A C-suite appointment is not a bigger version of a senior hire. The risk sits somewhere else: in the brief, in the assessment, and in what happens after the offer. This is the process we run, in full, so you can judge it before you commit to anything.
We start upstream of the search. What does this role actually need to deliver in its first year, what does it not need to own, and is a hire the right answer at all? Where the honest answer is to redesign the role or wait, we will say so.
We map the whole market, not a database. That means the people who are not looking, competitor movements, where capability is concentrated, and what people are actually being paid. You see the map, not just the shortlist that came out of it.
Before approaching anyone, we establish what the package needs to be to secure the calibre you have described. Getting this wrong is the most common reason a C-suite search stalls at offer.
Every approach is made individually and is confidential on both sides. For sensitive appointments, including where an incumbent is still in post, the search runs without your name attached until a candidate is serious.
A 45 minute screening conversation, then a competency-based interview against the framework we agreed at briefing. Interviews are recorded and shared with your panel, so you are not relying on our summary of what was said.
You receive a curated shortlist with a written assessment against each competency, plus a video profile of every candidate. You see communication style and presence before you spend a day interviewing.
Scorecard reports on the final candidates, and formal referencing carried out by us rather than left to you. At this level, referencing is part of the search, not an administrative step afterwards.
We manage the offer conversation on both sides and stay involved through resignation and notice, which is where senior appointments most often fall over. We check in through the first three months.
“Joanna immediately understood the calibre of person we needed and the complexity of the brief. She delivered a shortlist that a traditional recruiter simply would not have produced. We now have a world-class AI leader in post.”
Client
“Joanna salvaged a search that had cost us months. Her understanding of the candidate landscape, and her ability to attract people who would not have applied through a conventional route, made all the difference.”
Client
“Speed, precision, and total professionalism. Joanna understood what a PE-backed environment demands and delivered a shortlist of exceptional quality. We have the right person in post and on track.”
Client
Longlist within two weeks, once the market mapping is complete. Shortlist at around four weeks, after we have interviewed. Six to eight weeks from briefing to offer for most searches. C-suite and confidential mandates can run longer, and we will say so at briefing.
Every search is retained, which means we are resourced to complete it rather than racing another agency to a CV. If an appointment does not work out within three months, we run the search again at no additional fee.
If you are weighing a first Chief AI Officer, Chief Data and AI Officer or transformation appointment, the most useful conversation is usually the one before the search starts.
