About Key Search
We know what greatleadership looks like
We go deep - in our research, with our proprietary technology, and in how we build trusted partnerships. We bring clarity, pace, and persistence to every search. We always close our projects. And we don't just promise results - we stand by them, with one of the longest placement guarantees and highest success rates on the market.
Why us
Everything we do is designed to enable our clients to consistently hire the very best people and help them successfully scale and transform their businesses.
Key Search is a global yet boutique executive search firm redefining leadership for the modern tech ecosystem. Moving beyond outdated, transactional recruitment, we pioneer a relationship-first approach rooted in serendipity by design. With a proven track record of scaling landmark European unicorns and high-growth innovators across 16 industries, we pair proprietary technology with deep human intuition to connect transformative C-suite leaders, founders, and boards with the companies shaping tomorrow.
Quality
We are on a mission to give you the best executive search experience - hiring consistently the very best people to scale and transform your business.
Transparency
With full visibility into every stage of the search, you stay informed, empowered, and always one step ahead. No surprises, always certainty.
Guarantee
Our guarantee gives you peace of mind: the right leader, the right fit, and complete confidence that your investment is protected. We don't just promise results - we stand by them.
Our Partners
Global reach
A global team, built for your market.
The only Boutique Executive Search firm with a global footprint.
20+ specialists across North America, Europe, and beyond.
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Successful leadership placements in 16 industries
Positions We Hire
Leaders We've Placed
Leadership across every level, every function, every market.
Our Story
Built to last. Proven to place.
Female Founded
It began with an idea...
Franziska Palumbo-Seidel
Founding Partner, Key Search
Key Search was born out of a simple realization: standard executive search was broken, overly transactional, and disconnected from what truly drives success - people.
Having spent over 15 years building executive teams for unicorns like Klarna, TransferWise, SoundCloud, and N26, Franziska saw firsthand that high-growth companies don't just need talent boxes checked; they need high-trust, cross-functional leadership networks that scale together.
Rather than relying on legacy databases or superficial recruitment "hooks", Franziska anchored Key Search in the philosophy of serendipity by design—creating the conditions for meaningful, unexpected, and game-changing connections.
Through Key Search 3.0, Franziska and her team bridge cutting-edge proprietary technology with deep, relationship-first headhunting. By putting the clients and candidates at the center of the ecosystem, Key Search delivers absolute clarity, unparalleled placement guarantees, and an unwavering commitment to driving board diversity and inclusive leadership across Europe and North America.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Commitment to People, Planet & Purpose.
One Placement, One Tree
Planet & Sustainability
We invest in reforestation across East Africa and SE Asia. Every placement plants a tree, connecting commercial success to ecological restoration.
People & DEI
We dismantle systemic barriers in leadership hiring, committing to diverse long lists and inclusive assessment practices across every search.
20+
Trees Planted
2026 YTD
3,840
kg CO₂ Seq.
438k
L Water Ret.
1+
Households
Impacted