old adoption agency. The new leader needed to bring a sophisticated and ideally private sector mindset and be able to operate as more of an operational leader, business partner and potential successor to the Executive Director.

    THE STRATEGY

    Target candidates in for-profit and not-for-profit environments, interviewing both CFOs and COOs. This search required a combination of original research into like-sized non-profits and extensive networking among sources in the for-profit arena.

    THE TWIST

    Finding for-profit executives who can transition successfully to non-profit environments is notoriously difficult. Our unique approach was to contact non-profit Board members to leverage their networks – they knew which Board members from the private sector might have the interest and ability to make this type of career change.

    THE OUTCOME

    We secured a placement from the for-profit sector within two months. His high impact work and quick credibility with the Board led to his promotion to Executive Director within 5 months of being hired.

  • CLIENT EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS IN HER NEW ROLE AND QUICKLY BECAME AN INTEGRAL MEMBER OF THE LEADERSHIP TEAM.

    THE GOAL

    Help our client, a newly appointed Chief Talent Officer, transform a culture led by a leadership team with old-fashioned views about human capital management.

    THE SITUATION

    The client was having a hard time ‘selling’ innovative ideas to her senior management team—an opinionated group that was resistant to change. Given her hard-charging personality, we needed to develop a strategy to present her ideas in a way that was not only easy to understand but also less threatening.

    THE STRATEGY

    We helped our client with four key steps to ensure her success:

    • Build a plan to unfold the cultural transformation in phases so the changes would feel gradual

    • Prioritize initiatives based on the CEO’s greatest concerns to ensure ‘buy-in’ from key senior leaders

    • Develop a communication strategy linking the changes to goals for each business segment

    • Strengthen internal partnerships, rebuilding her team with A players

    THE OUTCOME

    After one year on the job, the client received feedback from her boss, the CHRO, that she was an invaluable hire—someone who regularly exceeded his and the CEO’s expectations. She also became an integral member of the Global Executive Leadership team and an advisor to the CEO.