Executive Search Methodology: A Complete Guide for UK Businesses

Executive Search Methodology: A Complete Guide for UK Businesses

Executive search is the discipline of finding and assessing senior leaders for roles where the cost of a bad appointment is materially higher than the cost of a thorough search. The methodology has evolved over the past forty years from largely contingent recruitment with informal candidate networks to retained engagements with structured market mapping, rigorous assessment, and integrated onboarding work. The approach matters because senior appointments — CEOs, CFOs, COOs, board members, regulated firm SMF holders — fail at materially higher rates when run through informal processes than through structured search, and the cost of failure is consequential at this level. Understanding what good executive search methodology looks like is useful for boards approaching their first retained search, for firms refreshing how they have approached previous searches, and for anyone evaluating proposals from competing search firms.

This guide is written for chairs, CEOs, founders and shareholders making decisions about how to approach senior appointments. It covers the six-phase search methodology end-to-end, the retained-versus-contingent distinction, candidate pool framing, assessment dimensions, fee structures, and what to expect at each stage. For our broader executive search service, see executive search and executive headhunters. For role-specific hiring guides covering CEO, CFO, COO and other appointments, see our Knowledge Centre.

How it works: the search process at a glance

The detail of each phase follows later in this guide. For a board or owner who wants the outline first, this is the sequence an Exec Capital search follows. We agree the timetable with you at briefing, because it depends on the role, the candidate market, notice periods and, for regulated firms, the approval route.

Retained vs contingent vs database recruitment

Understanding the three approaches is the first step in evaluating which methodology fits a senior search.

Retained executive search is the standard methodology for senior appointments. The client commits to the search firm at the start of the engagement, with the fee structure agreed at briefing. The search firm commits exclusive resources, conducts structured market mapping, and engages candidates discreetly. The relationship is consultative — the search firm acts as adviser to the client throughout the process, not just as a candidate-supplier. Strong retained search costs more than the alternatives but produces materially better outcomes for senior roles.

Contingent recruitment is the standard methodology for non-senior roles and (sometimes inappropriately) for less consequential senior roles. The firm pays only on placement. The search firm typically works on multiple competing assignments simultaneously, draws candidates primarily from existing databases or networks rather than structured market mapping, and has no incentive to surface high-quality passive candidates who require time to engage. Contingent works for high-volume roles where speed matters more than depth; it works poorly for senior appointments where the strongest candidates are passive and require time to be brought into a process.

Database or job-board recruitment is the lightest-touch approach — drawing on candidates who have applied for roles or registered interest, typically with limited assessment. Suitable for some specific situations (e.g. interim roles where the candidate market is structured around availability databases) but inappropriate for permanent senior appointments where the strongest candidates are not actively in the market.

Most senior appointments — CEO, CFO, COO, board roles, regulated firm SMFs — warrant retained search. The exceptions are interim and fractional roles where database approaches sometimes work for specific situations, and certain mid-market Director-tier roles where contingent search may produce acceptable outcomes if the candidate pool is broad enough.

The three approaches compared

Our retained vs contingent executive search guide goes further into the commercial differences. The short version is that the methodology a firm uses is decided by its incentives. A firm paid only on placement is rewarded for speed and volume of CVs; a firm committed to a single assignment is rewarded for getting the right person into the role and keeping them there.

When to hire: permanent, interim, fractional or part-time

Methodology starts before the search. The first decision is which engagement format the business actually needs, because a permanent search, an interim placement and a fractional appointment each call for a different process. Getting this wrong is a common reason searches stall: a board runs a permanent search when what it needed was experienced cover for six months, or appoints a full-time executive into a role that only needs two days a week.

For regulated firms, the format question is often the most pressing one. A firm that loses its SMF16 compliance oversight holder or SMF17 money laundering reporting officer usually needs cover quickly, and frequently does not need a full-time holder at all. Fractional and interim routes — a fractional CCO, a fractional compliance officer, an interim CCO or a fractional MLRO — are the most common way smaller FCA-authorised firms fill these seats. The search methodology for these appointments still matters: the candidate has to be approvable, credible with the FCA and available, and those three tests are assessed before an introduction is made.

The six-phase search methodology

A well-run retained search runs through six structured phases. The phase structure is broadly consistent across senior roles, with the relative weighting and timeline varying by role and firm. We agree the timetable for each phase with you at briefing rather than working to a fixed template.

Phase 1 — Brief. The board, the CEO and the search firm align on the role specification, the candidate pool framing, the compensation envelope and the timeline. Strong briefs answer four questions: what the firm needs the executive to deliver, what the firm looks like under this executive in three to five years, what the working relationships with the chair, CEO and rest of the executive team are, and what the firm does not need from this executive. Specifications that drift through the search — adding criteria, removing criteria, changing emphasis — signal to candidates that the board has not done the work, and the strongest candidates withdraw.

Phase 2 — Market mapping. The search firm conducts structured market mapping across the relevant candidate pools — typically sitting equivalents at peer firms, step-up candidates from larger firms, sector specialists, cross-discipline candidates, and (where applicable) returners from career breaks. The mapping produces a long list of named candidates against the role specification, ordered by initial fit assessment. Strong market mapping is genuinely structured rather than network-driven; weaker market mapping defaults to whoever the search firm already knows.

Phase 3 — Engagement. The strongest candidates from the market map are engaged formally. Senior candidates are typically passive — not actively seeking moves — so engagement requires discreet introduction, careful sequencing of conversations, and confidentiality. The strongest candidates often need three or four conversations before they engage seriously with a process; rushing this phase loses strong candidates fast.

Phase 4 — Assessment. The shortlist (typically four to six candidates) proceeds through structured assessment — typically multiple interviews with the CEO, executive team, chair, and (where applicable) major shareholders or PE sponsors, plus formal reference work and (for some roles) external assessment. The assessment phase is where retained search differs most substantively from contingent — the depth of work uncovering candidates’ actual track records, working styles and reference patterns is what produces better appointment outcomes.

Phase 5 — Selection and offer. The preferred candidate is offered the role, the offer is negotiated, and the candidate accepts. Offer negotiations are often the phase that goes wrong on senior appointments — typically because compensation envelopes set against internal precedent rather than market reality produce uncomfortable surprises. Strong search firms do compensation calibration during the brief phase, not the offer phase. Our executive offer construction guide covers buy-outs, notice and counter-offer handling.

Phase 6 — Onboarding and transition. This phase runs for as long as the candidate’s notice requires, and longer where regulatory approval is involved. The candidate works through their existing notice while the firm prepares the executive committee onboarding, board introductions, and the first hundred days plan. The strongest search engagements include onboarding work as part of the engagement rather than as an optional extension. See our Executive Onboarding guide for the substantive content.

Realistic timelines

Total timeline for senior retained searches is usually measured in months rather than weeks, and depends on the role and its complexity. We agree the timetable with you at briefing and report against it as the search runs. The major variables are notice periods (three months is common for UK senior executives and some contracts are longer — see our senior executive notice periods study); regulatory approval for FCA-regulated SMF appointments, where section 61 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 gives the regulator three months from receipt of the application to decide it, and the clock effectively stops while the regulator waits for information it has asked for; and seasonal effects, since searches running through August–September or December–January tend to take longer because diaries are harder to align.

Boards that begin senior searches well before the existing executive is expected to leave produce materially better outcomes than boards that begin only when the appointment is urgent. Compressed timelines force shortlist compromises and typically produce weaker first-year outcomes.

Where the gap cannot be avoided, the answer is usually to separate the two problems. An interim executive covers the immediate need while the permanent search runs at the pace the market requires. For regulated firms, the FCA’s temporary cover rule (SUP 10C.3A.6R, as amended by PS26/6 from 24 April 2026) allows a firm to put someone in place for an absent senior manager provided an application is submitted within 12 weeks; the FCA’s consultation CP26/37 proposes extending that to 18 weeks. Our interim SMF16 and SMF17 cover guide and guide to how long FCA SMF approval takes cover the detail.

Writing the brief: what a strong specification contains

The brief is the single biggest determinant of search quality, and it is the phase most often rushed. A weak brief produces a long list that looks plausible on paper and a shortlist the board cannot agree on. A strong brief gives the search team, the candidates and the interview panel the same picture of what success looks like.

In practice, a good brief covers:

• The mandate for the role. The two or three outcomes the executive must deliver in their first two years, stated in plain terms. “Build a finance function fit for a sale process” is a mandate; “strategic financial leadership” is not.
• The context. Ownership, funding position, board composition, recent changes in the leadership team and anything a candidate will find out in due diligence anyway.
• Reporting lines and decision rights. Who the role reports to, who reports into it, and what it can decide without referring upwards.
• Must-haves and trade-offs. A short list of non-negotiable criteria, and an honest view of what the business would trade — sector experience for transaction experience, for example.
• Package envelope. Base, bonus, equity or incentive participation, and flexibility on buy-outs. Our executive compensation guide sets out how senior packages are usually structured.
• Regulatory requirements. Whether the role is a senior management function, whether the candidate needs prior approval, and what the statement of responsibilities will say.
• Process and decision-makers. Who interviews, who decides, and the dates those people are available.

We write the specification and candidate profile after the briefing conversations and ask the client to sign it off before research begins. It then becomes the yardstick for the whole search, including the written assessments that accompany each shortlisted candidate.

Candidate pools — where senior candidates actually come from

Strong market mapping addresses five common candidate pools at the senior end. Sitting equivalents at peer firms — the most common pool, but tight at the senior end. Step-up candidates from larger firms — the natural growth pool. Industry or sector specialists from related industries — relevant where sector experience matters. Big Four and consulting transitions — particularly for first-generation appointments and transformation roles. Cross-discipline candidates — relevant where the firm needs particular experience that cuts across traditional functional boundaries. The relative weighting depends substantially on the specific role.

Market mapping and approaching passive candidates

Market mapping is the research core of a retained search. It starts with a target list: the organisations where people doing the job well are likely to sit, the adjacent sectors that produce transferable leaders, and the advisers and investors who see the candidate market from the outside. From that list, researchers identify the individuals in relevant roles, their tenure, their likely motivations and any obvious barriers to a move, such as a recent promotion or an unvested incentive plan.

The map is useful in its own right. It shows the client how deep the market is, where the package sits relative to peers, and whether the brief is realistic. A brief that asks for five scarce attributes at once often produces a map with very few names on it, and it is better to have that conversation in the first weeks than after an empty shortlist.

Approaches to passive candidates are made discreetly and in a set order. The first conversation is usually exploratory: what the candidate is doing now, what would make a move worth considering, and whether the opportunity as described is of interest. The client is often not named at this stage. Candidates who engage are then briefed more fully, and the client is named once confidentiality is agreed on both sides. Our confidential executive search guide explains how this works when the incumbent is still in post.

Sources and referrals matter as much as direct approaches. Many of the best senior appointments come through someone on the map saying “I am not the right person, but you should speak to…”. Recording those referrals properly, and going back to sources with feedback, is part of a disciplined methodology rather than an afterthought.

Assessment dimensions

Senior search assessment combines five dimensions, with the relative weighting varying by role.

Track record substance. Specific evidence of what the candidate has actually delivered, in what circumstances, with what outcomes. Strong assessment surfaces this through case-style discussion of the candidate’s prior work; weaker assessment defaults to generic competency interviews that produce rehearsed answers.

Working-style and team dynamics. How the candidate operates with peers, with subordinates, with the board. Reference work from previous CEOs, executive committee members and direct reports provides the most reliable evidence.

Strategic and intellectual capability. The candidate’s ability to think substantively about the firm’s strategic situation. Best surfaced through case discussion of the firm’s actual challenges rather than abstract questions.

Cultural and motivational fit. Whether the candidate’s working style and motivations align with the firm. Reference work and the chair-candidate / CEO-candidate informal time produce the evidence here.

Regulatory and credentials due diligence. For roles requiring specific qualifications or regulatory approval (chartered accountancy for audit committee chairs, FCA SMF approval for regulated roles), substantive credentials work. See our FCA-regulated firm executive recruitment hub for the regulated context.

Structuring the client interviews

The client interview stage works best when each interviewer covers a different part of the brief. A chair might test strategic judgement and board relationships; a CEO might test delivery and leadership style; an investor might test value-creation experience; a committee chair might test risk or audit understanding. Each interviewer records evidence against the same criteria, and the debrief compares evidence rather than impressions. Our executive interview guide for boards and executive assessment guide include question sets and scoring approaches.

Case discussions are more revealing than hypothetical questions. Giving the final two or three candidates a real issue the business faces — a margin problem, a system replacement, a regulatory finding — and asking how they would approach it shows how they think, what they ask for and how they handle ambiguity. It also gives the candidate an honest view of the role, which reduces the risk of a late withdrawal.

Referencing and due diligence

Referencing is the part of the methodology that most consistently surfaces appointment risks, and the part most often reduced to a formality. Formal written references confirming dates and job titles tell you very little about a senior executive. Useful referencing involves conversations with people who have worked with the candidate in different directions — former chairs and CEOs, peers, and direct reports — and asks about specific situations rather than general impressions.

Good referencing also looks beyond the names the candidate offers. With the candidate’s agreement, it is often possible to speak to others who know their work well. Patterns matter more than individual comments: one critical reference may reflect a difficult relationship; the same concern raised by three people in different roles is evidence. Our executive reference checking guide covers how to structure these conversations.

Due diligence at senior level typically also includes qualification and professional membership checks, directorship history, and for regulated roles the information needed for the fitness and propriety assessment. Regulated firms must obtain regulatory references from previous employers covering the past six years for senior managers, and for SMF candidates criminal records checks are part of the approval application. Building these into the methodology from the start avoids a late discovery that holds up an offer or an application.

Candidate data, confidentiality and UK GDPR

Executive search involves processing personal data about people who have not applied for anything. That brings specific obligations under UK GDPR, and a credible search methodology deals with them openly rather than leaving them to chance. Boards should expect their search firm to be able to explain how candidate data is handled, because the client receives that data too.

The key points are these. When a search firm collects information about a person from sources other than that person — public profiles, company filings, referrals — Article 14 of UK GDPR requires it to give them privacy information. The Information Commissioner’s Office guidance on the right to be informed says this must be done within a reasonable period and at the latest within one month, and by the time of first contact if the firm contacts the person, or before their data is passed to someone else. In practice, that means candidates are told about our privacy notice when we first approach them, and their details go to a client only with their agreement.

• Lawful basis. Research and approaches to passive candidates usually rely on legitimate interests, which requires a balancing test and gives the individual the right to object. Candidates who ask not to be contacted again are recorded and respected.
• Sharing with the client. CVs and assessments are shared only for candidates who have agreed to be put forward for the specific role. Clients should keep shortlist material confidential and delete it when the process ends.
• Sensitive information. Criminal records checks and health information are handled under stricter rules and only where they are needed for the role, such as SMF approval.
• Retention. Candidate records are kept only as long as there is a reason to keep them, and candidates can ask for access, correction or deletion.
• Automated screening. Senior assessment decisions are made by people. Where software helps with research, the decisions about who is approached and put forward are not made automatically.

The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, which received Royal Assent on 19 June 2025, changes parts of the UK data protection framework in stages, including how subject access requests and data protection complaints are handled. The ICO has said that its right-to-be-informed guidance and its draft guidance on recruitment and selection are under review as a result, so we keep our process under review as that guidance is updated.

Regulated firms: building SMCR into the search

Searches for senior managers at FCA-authorised firms follow the same six phases, with extra steps. The firm has to be confident before making an offer that the candidate can be approved, because an approval application that fails or is withdrawn is costly for both sides. The methodology therefore brings fitness and propriety questions, regulatory references and the statement of responsibilities forward into the assessment phase rather than leaving them until after the offer.

The rules themselves are changing. The FCA’s PS26/6 changes to the Senior Managers and Certification Regime took effect on 24 April 2026, and in October 2026 the FCA (CP26/37) and the PRA (CP14/26) consulted on moving several senior management functions from pre-approval to notification. Under those proposals, SMF16 compliance oversight and SMF17 money laundering reporting stay subject to pre-approval, as do SMF1 and SMF9. Not every firm is in scope: payment institutions and e-money institutions sit outside SMCR, appointing an MLRO under the Money Laundering Regulations, while the FCA assesses the persons responsible for their management through a separate process. Our Senior Managers Regime board recruitment page explains how this affects board and executive searches.

For many smaller firms the most common regulated appointment is not a full-time executive but a fractional SMF16 or SMF17 holder, or a combined SMF16/17 role covering both compliance oversight and money laundering reporting. The methodology for those searches is shorter, but the approvability and availability tests are the same. Our guide to permanent, interim and fractional compliance hiring sets out the options.

Fees and economics

Retained executive search fees in the UK are usually linked to the appointed executive’s first-year remuneration, with the structure, the basis of calculation and the payment points agreed at the outset. Practice varies between firms and between types of appointment, so the right comparison is not the headline figure alone but what is included and how the firm will deliver the work. At Exec Capital we agree the fee structure with you at briefing, in writing, before any search work begins. For interim and fractional appointments, we work on a day-rate basis and the day rate we quote includes our fee.

The fee covers all the search firm’s work through to candidate acceptance — market mapping, engagement, assessment, reference work, offer negotiation. Onboarding work, if included, is sometimes structured separately or included in the headline fee depending on the firm.

Three things to evaluate alongside the headline fee. First, who actually delivers the search — ask who will brief you, who will do the research and approaches, and who will interview candidates; some firms win work with senior people and hand delivery to junior account managers. Second, the structure of payments — when fees fall due and what triggers each payment, which vary between firms. Third, the guarantee provisions — what happens if the candidate departs within the first months in role. Stronger firms include substantive guarantee provisions; weaker firms exclude them or set high thresholds.

Engagement and fee structure at a glance

• Retained search. Used for permanent C-suite, board and regulated appointments. The client appoints one firm exclusively; the fee structure is agreed at briefing and set out in our terms of business.
• Contingent. Fee payable only on placement. We may use this for some director-level roles where the market is broad, and will tell you at briefing if we think retained search is the better route.
• Interim and fractional. Day-rate basis. The day rate quoted includes our fee, so the client receives one invoice for the executive’s time.
• What is included. Briefing, specification, research, approaches, interviews, written assessments, referencing, offer support and contact through notice and the early months in role.
• What is agreed in writing. Scope, timetable, fee basis and payment points, replacement or guarantee terms, and confidentiality.

For typical package levels by role, see our C-suite salary guide. Whatever the fee basis, the terms should be clear enough that the board can explain them to its auditors and investors without a second conversation with the search firm.

What a new executive typically delivers in the first 90 days

A search is only successful if the appointment works. The methodology should therefore set up the first 90 days before the executive starts, not leave it to them to work out on arrival. While the detail varies by role, a well-supported senior hire typically delivers the following in their first three months:

• Days 1–30: listen and diagnose. One-to-one meetings with the board, the leadership team, key customers and, for regulated firms, the compliance and risk functions. A first view of what is working and what is not, tested against the mandate in the brief.
• Days 31–60: early decisions. Visible early actions in areas where the problem is clear, decisions on any urgent team changes, and agreement with the CEO or chair on priorities for the rest of the year.
• Days 61–90: a plan the board signs off. A written plan with measurable objectives, the resources required and the reporting the board will see. For SMF holders, a working understanding of the statement of responsibilities and the evidence trail behind it.

The search firm’s role during this period is light but useful: checking in with the executive and the client, raising issues before they become problems, and making sure the expectations set at briefing are being met. Our 100-day plan guide sets out a fuller framework.

Common pitfalls in choosing search methodology

Six patterns recur. Treating senior search as procurement — running a competitive tender on price for senior appointments often selects firms that win on cost rather than substance. Running senior roles through contingent recruitment — the candidate pool is materially weaker. Compressing timelines — shortlist compromises follow. Anchoring compensation envelopes on internal precedent rather than market data. Skipping reference work — the dimension that most consistently surfaces appointment risks. Treating onboarding as the candidate’s responsibility — strong onboarding is the search firm’s responsibility too.

Who we place

Exec Capital works with boards, owners and investors across the UK who need senior leaders on permanent, interim, fractional or part-time terms. Typical clients include:

• Owner-managed and family businesses appointing their first external CEO, MD or finance leader, or planning succession.
• Private equity and venture-backed companies building or replacing management teams around an investment, a value-creation plan or an exit — see our private equity executive search practice.
• FCA-authorised firms — investment firms, brokers, lenders, insurers and wealth managers — hiring senior managers and certified staff, including fractional compliance and MLRO appointments, through our financial services executive search team.
• Listed and pre-IPO companies appointing executive directors and non-executive directors, where governance expectations shape the brief.
• Family offices appointing CEOs, CIOs and finance and compliance leaders.
• Scale-ups and UK subsidiaries of international groups that need a senior leader with the range to build a function.

Sectors include financial services, technology, manufacturing, professional services, healthcare, real estate, consumer and the not-for-profit sector. Roles span the C-suite, board and NED appointments through our NED recruitment practice, and the director tier below the executive committee.

How Exec Capital approaches executive search

Exec Capital runs senior search as integrated work across the six phases. Every search is run by our specialist team, with Adrian Lawrence FCA overseeing each mandate. We work on a retained basis for senior roles, with the engagement running through to the candidate’s first day in role and (where included) substantive onboarding work in the first hundred days. Our practice covers UK SME, mid-market, PE-backed, scale-up, listed and corporate businesses across most sectors.

The methodology question matters because senior search is one of the few decisions where the gap between getting it right and getting it wrong is substantial, and where the practical differences between a well-run search and a less well-run one become visible quickly. Boards approaching their first retained search often start the methodology conversation only after the brief is set. The better timing is at the front end, before the role specification has been written, because the methodology decisions shape what kind of brief makes sense. Two questions are worth answering early: how rigorous the assessment needs to be, which depends on the role’s consequence and the realistic candidate pool; and how closely onboarding should be tied to the search itself, which depends on how much of the appointment’s value depends on what happens after the candidate starts.

We calibrate the methodology to the specific role rather than running every search through the same process. Some senior roles warrant the full six-phase methodology with substantive assessment work; others warrant a lighter-touch retained engagement; very few senior roles benefit from contingent recruitment. An honest conversation about which methodology fits the situation is part of the front-end work we do with every prospective client.

For boards beginning senior succession, evaluating search firm options, or working through the methodology questions front-loaded into a specific search, we offer a structured initial conversation that walks through the role specification, the candidate pool framing and the realistic timeline before any formal mandate begins. There is no commitment from this conversation. Boards often use it to check their thinking before deciding whether to commission a search at all. You can contact us directly or call 0203 834 9616.

Choosing a search firm: questions to ask

If you are comparing proposals, the methodology is easier to judge through specific questions than through a firm’s description of itself. Useful questions include:

• Who will brief us, who will research and approach candidates, and who will interview them?
• Which organisations would you target, and which would you exclude because of client relationships?
• How will you report progress, and what market feedback will we see before the shortlist?
• How do you assess candidates, and what will the written assessment cover?
• How do you handle referencing, and whose references will you take beyond those the candidate nominates?
• How do you handle candidate data under UK GDPR, and what will you share with us?
• What is the fee basis, when do payments fall due, and what happens if the appointment does not work out?
• For regulated roles: how do you test approvability before an offer, and how do you support the FCA application?

Diversity of the candidate slate is also worth raising. The UK Government’s voluntary code of conduct for executive search firms, linked below, sets out principles on long lists, shortlists and board appointment processes that are a useful benchmark whichever firm you appoint.

Other ways to hire a senior leader

This guide explains how the methodology works. If you already know the format you need, start with our executive search service for permanent appointments, or the interim, fractional and part-time pages linked in the comparison table above. For board composition and non-executive appointments, see board advisory. For succession planning ahead of a search, our executive succession planning guide is a useful starting point.

Looking for a senior role yourself? This page is written for organisations that are hiring. If you are an executive considering your next move, please register with us as a candidate or view our current opportunities.

Further reading

For our broader search services, see executive search, executive headhunters, and executive recruitment.

For related methodology guides, see our Fractional, Interim and Permanent guide, Executive Onboarding guide, Executive Compensation guide, and Equity and Incentives guide. For role-specific hiring guides covering CEO, CFO, COO and other appointments, see our Knowledge Centre.

For UK executive search professional standards, see the UK Government’s Standard Voluntary Code of Conduct for Executive Search Firms. For corporate governance frameworks underpinning senior appointments, see the UK Corporate Governance Code and guidance from the Institute of Directors.

Frequently asked questions

What is executive search methodology?

It is the structured process a search firm uses to fill a senior role: briefing, market mapping, discreet approaches to candidates, structured assessment, referencing, offer and onboarding. A clear methodology makes the search repeatable, auditable and explainable to the board.

What are the stages of an executive search?

Most retained searches run through six phases: brief, market mapping, engagement of candidates, assessment, selection and offer, and onboarding. Some firms combine or split stages, but each of these pieces of work needs to happen for a senior appointment to be well founded.

How long does an executive search take?

It depends on the role, the depth of the candidate market, the preferred candidate’s notice period and, for regulated roles, the approval process. We agree the timetable with you at briefing and report against it. Where the business cannot wait, an interim appointment can cover the gap while the permanent search runs.

What is the difference between retained and contingent search?

In a retained search, the client appoints one firm exclusively and the firm commits to the assignment, mapping the whole market. In contingent recruitment, the agency is paid only on placement, often competes with other agencies, and draws mainly on candidates it already knows. Retained search is the usual route for C-suite, board and SMF roles.

How are executive search fees structured?

Retained fees are usually linked to the appointee’s first-year remuneration, with the basis and payment points set out in the terms of business. At Exec Capital we agree the fee structure with you at briefing. For interim and fractional appointments, we work on a day rate that includes our fee.

What is market mapping in executive search?

Market mapping is the research that identifies the organisations and individuals relevant to the role, including people who are not looking for a move. It produces the long list and also gives the client evidence on market depth, likely packages and whether the brief is realistic.

How do search firms handle candidate data under UK GDPR?

Where a firm collects information about a candidate from other sources, it must give them privacy information within a reasonable period and at the latest within one month, or at first contact if sooner. Candidates should be put forward to a client only with their agreement, and data should be kept only for as long as it is needed.

Is the search confidential?

Yes. Retained searches can be run without naming the client until candidates have agreed to confidentiality, which matters when an incumbent is still in post or the appointment is market-sensitive. Candidate approaches are equally discreet.

Does the methodology differ for FCA-regulated roles?

The phases are the same, but approvability is tested earlier: fitness and propriety, regulatory references, criminal records checks and the statement of responsibilities. SMF16 and SMF17 remain pre-approved functions, and many smaller firms fill them on a fractional or interim basis.

Can you run a search for an interim or fractional executive?

Yes. The process is shorter and weighted towards availability and delivery record, and the engagement is on a day-rate basis. Many clients use an interim or fractional appointment alongside, or instead of, a permanent search.