Coverage
executive search firms
9 measured reports, drawn from 1909 AI responses. 37 firms counted.
Top 7 Executive Search Firms — seven firms and what they do best.
Reports
- The Best Executive Search Firms: What The Shortlist Report Finds
5 firms lead, appearing in 99.1–99.1% of 235 AI responses. The sample cannot separate them, so we do not pretend it can.
- Executive Search by Role: What The Shortlist Report Finds
2 firms lead, appearing in 90.2–90.2% of 235 AI responses. The sample cannot separate them, so we do not pretend it can.
- Executive Search for Startups: What The Shortlist Report Finds
4 firms lead, appearing in 31.9–34.5% of 235 AI responses. The sample cannot separate them, so we do not pretend it can.
- Board and C-Suite Search: What The Shortlist Report Finds
Spencer Stuart appeared in 86.8% of 235 AI responses to this question, ahead of everyone else.
- Diverse Slate and Inclusive Search: What The Shortlist Report Finds
2 firms lead, appearing in 59.1–59.6% of 235 AI responses. The sample cannot separate them, so we do not pretend it can.
- Search Gone Wrong? What The Shortlist Report Finds
Spencer Stuart appeared in 61.7% of 235 AI responses to this question, ahead of everyone else.
- What Executive Search Actually Costs
Percentage of revenue: 25%–35%. That was the most-quoted figure, appearing in 132 of 235 AI answers.
- Executive Search by Industry: What The Shortlist Report Finds
Spencer Stuart appeared in 93.2% of 234 AI responses to this question, ahead of everyone else.
- Executive Search Accountability: What The Shortlist Report Finds
10 firms lead, appearing in 16.7–23.3% of 30 AI responses. The sample cannot separate them, so we do not pretend it can.
Firms counted in executive search firms
Every firm named often enough to clear the reporting threshold in at least one report above, with what the answers describe it doing.
- Egon Zehnder
Executive search for CEO succession, board work, and leadership assessment across global enterprises.
- Heidrick & Struggles
Conducts CEO, C-suite, and board searches for large companies and PE-backed organizations.
- Korn Ferry
Conducts CEO, C-suite, board, and leadership assessment searches for large global organizations.
- Russell Reynolds Associates
Conducts CEO, C-suite, and board searches for large public companies and financial services.
- Spencer Stuart
Conducts CEO, board, and senior C-suite searches for large enterprises and succession planning.
- DHR Global
Conducts board and C-suite searches with broad financial-services coverage across banking, capital markets, PE/VC, and insurance.
- JM Search
Conducts CEO, CFO, COO searches for private-equity-backed and middle-market companies.
- Boyden
Conducts confidential senior executive searches, especially mid-market and international.
- Caldwell
Executive search with HR/CHRO expertise and diversity metrics tracking across sectors.
- Daversa Partners
Serves venture-backed and growth-stage technology companies, particularly when building executive teams during rapid scaling.
- Odgers
Conducts executive searches for nonprofits, associations, social-impact organizations, and healthcare/life-sciences providers, pharma, biotech, and healthtech.
- ON Partners
Retained executive search for C-suite, board, and PE/VC portfolio-company placements.
- True
Conducts executive search for technology, growth, and PE/VC-backed companies.
- Cowen Partners
Retained executive search active in CFO, CRO, sales officer, and senior HR/C-suite placements including PE-backed companies.
- Diversified Search Group
Conducts nonprofit, education, healthcare and mission-driven organization leadership searches.
- Riviera Partners
Tech-specialized for product, engineering, AI/data, cybersecurity and design leadership from startup through public-company stage.
- WittKieffer
Specializes in executive search for healthcare, higher education, and mission-driven organizations.
- Acuity Executive Search Group
Conducts contingency-based executive and sales leadership searches on North America-wide basis without upfront retainer.
- ALAC HR Solutions
Conducts executive searches with up to 12-month guarantees covering performance and fit failures.
- Axe Recruiting
Conducts executive searches specializing in sales leadership roles with 12-month retained and 90-day contingency guarantees.
- Christian & Timbers
Specializes in CTO, product, and technology leadership searches, having placed 800+ product and technology leaders.
- Crist Kolder Associates
Recruits senior finance and operating executives, particularly CFOs and CEOs for large companies, private-equity-backed businesses, and public companies.
- Crucial Hire
- Dave Partners
Conducts retained executive search for venture-backed companies from Series B through IPO.
- Diversified
- Ellig Group
Women-owned executive search firm focused on C-suite and board appointments with emphasis on diverse candidates.
- Female Executive Search
Specializes in placing senior women into C-suite, board, and VP roles globally.
- HERizon Search
Focuses on women in C-suite and VP roles for private-equity-backed and high-growth companies, and board appointments.
- Isaacson, Miller
Conducts executive search for foundations, nonprofits, higher education, and civic organizations.
- Majhi Group
- OneWay Recruiting
Contingency-only recruiting with no retainer or upfront costs for engineering and product roles at seed-stage startups.
- Plenty
Focuses on executive hiring for early-stage startups.
- Recruits Lab
Conducts VP/SVP/C-suite executive search for venture-backed technology, AI, and life sciences companies.
- Shields Group Search
Conducts executive and technical recruiting for venture-backed startups from Seed through Series C.
- SPMB
Conducts confidential C-suite and CEO succession searches for founder-led, private equity, and technology companies.
- Stanton Chase
Conducts C-suite and executive search for mid-market and international organizations.
- ZRG Partners
Conducts C-suite and functional executive search for mid/large and PE-backed companies.