Specialty leaderboard · Updated Nov 11, 2026

Executive search firms, London

Fee models, from the firms' own websites: 5 retained and 1 hybrid. Together they advertise 769 open roles.

485

Executive Search firms ranked

Executive Search recruiting firms in London, ranked within the specialty
Rank	Firm	Focus	Fee model	Terms	Open roles	Index score
=51	Clayton Desantsince 2012	Policy, government relations, public affairs and regulatory leadership recruitment	Not stated	Not disclosed	0	40.1
=51	Digby Edwardssince 2012	Executive search, sourcing and full-cycle recruitment support for employers	Not stated	Not disclosed	0	40.1
=51	JBMsince 2012	Startup and scaleup executives across operations, commercial, AI and engineering	Not stated	Not disclosed	0	40.1
54	Perrett Laver	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	74	40.0
55	Peridot PartnersClerkenwell	Executive and board recruitment for charities and education	Not stated	Not disclosed	133	39.5
=56	Campbell Tickell	Executive and board recruitment, housing, charities, local government and interim management.	Not stated	Not disclosed	4	39.4
=56	Ned Capital Recruitment	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	4	39.4
58	Hanson Search	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	208	39.2
59	Bold Executive Search	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	20	39.0
60	Optima Search \| Europe & Americasince 2013	Executive, commercial and technology recruitment for software and technology-driven businesses.	Retained	Not disclosed	0	38.9
61	Engage PSG	GTM leadership in fintech, digital identity, fraud, cyber security and data analytics	Hybrid	Not disclosed	24	38.8
62	Nurolesince 2014	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	0	37.8
63	New Street Consulting Group	Executive search and interim leadership across private and public sectors	Not stated	Not disclosed	21	37.2
=64	Kingsley Gatesince 2015	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	0	36.6
=64	McLean Public	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	14	36.6
66	KellerGreen	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	19	36.1
67	Druthers Searchsince 2016	Technology leadership search with a focus on diversity and inclusion	Not stated	Not disclosed	0	35.4
=68	Conexus International Recruitment	International executive, management, technical and business-function recruitment	Not stated	Not disclosed	16	34.3
=68	Sario Partnerssince 2017	Management consulting, strategy, transformation and private equity search	Not stated	Not disclosed	0	34.3
=68	Watson Recruitmentsince 2017	Executive search and professional recruitment in technology, finance, legal and sales	Not stated	Not disclosed	0	34.3
=71	Marylebone Executive SearchCity of London	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	10	34.0
=71	Pepler Lee Group	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	10	34.0
73	Eagle Private	Family office leadership, finance, operations, investment, legal and executive support	Not stated	Not disclosed	11	33.8
74	Minerva	Executive, board and senior leadership recruitment for education, culture and social impact	Not stated	Not disclosed	15	33.7
=75	Cortez Agency	Luxury beauty and cosmetics leadership recruitment	Not stated	Not disclosed	14	33.0
=75	Madison Mayfair	Hospitality executive search	Not stated	Not disclosed	14	33.0
=75	Newman Stewart	—	Retained	Not disclosed	14	33.0
=75	PSD Group	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	14	33.0
=75	Pure Interims	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	14	33.0
=80	Aesthetics Talentsince 2019	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	0	31.9
=80	Helios Partnerssince 2019	Board and executive recruitment for financial services, private equity and technology businesses.	Not stated	Not disclosed	0	31.9
=80	Metricsince 2019	—	Retained	Not disclosed	0	31.9
=80	Sayer HaworthCity of London	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	5	31.9
=84	Symes Collins	Senior compliance, risk and corporate governance search	Not stated	Not disclosed	12	31.6
=84	Tarka TalentFitzrovia	Consulting, strategy and transformation	Not stated	Not disclosed	12	31.6
86	Herringbone Search	Revenue and growth leadership for B2B digital, technology and software companies	Retained	Not disclosed	6	31.2
=87	enteles Search	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	11	30.9
=87	Newsom Consulting	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	11	30.9
=89	Impact Talentsince 2020	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	0	30.8
=89	Pretium Searchsince 2020	Commercial leadership search and team hiring for private equity portfolio firms and strategy consultancies.	Not stated	Not disclosed	0	30.8
91	The MBS Group	Board, executive and interim leadership recruitment across consumer-facing industries	Not stated	Not disclosed	1	30.4
=92	Ascent Professional Services	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	10	30.2
=92	Bamberry Consulting	Public sector leadership, transformation, project management, procurement and finance	Not stated	Not disclosed	10	30.2
=92	Beyond Talent	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	10	30.2
=92	Fletcher Chase	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	10	30.2
=96	Amarval Partnerssince 2021	Fractional C-suite and senior leadership search; commercial property and recruitment-sector appointments.	Not stated	Not disclosed	0	29.6
=96	Strat-Bridgesince 2021	Senior management consulting appointments and team moves	Retained	Not disclosed	0	29.6
=96	The CFO Practicesince 2021	CFO, finance director and finance leadership appointments	Not stated	Not disclosed	0	29.6
=99	Carter Wahlberg	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	9	29.4
=99	Talensa Partners	—	Not stated	Not disclosed	9	29.4

=51Clayton DesantPolicy, government relations, public affairs and regulatory leadership recruitment40.1
Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
=51Digby EdwardsExecutive search, sourcing and full-cycle recruitment support for employers40.1
Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
=51JBMStartup and scaleup executives across operations, commercial, AI and engineering40.1
Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
54Perrett Laver40.0
Not statedNot disclosed74 open roles
55Peridot PartnersClerkenwell · Executive and board recruitment for charities and education39.5
Not statedNot disclosed133 open roles
=56Campbell TickellExecutive and board recruitment, housing, charities, local government and interim management.39.4
Not statedNot disclosed4 open roles
=56Ned Capital Recruitment39.4
Not statedNot disclosed4 open roles
58Hanson Search39.2
Not statedNot disclosed208 open roles
59Bold Executive Search39.0
Not statedNot disclosed20 open roles
60Optima Search | Europe & AmericaExecutive, commercial and technology recruitment for software and technology-driven businesses.38.9
RetainedNot disclosed0 open roles
61Engage PSGGTM leadership in fintech, digital identity, fraud, cyber security and data analytics38.8
HybridNot disclosed24 open roles
62Nurole37.8
Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
63New Street Consulting GroupExecutive search and interim leadership across private and public sectors37.2
Not statedNot disclosed21 open roles
=64Kingsley Gate36.6
Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
=64McLean Public36.6
Not statedNot disclosed14 open roles
66KellerGreen36.1
Not statedNot disclosed19 open roles
67Druthers SearchTechnology leadership search with a focus on diversity and inclusion35.4
Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
=68Conexus International RecruitmentInternational executive, management, technical and business-function recruitment34.3
Not statedNot disclosed16 open roles
=68Sario PartnersManagement consulting, strategy, transformation and private equity search34.3
Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
=68Watson RecruitmentExecutive search and professional recruitment in technology, finance, legal and sales34.3
Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
=71Marylebone Executive SearchCity of London34.0
Not statedNot disclosed10 open roles
=71Pepler Lee Group34.0
Not statedNot disclosed10 open roles
73Eagle PrivateFamily office leadership, finance, operations, investment, legal and executive support33.8
Not statedNot disclosed11 open roles
74MinervaExecutive, board and senior leadership recruitment for education, culture and social impact33.7
Not statedNot disclosed15 open roles
=75Cortez AgencyLuxury beauty and cosmetics leadership recruitment33.0
Not statedNot disclosed14 open roles
=75Madison MayfairHospitality executive search33.0
Not statedNot disclosed14 open roles
=75Newman Stewart33.0
RetainedNot disclosed14 open roles
=75PSD Group33.0
Not statedNot disclosed14 open roles
=75Pure Interims33.0
Not statedNot disclosed14 open roles
=80Aesthetics Talent31.9
Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
=80Helios PartnersBoard and executive recruitment for financial services, private equity and technology businesses.31.9
Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
=80Metric31.9
RetainedNot disclosed0 open roles
=80Sayer HaworthCity of London31.9
Not statedNot disclosed5 open roles
=84Symes CollinsSenior compliance, risk and corporate governance search31.6
Not statedNot disclosed12 open roles
=84Tarka TalentFitzrovia · Consulting, strategy and transformation31.6
Not statedNot disclosed12 open roles
86Herringbone SearchRevenue and growth leadership for B2B digital, technology and software companies31.2
RetainedNot disclosed6 open roles
=87enteles Search30.9
Not statedNot disclosed11 open roles
=87Newsom Consulting30.9
Not statedNot disclosed11 open roles
=89Impact Talent30.8
Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
=89Pretium SearchCommercial leadership search and team hiring for private equity portfolio firms and strategy consultancies.30.8
Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
91The MBS GroupBoard, executive and interim leadership recruitment across consumer-facing industries30.4
Not statedNot disclosed1 open roles
=92Ascent Professional Services30.2
Not statedNot disclosed10 open roles
=92Bamberry ConsultingPublic sector leadership, transformation, project management, procurement and finance30.2
Not statedNot disclosed10 open roles
=92Beyond Talent30.2
Not statedNot disclosed10 open roles
=92Fletcher Chase30.2
Not statedNot disclosed10 open roles
=96Amarval PartnersFractional C-suite and senior leadership search; commercial property and recruitment-sector appointments.29.6
Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
=96Strat-BridgeSenior management consulting appointments and team moves29.6
RetainedNot disclosed0 open roles
=96The CFO PracticeCFO, finance director and finance leadership appointments29.6
Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
=99Carter Wahlberg29.4
Not statedNot disclosed9 open roles
=99Talensa Partners29.4
Not statedNot disclosed9 open roles

Score built from public signals · Fee model from firm websites · Terms reported by firms · Terms never affect the score

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How these firms are scored

Rank here is within Executive Search. Every score is built from public signals and measures specialisation and activity, not a guarantee of service quality. Terms, claiming and sponsorship never change it.

Specialist focus: 40%
Market activity: 35%
Track record: 25%

Read the full methodology →

What Exec Search firms charge

Market context · Fee survey

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0 of 150 NYC firms so farReport publishes at 150

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Hiring in Executive Search?

Describe the role once. We route it to the London firms that specialise in it, and they reply with their approach and terms.

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Executive search firms in London: questions

How do executive search firms in London charge?

Of the firms ranked here, by their own websites: 5 retained and 1 hybrid. Most agencies charge a percentage of the hire's first-year base salary. Contingency recruiters are commonly quoted at around 15–25% and are paid only when you hire; retained and executive search firms often charge 25–35%, paid in stages as the search progresses.

How are executive search firms ranked here?

Rank is within this specialty only. The biggest factor is specialist focus: the share of a firm's open roles that are in this field. Hiring activity and track record make up the rest. No firm can pay for placement.

Should I use more than one recruiter?

For contingency roles many employers brief two or three firms at once. Retained searches are exclusive by design. Posting one brief here sends it to the specialists and lets you compare their approach and terms before you commit.