Perspective earned through practice.
Analysis drawn from the mandates we run and the markets we map — written for boards, chief executives, and leadership teams.
All insights
- Guide
CEO succession planning: a practical guide for boards
What a working CEO succession plan actually contains, who owns each part of it, and the sequence boards use to keep real options open.
Succession · 11 min read
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How much does an executive search firm cost?
Retained fees typically run 30 to 35 percent of first-year cash compensation — but the structure behind the number matters more than the number itself.
Executive Search · 6 min read
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Retained or contingent: what the difference actually buys you
The choice is not about budget. It is about who the firm works for, and how much of the market you are actually buying.
Executive Search · 7 min read
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How executive search firms actually find candidates
The best candidates are almost never looking. A serious search finds them through research, not advertising — here is how the process unfolds.
Executive Search · 8 min read
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What boards now expect from a first-time chief executive
Appointment criteria have shifted from operational track record alone toward stakeholder fluency, capital discipline, and technology judgment.
Executive Leadership · 8 min read
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Succession is a process, not an event
Organizations that treat succession as continuous capability planning consistently appoint faster and with lower failure rates.
Succession · 6 min read
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Where AI capability actually belongs on the executive team
A structural question before a hiring question: how organizations are locating accountability for artificial intelligence.
Technology & AI · 10 min read
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Rebuilding board composition around future capability
Skills matrices are widely used and rarely decisive. A practical method for connecting board composition to strategy.
Board Leadership · 7 min read
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Executive compensation: the widening geographic spread
The same C-suite mandate can now carry materially different packages across three financial centres. What that means for cross-border shortlists.
Compensation · 5 min read
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Leadership mobility across emerging and established markets
Where senior leaders are prepared to relocate, and what organizations are doing to make appointments viable.
Global Markets · 9 min read
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The economics of the interim appointment
Day rates look expensive until the alternative is measured properly. A framework for deciding when interim leadership is the cheaper option.
Interim Leadership · 6 min read
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What a defensible assessment record contains
Structured interviewing, scenario evidence, and referencing depth — and how boards should read the report they are given.
Assessment · 7 min read
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Handing over: founder-to-professional-CEO transitions that hold
The structural decisions made before the offer determine whether the founder stays useful or becomes a shadow chief executive.
Technology & AI · 9 min read
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Have a critical appointment ahead?
When the appointment matters, the search should begin with a conversation.