Seven things that shape a UK executive appointment
These decide the timeline and the shortlist long before anyone is approached.
Notice and garden leave set the real start date
Statutory minimum notice is one week per year of service to a cap of twelve weeks, but contractual notice for UK executives routinely runs three to six months, and garden leave can run it longer. A search that reports a signed offer as a completed hire is reporting the halfway point. We model the start date, not the acceptance date.
Regulated appointments need approval before they begin
Under the FCA and PRA Senior Managers and Certification Regime, a Senior Management Function holder must be approved by the regulator before taking up the role, and regulatory references must be obtained from employers covering the previous six years. That is weeks of process that belongs in the plan from the outset.
Non-competes are enforceable, within limits
UK post-termination restrictions are enforceable where they go no further than is reasonably necessary to protect a legitimate business interest. Duration, geography and scope all matter, and they are commonly negotiated at offer stage. We identify them during research rather than at the point of acceptance.
Board appointments run on a governance calendar
Non-executive and board appointments at listed companies sit inside the UK Corporate Governance Code framework, with nomination committee cycles, succession planning obligations and disclosure of the search process itself. The appointment timetable follows the committee calendar, not the hiring manager’s.
Board composition targets are disclosed, and watched
Listed companies report against board diversity targets under the FCA’s listing rules, alongside the voluntary FTSE Women Leaders and Parker Review targets. A board search that does not produce a genuinely diverse qualified longlist creates a disclosure problem as well as a governance one.
Executive pay is public, and that changes negotiation
Directors’ remuneration reports put incumbent packages in the public domain for listed companies, and shareholders vote on remuneration policy. Both sides of a UK executive negotiation usually know more than they would in a private company, which makes a properly constructed benchmark more valuable, not less.
The market is twelve regions, not one
London pays differently and behaves differently from Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Edinburgh or Cardiff, and relocation reluctance at executive level is real. For a regional appointment, a London-anchored search produces a shortlist that will not accept.
The uk search process, week by week
Seven stages. Nothing begins until the brief and success profile are written down.
| Stage | What happens | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 0–1 | Scoping and role definition | Brief with the hiring body, success profile agreed in writing, market definition and comparator set signed off, package positioned against evidence |
| Weeks 1–3 | Market mapping and research | The complete qualified population identified and verified, not a sample. You see the map before anyone is approached |
| Weeks 3–5 | Discreet approach and engagement | Named, confidential approaches. Interest, motivation and realistic availability established, including notice and any restrictive covenants |
| Weeks 5–7 | Longlist to shortlist | Structured interviews against the success profile, written assessments, shortlist presented with the reasons for every exclusion |
| Weeks 7–10 | Client interviews and final stage | Interview process managed, feedback handled both ways, psychometric or board presentation stages if used |
| Weeks 10–12 | Referencing and offer | Referencing, including regulatory references where SM&CR applies, offer constructed and negotiated, acceptance |
| Weeks 12–38 | Notice, approval and onboarding | Three to six months’ notice is normal; garden leave may extend it; FCA or PRA approval runs in parallel where required. We stay engaged through to start |
Two dates matter, and we quote them separately. Time to offer is what a search firm controls. Time to start depends on notice, garden leave, regulatory approval and relocation — and in several of our markets it is the longer of the two by a wide margin. A plan built on the first date alone will slip.
Roles and levels we search for
Where the qualified population is small and not actively looking, search is the right instrument. Where it is deep and available, it is not — and we will say so.
| Level | Typical roles | What the search turns on |
|---|---|---|
| Board and non-executive | Chair, non-executive director, senior independent director, audit and remuneration committee chairs | Governance process, documented search, composition requirements and committee calendar |
| Chief executive | CEO, managing director, country head, general manager | Confidentiality, succession context and the business case the appointee is being hired to deliver |
| Chief financial officer | CFO, finance director, group financial controller | Listed or private experience, transaction background and regulatory exposure |
| Technology and digital | CTO, CIO, CPO, CISO, chief data or AI officer | Depth of hands-on capability versus governance experience, and which one the role actually needs |
| Commercial and operations | CCO, COO, chief revenue officer, supply chain director | Sector adjacency, scale of operation and route-to-market fit |
| People and risk | CHRO, chief people officer, chief risk officer, general counsel | Regulatory exposure, works council or employee representative experience where relevant |
| Senior specialist | Head of function, principal, technical fellow, regulated specialist | A scarce capability where the qualified population is small and not looking |
Governance and regulation
The machinery around a uk appointment, and where it sits in the timeline.
| Area | Framework | What it means for a search |
|---|---|---|
| Governance code | UK Corporate Governance Code, maintained by the Financial Reporting Council | Sets nomination committee responsibilities, succession planning and disclosure of the search process |
| Board diversity disclosure | FCA listing rules, plus the FTSE Women Leaders Review and Parker Review targets | Listed companies report against board composition targets on a comply-or-explain basis |
| Regulated senior roles | FCA and PRA Senior Managers and Certification Regime | Pre-approval of Senior Management Functions and six-year regulatory references |
| Director registration | Companies House, under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 | Director identity verification is being phased in; confirm the current requirement before an appointment date is fixed |
| Executive pay | Directors’ remuneration report regulations and the shareholder vote on remuneration policy | Incumbent packages at listed companies are public, which changes how an offer is built |
We are a research firm, not a law firm. The purpose of this table is to make sure the right questions are asked early and the right specialists are engaged, not to give legal advice. Every one of these frameworks changes periodically — confirm the current position with your own counsel before an appointment date is fixed.
Sectors we search in United Kingdom
Deepest where the qualified population is smallest.
- Financial services — banking, asset and wealth management, insurance and fintech, including SM&CR-approved appointments.
- Technology and data — CTO, CPO, CISO, chief data officer and the engineering leadership beneath them.
- Life sciences and healthcare — pharma, biotech, devices, CRO and provider leadership.
- Energy, utilities and net zero — including regulated utility and capital project leadership.
- Industrial, aerospace and defence — including security-cleared appointments.
- Consumer, retail and FMCG — commercial, supply chain and digital leadership.
- Private equity portfolio — CEO, CFO and value-creation appointments on a transaction timetable.
Confidentiality and ethics
In senior markets this decides whether a search succeeds, and whose reputation carries the cost if it does not.
The client is not named until engagement
We approach the market describing the opportunity, not the employer, until a candidate is genuinely interested and an NDA is in place where appropriate. The disclosure point is agreed in writing before the first call.
No pretext, ever
We do not misrepresent who we are or who we are working for in order to obtain information, and we do not solicit confidential information from current or former employees. A firm willing to do that for you will do it about you.
Off-limits agreed up front
Which organisations are off-limits, and for how long, is written into the scope. So is what happens if a candidate approaches us independently during the search.
Candidate data handled to one standard
Professional information only, sourced per field, transferred securely, and no special-category data compiled against named individuals. See the methodology for the full standard.
Declines are reported, with reasons
Who declined and why is as useful as who accepted. It is the clearest evidence you will get about how the role, the package and the employer brand are actually perceived.
The market map stays with you
Not with us. We do not recycle a client’s search into another client’s shortlist, and we do not resell research.
Search, mapping and contingency recruitment
Three different instruments. The expensive mistake is using the wrong one.
| Executive search (this) | Talent mapping | Contingency recruitment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starts from | A defined appointment | A role or population to understand | A live vacancy |
| Covers | The whole qualified population, approached | The whole qualified population, profiled but not approached | Whoever the recruiter can reach quickly |
| Best when | The right people are not looking | You need to decide before you commit | The market is deep and candidates are available |
| Output | An appointment, plus the full search report | A named population and analysis | A shortlist of available candidates |
| Our fee model | Fixed project fee | Fixed project fee | We do not work on contingency |
| Market fee model | 25–33% of first-year package, retained | Project fee | 15–25% on placement |
| Who owns the research | You | You | The agency |
| Confidentiality | High — client unnamed until engagement | High — no approach made at all | Low by construction |
The honest guidance: if the role is one where good people are actively looking and several agencies already have them on file, contingency recruitment is cheaper and faster, and we will tell you so. Search earns its fee where the qualified population is small, not looking, and reachable only through a researched and credible approach.
Many clients buy a the UK talent map first, use it to decide whether to open the role at all, and convert into a search only if the answer is yes. The map is not wasted either way — it becomes the search’s first stage.
What executive search costs in United Kingdom
Fixed project fees, scoped on the search rather than on the salary.
| Engagement | What it covers | Typical fee | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior or specialist appointment | One director or senior specialist role, one UK market | £10,000–£22,000 | 10–14 weeks to offer |
| Board or C-suite appointment | CEO, CFO, CTO, NED or chair, with a full market map and governance-grade documentation | £22,000–£45,000 | 12–18 weeks to offer |
| Leadership team build | Three to five linked appointments, sequenced so the first hire shapes the rest | £45,000–£95,000 | 4–8 months |
Compare that with a retained UK search at 25–33% of first-year package: on a £250,000 appointment that is £62,500 to £82,500 for one hire, and the search report stays with the search firm. Our fee is based on the work the search takes, you keep the full market map, and there is no placement fee.
Our fee is for the work the search takes, agreed in writing before it starts. It does not move with the appointee’s package, and there is no success fee. That is what allows a search to conclude that the role should be restructured, the package re-priced, or an internal candidate appointed. The fee comparison calculator runs it against a percentage model on your own numbers.
What you receive
The appointment is the outcome. The search report is the asset.
- The appointment — managed through offer, acceptance, notice and start, not handed over at signature.
- The market definition — the written scope every figure and judgement in the search rests on.
- The complete market map — the full qualified population, not only the people who responded. This is the asset most search firms keep.
- Approach and response record — who was approached, who engaged, who declined and the reason each gave.
- Written assessments — every shortlisted candidate against the agreed success profile, with the reasons for each exclusion.
- Compensation evidence — what the market pays on a stated and normalised basis, which is what makes an offer defensible internally.
- Referencing — structured, including regulatory references where the market requires them.
- Permanent ownership — all of the above is yours. Most clients reuse the map within a year for the next appointment or for succession planning.
UK executive search FAQs
What is executive search in the UK?
Executive search in the UK is a managed, research-led process for appointing senior leaders: defining the role and the market, identifying and mapping every qualified candidate, approaching them discreetly, assessing and referencing them, and managing the offer through to a start date that accounts for notice, garden leave and any regulatory approval required.
It differs from recruitment in that the market is researched exhaustively rather than advertised to, and the people who matter are usually not looking.
How long does a UK executive search take?
Ten to fourteen weeks from brief to accepted offer for a senior or specialist appointment, and twelve to eighteen weeks for a board or C-suite role.
The start date is a separate question. Contractual notice of three to six months is normal at UK executive level, garden leave can extend it, and a Senior Management Function cannot begin until the FCA or PRA has approved the individual. We quote both dates separately so the plan is built on the real one.
How much does executive search cost in the UK?
A senior or specialist appointment typically costs £10,000 to £22,000. A board or C-suite appointment typically costs £22,000 to £45,000. A leadership team build of three to five linked roles typically costs £45,000 to £95,000.
These are fixed project fees based on the work the search takes, not a percentage of the appointee’s package. A retained UK search at 25 to 33 per cent on a £250,000 role would be £62,500 to £82,500 for a single hire.
Do you charge a percentage of salary?
No. We charge a project fee based on the work the search requires. There is no percentage of salary, no placement fee and no success fee.
That is what allows us to recommend restructuring the role, re-pricing the package or appointing an internal candidate, none of which a percentage-based firm has any financial reason to suggest.
How does the Senior Managers Regime affect a search?
It adds a mandatory approval stage before the appointee can start. A Senior Management Function holder must be approved by the FCA or PRA, and regulatory references must be obtained from employers covering the previous six years.
We establish at research stage whether a candidate currently holds or has held an approved function, flag anything that could complicate approval, and run the reference process alongside the offer rather than after it.
Are UK non-compete clauses enforceable against an executive?
UK post-termination restrictions are enforceable where they go no further than is reasonably necessary to protect a legitimate business interest — duration, geographic scope and the activities restricted all matter, and courts examine them closely.
In practice they are frequently negotiated at offer stage. We identify restrictions during research rather than at acceptance, so the shortlist is built from people who can actually take the job. Specific enforceability is a question for your employment counsel, not for a search firm.
Can you run a confidential search?
Yes, and a significant share of UK executive searches are confidential — usually because an incumbent is still in post, because the appointment signals a strategy change, or because the company is in a transaction.
We approach the market without naming the client until a candidate is genuinely engaged and an NDA is in place, and we agree the disclosure point in writing before the first approach is made.
Do you handle non-executive and board appointments?
Yes. Board appointments run on the nomination committee’s calendar rather than a hiring manager’s, and listed companies disclose their board search and succession process under the UK Corporate Governance Code.
We document the process to governance standard, produce a genuinely diverse qualified longlist, and provide the written record the nomination committee needs for its disclosure.
How do you build a diverse shortlist without compromising merit?
By widening the research, not by lowering the bar. Most shortlists lack diversity because the search was anchored on a narrow comparator set — the same five companies, the same job title, the same route in.
We define the role on capability rather than pedigree, research adjacent sectors and non-linear career paths, and report representation at longlist level so the pipeline can be examined. Characteristics are never recorded against named individuals. See diversity hiring.
What do we receive at the end of a UK search?
The appointment, and the full search report: the market definition, the complete map of the qualified population, who was approached, who declined and why, the assessment against the success profile, and the compensation evidence behind the offer.
You keep all of it. Most clients use it again within a year for the next appointment or for succession planning, which a percentage-fee firm does not normally allow.
Do you cover Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
Yes, as distinct markets. Scotland has its own legal system and its own income tax bands, which changes net pay and therefore what an offer has to be. Wales and Northern Ireland have separate employer bases and separate devolved incentive regimes.
Relocation reluctance at executive level is real in all three, so we research the regional market properly rather than offering a London shortlist that will not accept.
What happens if the search does not produce the right person?
We tell you, and we tell you why — the package, the role design, the location, the market being thinner than assumed, or the brief being internally contradictory.
Because the fee is for the work rather than the placement, saying so costs us nothing and saves you a bad appointment. Several UK searches we have run concluded with a restructured role or an internal appointment, and the market map was what made that defensible.
How is executive search different from talent mapping?
A talent map identifies and profiles the qualified population and stops there — it is research, not recruitment. Executive search uses that map and then approaches, assesses, references and appoints.
Many clients buy the map first, decide on the evidence whether to open the role, and convert into a search only if the answer is yes.
Primary sources and how we check
- UK Corporate Governance CodeFinancial Reporting Council
- Senior Managers and Certification RegimeFinancial Conduct Authority
- Financial Services RegisterFinancial Conduct Authority
- Companies House registerCompanies House
- Annual Survey of Hours and EarningsOffice for National Statistics
- Notice periods and dismissalGOV.UK
- FTSE Women Leaders ReviewFTSE Women Leaders Review
Figures quoted on this page were checked against the sources above on 20 October 2026. Statutory rates, thresholds and quotas change: where a number drives a budget or a legal obligation, confirm it against the primary source before you rely on it.