Executive Search
Identifying and securing chief executives and senior leaders who drive strategic growth, cultural cohesion, and long-term value creation across global markets.
A disciplined approach to the most consequential appointments.
Executive Search sits at the core of the Lighthouse practice. Most of our mandates involve the appointment of a chief executive, a functional head, or a senior operating leader, decisions where an organisation's strategic trajectory is, in large part, decided.
We work on these appointments the way they deserve to be worked on: senior-led, research-driven, and shaped to context. Each mandate is assigned to a partner with direct sector experience, supported by a dedicated research team. The brief is defined with rigour, the market is mapped exhaustively, candidates are assessed through structured evaluation, and the integration phase is treated as part of the engagement, not an afterthought.
We decline mandates where we cannot add genuine value, and we hold our mandate volume deliberately low. The outcome is a calibre of attention, depth of research, and quality of judgement our clients tell us is increasingly rare in the industry.
Organisations where leadership is consequential.
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Listed companies
CEO and functional leadership appointments for listed and dual-listed entities, with a considered approach to the governance and stakeholder considerations such work demands.
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Private and family-owned businesses
Senior mandates for enterprises where continuity, culture, and values weigh as heavily as capability, and where professionalising leadership is often part of the brief.
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Investor-backed organisations
Platform CEOs, portfolio leaders, and functional heads for private equity, venture, and growth-capital-backed businesses, appointments calibrated to an investment thesis.
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Purpose-led institutions
Leadership for universities, charitable foundations, and mission-driven organisations, where the appointment must serve both strategy and stewardship.
What an executive search engagement includes.
Brief definition
A structured process of immersion, stakeholder conversations, and competency design, resulting in a written brief that guides every subsequent decision.
Market mapping
Exhaustive, research-led mapping across local and international markets, identifying credible candidates well beyond those actively on the market.
Candidate engagement
Discreet outreach, tailored to each candidate's context, ensuring the opportunity is understood on its merits and that considered interest is sustained.
Structured assessment
Competency-based interviews, validated against the brief, supported by referencing, cultural fit evaluation, and stakeholder calibration.
Offer and negotiation
Support with offer structure, negotiation, and terms, bringing market intelligence and experience to the closing stages of the process.
Integration support
Structured onboarding counsel in the first ninety days, a formal six-month check-in, and an ongoing relationship for as long as it serves the engagement.
What success looks like.
We measure the success of an executive search not at the point of offer acceptance, but in the months and years that follow. Our post-placement tracking shows the leaders we appoint substantially outperform industry norms on tenure, internal promotion, and demonstrable contribution to enterprise strategy.
More important than any benchmark, however, is the judgement of the boards and chief executives we have worked with, many of whom return for subsequent mandates and introduce us to peers whose appointments they care about. That trust, sustained over time, is the measure we care about most.
Explore case studies →
Leadership decisions shape the future of your organisation.
We would welcome the opportunity to discuss an upcoming mandate, a succession question, or simply to begin a longer-term conversation. All enquiries are handled in strict confidence.