C-LEVELRsearch.

We start with the business and the decisions this person will own. What needs to change over the next 12–18 months? What is working today, and where is leadership capacity missing? We discuss the company’s stage, the team, reporting lines, resources and the expectations of founders or shareholders.

Together, we turn that context into a search brief: the outcomes the leader should deliver, the experience that matters, and the criteria we will use to compare candidates. We also separate essential requirements from preferences so that the search stays focused without excluding relevant people.

Yes, an additional assessment can be included in the search scope. Before choosing a tool, we agree what you want to understand — for example, leadership style, decision-making under pressure, motivation or the way a candidate works with other people.

Where appropriate, a qualified assessment specialist can administer and interpret a recognised instrument, with the candidate’s informed consent. We discuss the findings alongside interviews and references. An assessment adds another perspective; it does not replace evidence of professional experience or make the hiring decision on its own.

We can structure a search so that the company’s identity and the reason for the hire are not disclosed in the initial outreach. Before starting, we agree who may know about the assignment, what can be shared with candidates and when further information can be released.

We use an agreed description of the opportunity, limit access to sensitive information and coordinate candidate introductions with you. References are requested only at an agreed stage and with the candidate’s consent. We can reduce exposure through a controlled process, but cannot promise that nobody will ever infer that a search is taking place.

We examine the candidate’s actual scope of responsibility: the size of the business or function, the team, budget, reporting lines and decisions they personally owned. In structured interviews, we explore specific situations, actions and results, including difficult decisions and what did not work.

We compare that evidence with the agreed brief and discuss how transferable the experience is to your company. Depending on the assignment, we can include a business case, additional assessment and references from people who worked with the candidate. You receive a written summary of the relevant evidence, strengths, gaps and questions to explore in your own interviews.