Our approach
A defined assignment. A documented decision.
Every assignment starts with a statement of work and ends with advice you can stand behind. In between, a senior consultant runs the search, the assessment and the shortlist advice, under your name or ours, with every step visible to you.
What you receive
Documented advice, not just a shortlist.
Whichever service you use, the work produces the same core documents, so every step can be traced, compared and defended.
- 01
Statement of work
The brief, the scope of work, the deliverables and a budget ceiling, agreed before we start.
- 02
Market insight and longlist
A map of the relevant market and the candidates in it, visible in the client portal as it grows.
- 03
Candidate reports
An interview profile and a candidate report for every shortlisted candidate, internal or external, on the same criteria.
- 04
Shortlist advice and close
Written advice on each shortlisted candidate, with strengths and risks side by side, then support with the offer, references and onboarding.
Our own recruitment platform
Every search runs on our own platform, knowledge base and candidate database, with your ATS or HCM connected if you wish.
Real-time client portal
Follow the search day by day: the longlist as it grows, the shortlist as it takes shape and our analysis of each candidate.
Structured assessment
Competency-based interviews, desk research on results achieved and, where relevant, additional assessments, recorded on one scorecard.
How an assignment runs
Four stages, every assignment.
The same stages apply to a single search, an interim appointment and a team build. A permanent search typically reaches a first shortlist in four to six weeks; an interim role takes about two weeks to an accepted offer.
Stage 1
Scope
Statement of work, role definition, success criteria and stakeholder alignment.
Stage 2
Search
Job advertising unless you prefer discretion, a longlist mapped from the target market and direct approach of potential candidates.
Stage 3
Assess
Competency-based interviews and candidate analysis against the agreed criteria, then the shortlist advice.
Stage 4
Close
Process guidance to appointment, including the offer, reference checks with previous employers and, where needed, onboarding support.
How we work with you
Four principles for every assignment.
We work as a specialist extension of your HR team: close enough to represent you well, independent enough to give you an honest view.
01
Under your name and brand
Campaigns, role presentations and candidate correspondence carry your employer brand, or ours if you prefer. Where useful, interviews take place at your location.
02
Your team stays in control
We take on the operational work, from role calibration and interview coordination to documentation. Your team sets the brief, meets the finalists and takes every decision.
03
Independent market intelligence
We map the relevant market and benchmark reward, so the advice reaches beyond the candidates who happen to apply.
04
The same criteria for every candidate
Internal and external candidates for a role are assessed on the same criteria. With no placement fee and no link to salary, we have no stake in which one you choose.
Shortlist advice
Our advice, your decision.
A senior consultant leads each assignment and signs the shortlist advice. The appointment stays with you: the shortlist gives you a real choice, with each candidate’s strengths and risks side by side.
Scorecard
Illustration, fictitious
CFO, PE-owned buy-and-build group
A, internalB, externalC, external
Integrating acquisitions30%
Reporting to the owner and lenders25%
Preparing for a sale25%
Leading and building the team20%
Distinct strength
- Candidate A
- Knows the business and the team
- Candidate B
- Has prepared a company for sale
- Candidate C
- Has integrated a series of acquisitions
How the shortlist advice is built
- 01
Criteria before candidates
The criteria and their weights are agreed with you before the first candidate is seen, based on what the role must deliver in the next three years.
- 02
Evidence behind every score
Each score cites its sources: the competency-based interview, desk research on results achieved and informal references. No evidence, no score.
- 03
A shortlist with real choice
A shortlist usually holds two to five candidates, three on average, each with distinct strengths. When an internal candidate is in the running, at least two external candidates sit alongside.
- 04
The decision stays with you
The advice sets out each candidate’s strengths and risks, and the situation in which each is the strongest choice. You make the appointment.
“All three candidates meet the agreed criteria, each with a different strength. If a sale is planned within two years, candidate B brings the most directly relevant experience. If further acquisitions come first, candidate C has done that integration work before. Candidate A offers continuity and knows the team; preparing for a sale would need support.”
Illustration: the role, the candidates and the scores are fictitious. The method is the one we use on every search.
Commercial terms
A statement of work, a pre-agreed budget ceiling, no placement fee.
Each assignment runs on a statement of work that sets out the brief, the scope of work, the deliverables and a pre-agreed budget ceiling. That ceiling covers the full delivery: the professionals working on the assignment, our methodology and recruitment platform, market research, assessment and candidate reporting, job advertising, contract templates for independent contractors, and time on site with you, your HR team and hiring managers when the assignment calls for it.
The ceiling is an upper limit, not a fixed price: if a search stops without an appointment, you pay only for the work completed up to that point.
46–58%
below the agency benchmark in our 2026 partnership reviews. How we measure
Statement of work
Every assignment
- Brief and success criteria
- Agreed
- Scope of work and deliverables
- Defined
- Reporting on time and progress
- Throughout
- Budget ceiling
- Before we start
- Placement fee
- None
For groups and holdings
One hiring partner across your business lines.
Each business keeps its own name and its own decisions, while terms, standards and market intelligence stay consistent across the group.
One set of terms
The same model for every business line, with a budget ceiling agreed for each assignment.
One assessment standard
Candidates assessed the same way across the group, so internal moves and external hires can be compared.
Reporting per business line
Partnership reviews per entity and for the group: appointments, investment and the difference with agency benchmarks.
Our services
One approach, four ways to engage.
Move between them as the situation changes. The approach, the documents and the commercial terms stay the same.
- 01Executive SearchWhen one appointment shapes the direction.Typically 4–6 weeks to a first shortlist
- 02Interim SolutionsWhen continuity cannot wait.About two weeks to an accepted offer
- 03Strategic Team BuildWhen several pivotal hires land together.2–8 appointments, one statement of work
- 04Talent AdvisoryWhen the decision comes before the search.2–6 weeks, a defined output
