Darcie Hudson and Erwin of Go Ahead HiRe working together at the Reutum office

- About Go Ahead HiRe -

A founder-led recruitment boutique
for European hiring

We are Darcie and Erwin. From our office in the east of the Netherlands we help international companies expand to Europe and European companies grow further across the continent. Senior attention on every search, no junior hand-offs.

- Our story -

Built on two decades of cross-border European recruitment

Go Ahead HiRe was founded by Darcie Hudson after years of running European searches inside larger agencies. The brief was simple: build the firm we always wished existed for international clients. Senior recruiters on every search, honest answers about what a market will and will not deliver, and a candidate experience worth talking about five years later.

Today we run searches across the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Belgium for scale-ups, PE-backed businesses, family-owned European groups and established multinationals. Every engagement is led personally by Darcie or Erwin, from the first briefing call to the signed offer letter.

See our six-step approach · Read client reviews
Darcie Hudson and Erwin, founders of Go Ahead HiRe, at the Reutum office in the Netherlands
Darcie and Erwin at the Go Ahead HiRe office, Reutum, the Netherlands

- Meet the team -

The people running your search

No junior researcher you never get to talk to, no offshore sourcing team. Every search is led personally by Darcie or Erwin.

Darcie Hudson, Founder and Managing Director of Go Ahead HiRe

Darcie Hudson

Founder and Managing Director

Darcie founded Go Ahead HiRe after years of running European searches for international clients inside larger agencies. She leads our work with companies expanding to Europe for the first time, and personally manages the most senior leadership searches across the Netherlands, the UK and DACH.

Her style is direct, calibrated and candidate-first. Expect honest feedback about your brief, weekly written updates, and a shortlist she would happily sign her own name against.

Brief Darcie on a search
Erwin, Recruitment Partner Europe at Go Ahead HiRe

Erwin

Recruitment Partner, Europe

Erwin partners with European companies growing their existing workforce further across the continent. He runs the bulk of our searches in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Belgium, with a particular focus on commercial and technical leadership roles.

He is the person clients call when a search needs to move quickly without losing rigour, and the one candidates remember for taking the time to prepare them properly for every stage of the process.

Brief Erwin on a search

- What we stand for -

Four principles that shape every search

These are the working principles you will feel from the first briefing call onward.

Honesty over hype

We will tell you when a brief is unrealistic, when a salary needs to move, or when we are the wrong fit. A polite no upfront is worth more than a noisy maybe for three months.

Quality over volume

We take on a limited number of searches at any one time. Each one gets a calibrated longlist, structured interviews and reference depth. No CV-flood, no spray and pray.

European, by people who live here

We do not parachute in from London or New York. We live and work in the Netherlands, and our network reaches into Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium and the Nordics through people we have known for years.

Candidates are people, not products

Every candidate we represent gets honest feedback, a clear timeline and a real human on the other end of the phone. That is also why the same candidates come back to us five years later as hiring managers.

- Ready when you are -

Let us help you build your European team

Whether you are planning your first European hire or extending an established team into a new country, we would love to hear about it. A single call is usually enough to know whether we are the right partner.

START A SEARCH GET IN TOUCH

- About us FAQ -

The founders, the firm and how we work

Five honest answers about who runs Go Ahead HiRe and how we partner with international clients.

Last reviewed: · Source: goaheadhire.com

Who founded Go Ahead HiRe?

Go Ahead HiRe was founded by Darcie Hudson and is run together with Erwin from our office in Reutum, in the east of the Netherlands. Between them they bring two decades of cross-border recruitment experience across the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Belgium.

Related: See how we run a search, See our recruitment services

Reviewed · Source: goaheadhire.com

Where is Go Ahead HiRe based?

Our office is in Reutum, the Netherlands (De Gruttenmaat 35, 7667 TH Reutum), and we are registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under KvK 83037624. We work across the European Union and the United Kingdom, with most engagements running fully remote and the occasional on-site visit when it adds value.

Related: See the European countries we cover, Visit our contact page

Reviewed · Source: goaheadhire.com

What kind of companies does Go Ahead HiRe work with?

Two main audiences. International companies expanding to Europe for the first time, and European companies growing their existing workforce further across the EU and UK. Within those two groups we partner with scale-ups (Series A to D), PE-backed businesses, family-owned European groups and established multinationals.

Related: See the company shapes we partner with

Reviewed · Source: goaheadhire.com

Why work with a boutique instead of a big-name search firm?

With us, the people you meet in the brief are the same people running the search end to end. There is no junior researcher you never get to talk to and no offshore sourcing team you never see. You get senior attention on every shortlist, and direct access to Darcie or Erwin whenever you need it.

Related: Read recent client reviews, Brief us on a new search

Reviewed · Source: goaheadhire.com

In which languages do you work?

All client communication runs in English. On the candidate side we engage in the local language: Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian and English. That way a US, UK or APAC headquarters can hire confidently in any of our core European markets without having to manage local-language outreach themselves.

Related: See our recruitment specialisations

Reviewed · Source: goaheadhire.com

Still have a question? Send us a message on the contact page or brief us on a new role.