We are not a traditional search firm.
Most search firms are transactional. They fill a role, collect a fee, and move on. We operate differently.
We become an extension of your team — understanding your portfolio, your culture, your investors and your ambitions. We develop a view on your talent landscape long before you need to make a hire. That means when the moment arrives — and it always arrives faster than expected — we are already ready.
We don’t match CVs to job specs. We map leaders to value levers. Before we open a brief, we invest time understanding the value-creation plan, the cultural dynamics and what the incoming leader needs to inherit, build or dismantle.
Our diagnosis shapes the search — not the other way around.
Four principles.
How we operate, in every mandate.
Diagnose First
We get inside the business before we look outside. We ask the questions most search firms skip — about the firm’s strategy, the team dynamics, the cultural priorities and the leadership gaps. Not as a box-ticking exercise, but because it fundamentally changes the profile of who we should be looking for.
Specialism Over Generalism
We work where the market is small, relationship-driven and high-stakes. We know how private markets firms operate from the inside — and we map leaders to the capabilities that actually matter, not the job description that landed on our desk.
True Partnership
We’re accountable for outcomes, not just placements. We share market intelligence between mandates, not just during them. We tell you when the brief is wrong, not just when the search is complete. And our relationship continues after the hire — because the first 90 days matter.
Resilience & Tenacity
We pursue the right person, not the easiest one. We don’t stop when the obvious candidates have been approached, and we know when the search needs to change — with the courage to say so before time is wasted.
How we de-risk every hire.
Six concurrent workstreams running through the search — surfacing risk early, not at offer stage.
Identify
03 / Weeks 1–4 — Market diligence
Confidential conversations with current and former colleagues — triangulated against fund and fundraise data.
04 / Weeks 2–4 — In-depth interviews
Lead delivery manager runs structured Zoom interviews. Lead consultant meets candidates in person before presentation.
Diligence
03 / Weeks 1–4 — Market diligence
Confidential conversations with current and former colleagues — triangulated against fund and fundraise data.
04 / Weeks 2–4 — In-depth interviews
Lead delivery manager runs structured Zoom interviews. Lead consultant meets candidates in person before presentation.
Validate
05 / As required — Assessment tools
Bespoke case study tailored to the role. Hogan assessments uncover reputation, drivers and potential career derailers.
06 / As required — Legal & compliance
Background or credit checks recommended. Verification of academic, language and professional qualifications.