FKINP Choose by mandate before reputation
For global C-suite searches, compare Korn Ferry and Odgers; for education and public-purpose appointments, consider Anderson Quigley; for product, marketing and eCommerce leadership, consider Intelligent People.[1][2][3][5]
Executive search targets senior appointments through active and passive-candidate sourcing, assessment and, depending on the provider, compensation or onboarding support.[3] Retained contracts, confidentiality and proactive sourcing are common features.[5]
Published capabilities can identify plausible providers. Final selection should depend on written answers covering accessible candidates, delivery commitments, complete costs and contractual protections.
Compare firms by mandate, method and reach
Odgers
Suited to (provider description): Board and executive appointments requiring international reach and sector knowledge.[1] Method: Executive search, interim management and leadership advisory covering the identification, attraction, engagement, assessment and development of leaders.[1] Reach: International, sector-led search.[1]
Anderson Quigley
Suited to (provider description): Board and senior appointments across higher education, research, schools, further education, not-for-profit, technology, fundraising, healthcare, government and cultural organisations.[2] Method: Executive search and interim recruitment, including board-level appointments.[2] Reach: London and UK appointments.[2]
Korn Ferry
Suited to (provider description): C-suite and senior appointments requiring global sourcing, leadership and cultural assessment, compensation advice or potential onboarding support.[3] Method: Success Profiles, blind screening, targeted assessment and candidate reports covering suitability, salary requirements and motivators.[3] Reach: External databases, professional networks and recruitment capability across 130 countries, with broad functional and industry coverage.[3]
Executive Headhunters / EMA Partners International
Suited to (provider description): CEO, Managing Director, COO, CFO, CTO, Technical Director, NED and other board appointments involving succession, transformation, scale-up or turnaround.[4] Method: Ground-up research, competitor mapping, passive-candidate engagement and benchmarking against direct competitors.[4] Reach: The firm describes itself as EMA Partners International’s London office; the network has more than 40 offices across 30 countries.[4]
Intelligent People
Suited to (provider description): Retained C-level searches in product management, marketing and eCommerce.[5] Method: Proactive, multi-channel research targeting competitors and comparable sectors, with London assignments led or overseen by management-team members.[5] Reach: London delivery supported by 20 years of specialist domain knowledge.[5]
Novo Executive Search
Suited to (provider description): UK or international C-suite, board, NED and senior functional appointments across manufacturing, technology, energy, healthcare, construction, defence and financial leadership.[6] Method: The page lists executive, interim and non-executive search and succession planning, but does not explain the underlying research process.[6] Reach: UK and international searches.[6]
What can a UK buyer benchmark on price?
No comparable provider-specific price schedule is established by these pages. Treat fees as quote-required; a percentage stated by a competing recruiter is not a verified market-wide tariff.
Odgers, Anderson Quigley and Korn Ferry do not publish enough detail for a provider-specific price comparison [1][2][3]; nor do Executive Headhunters, Intelligent People and Novo.[4][5][6]
Ask bidders for an all-in illustration using identical compensation assumptions. It should define total compensation, show each fee and payment milestone, and separate VAT, expenses and optional services.
Which shortlist promises are evidenced?
Korn Ferry says client interviews ordinarily narrow its slate to two or three finalists; this is not an initial-shortlist size or completion deadline.[3] Intelligent People states a five-to-six-week shortlist timeline but gives no target number of candidates.[5]
The pages therefore do not provide comparable standard shortlist sizes, times to shortlist or completion deadlines across providers.[3][5]
Any proposal should define what qualifies as a shortlist, the target number of qualified candidates, the delivery date, reporting frequency, escalation process and remedy for missed commitments.
How much weight should claims and testimonials carry?
A recruiter’s placement or repeat-client claim needs the population, measurement period and treatment of cancelled or failed searches before it can support a comparison.
Anderson Quigley publishes named client testimonials praising responsiveness, diverse candidate groups, candidate handling and employer–candidate fit.[2] Novo publishes testimonials reporting successful appointments for Central Bedfordshire Council, Commonwealth Education Trust and Glide Pharma.[6] These are testimonials rather than independent outcome audits.
Across Odgers, Anderson Quigley and Korn Ferry [1][2][3], and Executive Headhunters, Intelligent People and Novo [4][5][6], there is no comparable, independently substantiated measure of retention, quality of hire, diversity outcomes or time to hire.
Ask each bidder to define its metrics, numerator and denominator, measurement period, role mix and treatment of failed searches. References should come from recent clients with comparable mandates.
What to confirm with each provider
The pages for Odgers, Anderson Quigley and Korn Ferry leave the following terms unpublished [1][2][3]; so do those for Executive Headhunters, Intelligent People and Novo.[4][5][6]
- Conflicts and off-limits: Obtain a schedule of current and recent client conflicts, inaccessible organisations and restricted candidates. Define how long each restriction lasts and whether it applies by company, group, function, geography or individual.
- Exclusivity: Specify its scope and duration, whether internal sourcing or another firm may continue, and what happens if the provider cannot access enough of the target market.
- Candidate ownership and duplicates: Define the ownership period, what proves an introduction and which source takes precedence when a candidate was already known, applied directly or arrived through another firm.
- Team and substitution: Name the lead consultant and researchers, set the approval process for personnel changes and state the remedy if key people are replaced.
- Shortlist and delivery: Agree the shortlist definition and size, assessment requirements, reporting timetable, deadline and remedy for delay or inadequate delivery.
- Complete pricing: Define first-year total compensation, commencement fees, retainer instalments, milestone billing, VAT, expenses, advertising, assessments, candidate travel and payment deadlines. Korn Ferry says retainer terms are agreed before launch but publishes no fee percentage, instalment schedule or standard duration.[3]
- Pause, cancellation and termination: Set charges by stage, ownership of work already produced, candidate-contact rights, refundable sums and fee credits.
- Replacement protection: Executive Headhunters advertises a nine-month replacement guarantee without stating its triggers, exclusions or treatment of fees and expenses.[4] Define qualifying departures, notice deadlines, replacement-search duration and whether the remedy is cash, credit or further work.
Run a consistent selection process
Prepare one mandate brief covering required outcomes, target sectors and organisations, geography, compensation assumptions, assessment needs and decision dates. Invite providers whose published specialisms match the appointment.
Require conflict and off-limits clearance before granting exclusivity. Compare the organisations and candidates each firm can approach, rather than relying on office count. Score mandate fit, named delivery team, research method, accessible market, shortlist commitment, all-in cost, evidence quality and acceptance of contractual protections.
Before signing, reconcile the proposal, statement of work and retained-search agreement on pricing, dates, candidate ownership, cancellation, replacement and fee credits.
Use a written engagement standard
AESC’s Client Bill of Rights calls for written clarity on the lead adviser, scope, timing, fees, deliverables and relevant terms such as off-limits restrictions, conflicts and data management. It is an association standard, not a universal UK fee rule. Ask whether a bidder follows it and document the actual assignment terms.[7]
References
- Where Leadership Matters – Executive Search and Headhunters | Odgers (odgers.com)
- Anderson Quigley | Executive Search Firm in London UK (andersonquigley.com)
- Executive Search (kornferry.com)
- UK Executive Search Firm | Headhunters for Senior Leaders (executiveheadhunters.co.uk)
- 5 Best Executive Search Firms In London (intelligentpeople.co.uk)
- Executive Search & Headhunting – Looking for Exceptional Execs? (novoexec.com)
- AESC Client Bill of Rights (aesc.org)
