Insights
Our latest thinking on leadership, search, and the talent landscape.
For European founders expanding to the US, the biggest challenge isn't product or technology — it's narrative. The US market doesn't buy the here and now. It buys the art of the possible.
Most European founders make critical strategic mistakes before their first US executive search even opens. Here’s what to decide before you post the job.
Most international expansions fail not because of a lack of product-market fit, but because of leadership-market fit. Learn how to find a true Market Founder - not just a regional VP - for your cross-Atlantic expansion.
ClimateTech companies are sitting on some of the most urgent mandates in business history - and many of them are frozen. Not by a lack of ambition, but by the same hiring indecision that has quietly cost more organisations than any hiring mistake ever did. Here is how the best climate-forward leaders are cutting through it.
Few industries have faced the kind of existential turbulence that TravelTech has over the last five years. From pandemic shutdowns to the revenge-travel boom, to AI disruption and sustainability pressure, the ability to anticipate change and pivot has never mattered more for travel and hospitality leaders.
How Groupon partnered with Key Search to secure 10 AI-first, digitally fluent executives in just 8 months - fuelling a bold 10x transformation strategy.
Most leadership failures follow the same pattern: honest feedback stops reaching the top. The research on power, candour, and executive mentoring - and what to do about it.
The opportunity in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region is staggering. With a combined GDP exceeding $20 trillion and a digitally-native population, it represents the most significant growth lever available to any US-based technology scale-up. Yet, the shores of the Atlantic are littered with the wreckage of ventures that faltered. Most expansions […]
Technical skills and track records matter - but cultural alignment is increasingly the deciding factor in senior hiring success.
The standard "find someone a few levels above you" advice breaks down once you've run out of rungs Structured arrangements consistently outperform informal ones, for multiple reasons There are three distinct types of mentoring relationship worth building, and most executives have none of them The best time to start is before you need it The […]
Appointing the wrong CTO is one of the most expensive mistakes a growth company can make. Here is what we see boards get wrong, and how to avoid it.
I've spent the better part of the last year and the first quarter of the year in back-to-back conversations with founders and chief executives across industries. Some were clients. Some were candidates. Some were neither - just leaders I respect who agreed to think out loud with me for an hour over coffee that […]
The first 100 days of a PE investment are critical. Here is how the best sponsors approach talent strategy from day one.
Founders love to say they are allergic to titles. And honestly, early on, that is healthy. Titles can get weird fast. People hide behind them. Decisions slow down. The product loses its edge. However, at some point, the “I do everything” phase stops being scrappy and starts being expensive. This isn't just in terms […]
The Myth of the "Active" Candidate In the high-stakes world of executive recruitment, there is a persistent myth that the “perfect” candidate is sitting at home, refreshing a job board, waiting for your specific opening to appear. The reality? The most impactful leaders, the ones currently driving digital transformation, scaling tech giants, or navigating complex transitions or […]
