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The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which gender is “done” in executive search. The authors uncover how the ideal candidate for top management is defined in and through search practices, and discuss how and why women are excluded in the process.

The study is based on in‐depth interviews with male and female Austrian, Finnish and Swedish executive search consultants. The authors study the ways in which consultants talk about their work, assignments, clients, and candidates, and discern from their talk descriptions of practices where male dominance in top management is reinforced.

The ways in which gender is “done” and women are excluded from top management are similar across socio‐cultural contexts. In different societal conditions and culturally laden forms, search consultants, candidates and clients engage in similar practices that produce a similar outcome. Core practices of executive search constrain consultants in their efforts to introduce female candidates to the process and to increase the number of women in top management.

The study is exploratory in that it paves the way for more refined understandings of the ways in which gender plays a role in professional services in general and in practices of executive search in particular.

Unmasking how gender is woven into the executive search process may provide openings for “doing” gender differently, both for consultants and their clients. It may serve as a catalyst for change in widening the talent pool for top management.

Research on gendered practices in executive search is extremely rare. The study provides new insights into this influential professional practice and its outcomes.

The search for top executives is fraught with pitfalls. Understanding them will set the process off on a strong footing and maximize the chances of a sustainable hire. This chapter examines three aspects of the search dynamic: “stakeout,” “trust-building” and the search consultant’s “ambassador role.” We reveal nine important insights. Has digitization made headhunting any easier? We correct common misconceptions and reveal the difficulty of approaching top executives with role propositions, the building of trusted relationships with clients, and the ambassador role of the executive search consultant. We examine the need for empathy and deep discernment in reading candidates. We next go more deeply into the full search process: the selection of the search firm, the search itself, the presentation of the chosen candidate and onboarding. We reveal points of attention for clients and candidates that underpin best practice.

An earlier form of this chapter by the author was published in Dutch in “Bestemming Boardroom: over zoeken en gevonden worden” (Boom, Amsterdam, 2018).

For a successful search, all members of the client–headhunter–candidate trio need to step up to the plate. How can clients better prepare for and engage in the search process? What are the current limits of client engagement and their rights vis-á-vis the headhunter? We explain why headhunting is different from recruitment, and why procuring executive search is as serious as other assets. We reveal the depth of questioning and bias management that it takes to reveal and attract the right candidate. We propose five points to build into the profile of the leader of the future. We next take a look at the clients of executive search firms – who come in all shapes and sizes. Van Eijck distinguishes four groups: multinationals, family businesses, private equity firms and public institutions. A tour signals points of attention for each group regarding a search process and some key points that apply across the spectrum – for example, how wildcard candidates can compromise a search process, the persistent problem of “no pay no cure” and why an appointment doesn’t always guarantee success. Finally, we move to the world of the executive candidate. Many make errors (also of judgment) when building their CVs. A seasoned headhunter can easily spot these. We present the keys to forging a robust story, working effectively with an executive search consultant and conclude with the features of the modern educational and work environment that can get in the way of a career.

An earlier form of this chapter by the author was published in Dutch in “Bestemming Boardroom: over zoeken en gevonden worden” (Boom, Amsterdam, 2018).

As the economy re-shapes, so too must the modern organization and its governance. We examine corporate governance codes and their limits in predicting an executive’s performance. We look at the Code of Professional Practice of executive search consultants, the in-built factors that have prevented the sector from becoming a qualified profession, and how to move beyond them. We examine how sustainability is migrating to the heart of modern governance, and present eight reasons to change existing codes and a call for tolerant governance. Mining engineer Henri Fayol is considered the founder of corporate governance. Despite dramatic changes in management during the past 100 years, much of his theory still holds. We take a tour of Fayol’s thinking, how management has evolved, and examine the unstructured shape of things to come: an organic architecture, an emphasis on knowledge capital and an agile leadership culture. We conclude with “change ability” – an evolutionary leap for the chair, CFO, supervisory board and organizations as a whole. The executive search profession finally comes under a harsh spotlight. What’s next for the profession, in light of digitization, its representation on boards, its effect on diversity? And why do executive search firms need to walk the sustainability talk in the way they seek and position leaders?

An earlier form of this chapter by the author was published in Dutch in “Bestemming Boardroom: over zoeken en gevonden worden” (Boom, Amsterdam, 2018).

Many in the private and public sectors see headhunting as a “necessary evil.” A tour of investors, business schools, executive and supervisory board directors throws up unflattering descriptions. Accusations of “opacity” are probably linked to the industry’s duty of discretion. Other observers signal a need for improvement: “pumping the same names around,” “emphasis on reputation, not merit,” “lack of quality” and “low innovation.” The battle to professionalize is underway. We look at the avenues ahead for executive hiring, the demise of the “old boys’ network” and the need for diversity and sustainability in modern organizations. We present the difficulties of running a headhunting firm, and distinguishing factors of the best players. We argue that selecting a headhunter demands the same rigor as choosing a lawyer, and six areas of improvement for executive search firms. Unpacking the Spartan marathon to the boardroom, we reveal the surprising estimates of the number of new high potentials entering the market annually. We conclude by looking at possible blind spots on both sides of the hiring equation that can undermine company interests, and continue to examine the march to professionalize the executive search industry.

An earlier form of this chapter by the author was published in Dutch in “Bestemming Boardroom: over zoeken en gevonden worden” (Boom, Amsterdam, 2018) and in English (online) by the Amrop Partnership (2021) as “Destination Boardroom 3: Mapping the Executive Search World.”

Demand for mechanical engineers is far outstripping supply, according to the London‐based headhunters, Eurosurvey, who report that this generally depressed market is now enjoying significant growth in some sectors. With economists forecasting a 1.5 per cent growth in the expansion of mechanical engineering in the UK in the immediate future, emphasis will be on “design, development, quality and reliability assessment and simulation”; the engineers who will be head‐hunted will have skills in robotics, electronics, CAD‐CAM and CAD‐MAT. Many engineering projects fail due to a suitably integrated approach to project management, and the value of the engineers of the future will depend on their financial and management expertise as much as their engineering abilities. A new MSc in project management, begun in 1985 in a joint course run by Henley Management College and Brunei University, is the closest thing to a general technical education currently available. Organisations such as GIM, Lucas Industries and Marks and Spencer are actively supporting new moves to bring disciplined logic and improved training and management/career development to project management.

The purpose of the paper is to provide an informed but personal view on the debate surrounding the role of the non‐executive director and the board.

The approach is that of a practitioner recruiting non‐executive directors. The author offers a personal view.

The author has had extensive discussions with both chairmen and non‐executive directors of FTSE companies and the views in the paper reflect these discussions.

The value of the paper is to stimulate debate and to promote a realistic climate within which business can operate effectively.

Once again the headhunters are busy, capturing talent and delivering their trophies to the boardrooms of the capital. Since professional Records Managers (as opposed to ‘let's pretend’ PQ accountants) are a rare species, the hunt this last year has been particularly tense. Only by offering thrilling inducements has the ‘big game’ been caught. In the majority of cases, the headhunters' brief is short and simple: to bag a records manager who will set up a system out of chaos and then run it efficiently. This is a tall order. In the majority of cases the existing records management systems are a veritable Augean Stables, the corruption and confusion has now reached such a depth as to prompt urgent attention from top management. A Hercules is required and, if to be attracted, his or her labours will need to be rewarded handsomely. Not so long ago, the going rate for a Records Manager able to organize a system from scratch was of the order of £20,000. Since this inducement commonly resulted in the recruitment of a Hercules more after the manner of Aristophanes than of Aeschylus, a process of salary inflation deriving from scarcity took over. A few months ago, one leading firm of city recruiters were offering £70,000 + for a manager skilled enough to organize a market‐maker's backrooms. Although no doubt exceptional, this level of remuneration (which, when taking the ‘package’ into account, topped six figures) reflects the growing desperation felt in business for the type of executive who really can make order out of chaos and a filing system out of a heap of contract notes.

THERE is a general rule‐of‐thumb in the personnel business that you should use direct recruitment to fill posts with salaries up to £5,000 p.a.; that you should employ a selection consultancy, an advertising agency or both to fill vacancies at up to £10,000 pa.; and that you should call in “headhunters” — executive search consultants who approach individual candidates — for posts over £10,000.

This paper aims to highlight differences in women's experiences of advancement to partnership in accountancy firms in Germany and the UK and consider the ways in which such differences may be constituted by the institutional context in which they occurred.

This research is based on 60 semi-structured interviews with women partners in Germany and the UK. Techniques adopted from grounded theory were applied.

This qualitative research is context-specific and given its cross-national, interdisciplinary nature is limited to the extent that findings cannot be generalised beyond the studied scope.

The study points to cross-national differences in women's career advancement in accountancy firms. The findings support extant research suggesting that structured performance evaluation and hiring systems – while not without flaws – are likely more gender-neutral. In addition, the study highlights the potential of headhunters and recruitment agents as an important tool for women to navigate their way out of career culs-de-sac.

This research provides unique insights into women partners' experiences of career advancement and, through its interdisciplinary nature, demonstrates the usefulness of employing institutional frameworks in qualitative in-depth studies of this kind.