Executive Hiring Strategy — Get the C-Suite Right First Time
Strategic advisory for founders, CEOs and boards on executive and C-suite hiring. We're not a search firm — we sit on your side of the table, defining what the role actually needs to be, briefing search partners properly, sitting on interview panels, and de-risking the most expensive hires you'll ever make.
The most expensive mistake most companies make
The average cost of a failed C-suite hire is six-figure direct, seven-figure indirect once you count time lost, missed targets, team disruption and the second search. Yet most organisations approach executive hiring with the same process they use for senior managers — and bring in search firms whose incentives are aligned to closing a placement, not to whether the hire actually works.
Executive hiring strategy is the work that sits before the search starts and continues after the offer is accepted. It's where the real value lives.
When this matters most
Strategic hiring advisory is highest-leverage at the moments when getting it wrong is most costly — and where speed and substance both matter.
First C-suite hire — CFO, CTO, COO, CCO, CPO
Founder transitioning out of an exec role
Pre-Series B leadership team build-out
Post-acquisition leadership integration
Replacing an underperforming executive
Hiring in a regulated environment (FCA, SMCR)
International leadership hires across jurisdictions
Board-level appointments — Chair, NED, Trustee
What strategic hiring advisory covers
Every C-suite hire is a strategic decision dressed up as a recruitment process. We work alongside the CEO and board on the parts that actually determine whether the hire succeeds.
Role definition — what the role actually needs to deliver
Success profile and selection criteria
Search partner selection, briefing and management
Compensation and equity benchmarking
Interview panel design and structured assessment
Reference taking and back-channel due diligence
Offer construction, negotiation and acceptance
First 90 days — onboarding and integration support
We're not a search firm — and that's the point
Search firms are paid to close placements. We're paid to ensure the right hire is made — which means asking whether the role needs to exist in its current shape, whether internal succession is the better answer, and whether the search partner's shortlist is actually fit for purpose. We sit on your side of the table, with no placement fee on the table.
Why founders and boards bring in Rosie
25+ years placing and integrating C-suite executives — CFOs, COOs, CTOs and beyond — across high-growth, fintech and regulated organisations. Rosie has worked both sides of the table: as an in-house Chief People Officer hiring exec teams, and as a strategic advisor partnering with founders and boards on their most important appointments.
Chartered FCIPD — held to the highest professional standard
Finalist, British Recruitment Awards 2025 (×2)
Trustee, Trust for London — Finance & Resources Committee
Member, British Institute of Recruiters
FAQ
How is this different from working with an executive search firm?
An executive search firm finds candidates and is paid on placement. Our work sits around the search — defining the role, selecting and briefing the right search partner, designing the interview process, and supporting the first 90 days. We often work alongside a search firm, with clear and complementary scopes. The combination is materially more effective than either on its own.
Do you handle the recruitment yourselves?
We can — for senior hires below C-suite, or where a direct approach is more appropriate than a retained search. For most C-suite roles, the right model is search-firm partnership with us providing the strategic envelope around it. We'll recommend the right shape for each hire.
What's the difference between executive hiring strategy and executive recruitment?
Executive recruitment is the search process — finding, screening and placing candidates. Executive hiring strategy is everything around it: what the role needs to be, how success will be measured, how the panel will assess, how compensation will be structured, and how the new hire is integrated. The recruitment is the easier part. The strategy is where most hires succeed or fail.
How early should we bring you in on a hire?
Before the search firm. The single biggest determinant of a successful executive hire is whether the role has been defined correctly. We typically engage 2–4 weeks before approaching search partners, and stay involved through to integration.
Do you work on board-level appointments?
Yes — including Chair, NED and Trustee appointments. Rosie is currently a Trustee at Trust for London and has experience advising on board composition, governance and succession.
Ready to stop firefighting?
The first 15 minutes of our consultation call is on us — no forms, no friction. Tell us what you're working on and we'll tell you straight whether we're the right fit.
Looking for a job? Live roles are on our careers page.
