Case Studies

Proof of work on the leadership decisions that mattered most.

Every mandate below is anonymized to protect client confidentiality. What we can share is the leadership challenge, how we ran the search, and the outcome the board lived with.

90%

Mandates filled from the first shortlist

Calibrated slates that lead to a hire without restarting the search.

94%

Placed executives retained at 24 months

We track tenure and fit well past the placement date.

45 days

Median brief-to-shortlist

Decision-ready candidates, presented with comparative assessment.

70%

Mandates from returning clients and referrals

Boards and investors who bring us back for the next critical hire.

Private Equity / SoftwareChief Executive Officer

CEO succession for an investor-backed software platform

The challenge

A PE-backed platform approaching its next growth phase needed to transition from a founder-CEO without unsettling the management team, customers, or the value-creation plan.

Our approach

We helped the board define the future-state role against the investment thesis, benchmarked two internal contenders, and ran a discreet external market map to pressure-test the slate.

The outcome

The board appointed an external CEO with a calibrated 100-day plan. The internal contenders were retained in expanded roles, and the transition closed without business disruption.

Senior departures during transition

Financial Services / RegulatedIndependent Director

Independent director search for a regulated financial services firm

The challenge

Heightened regulatory scrutiny meant the board needed an independent director with audit-committee depth and credibility with the regulator, on a compressed timeline.

Our approach

We mapped board capability gaps against the governance agenda, defined the required regulatory and sector profile, and delivered a tightly calibrated slate for committee and investor review.

The outcome

The firm appointed a director who chaired the audit committee within two quarters and strengthened the board's standing in its next regulatory review.

6 wks

Brief to appointed director

Growth-Stage TechnologyChief Revenue Officer

Commercial leadership hire during a growth reset

The challenge

A founder-led business missing plan needed a revenue leader who could install operating rigor while working inside a fast-changing, founder-centric executive team.

Our approach

We reframed the brief around operating range and culture-add rather than logo pedigree, assessed finalists against the specific change environment, and supported the offer and onboarding.

The outcome

The placed CRO rebuilt the commercial operating model and returned the business to its growth trajectory within three quarters.

3 qtrs

To plan-on-track

Healthcare / Life SciencesChief Operating Officer

COO search for a healthcare organization in transition

The challenge

A complex, multi-stakeholder healthcare organization needed an operations leader who could manage clinical, commercial, and regulatory priorities simultaneously.

Our approach

We built a success profile around cross-functional leadership and stakeholder management, then ran a structured assessment that surfaced non-obvious candidates from adjacent sectors.

The outcome

The appointed COO stabilized operations and aligned the leadership team behind a single delivery roadmap ahead of the organization's next strategic review.

100%

Leadership team alignment on roadmap

In their words

What clients say about working with us.

“They treated our CEO succession as a board decision, not a recruiting transaction. The shortlist was sharper and the process was defensible to our investors.”

Board Chair, PE-backed software platform

“The calibration up front saved us months. We interviewed fewer people and made a better decision because the assessment was rigorous and honest about trade-offs.”

CEO, growth-stage technology business

“Discreet, senior, and genuinely partner-led from first call to onboarding. This is what retained search is supposed to feel like.”

Audit Committee Chair, regulated financial services firm

Your mandate next

Talk through the leadership decision in front of you.

Share the role, the context, and the timing. We will tell you candidly whether and how we can help before any engagement begins.

Schedule a 20-Minute Search Assessment