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Discretion as a default
Confidential searches are the rule, not the exception. We never name a client or a candidate without explicit permission, and offer negotiations are handled through encrypted channels.
- Recruitment -
Management and leadership recruitment across Europe and the UK
Executive search for CEOs, Managing Directors, Country Managers and senior leadership teams across the six core European markets.
- Why this practice exists -
A senior, cross-border practice for management & leadership
Senior leadership hires set the trajectory of a business. Go Ahead HiRe runs executive search for CEOs, Managing Directors, Country Managers and full C-suite teams across the six core European markets, with the same level of discretion and rigour expected of a global executive search firm.
About one in three of our active leadership searches is fully confidential, often replacing an underperforming executive or a pre-funding stealth hire. We work with founders, boards, private equity sponsors and family-owned European groups, and we move at the pace the situation demands.
Read more about our six-step approach or the six European markets we cover.
- What we do -
Inside the management & leadership practice
A focused set of services delivered by a single accountable consultant, with senior calibration on every shortlist.
- Retained executive search for CEO, Managing Director and Country Manager roles across Europe and the UK.
- Full C-suite searches: CRO, COO, CFO, CMO, CPO, CTO, Chief People Officer.
- Confidential replacement of underperforming senior leaders, off-market and on the timeline you need.
- Non-executive director and advisory board placements for European scale-ups and family-owned groups.
- Leadership team assessments for newly funded or newly acquired businesses.
- Typical mandates -
Roles we recruit, week in week out
A snapshot of the management & leadership mandates that come across our desk most often. If your role is not listed but lives at the senior end of the function, send us a one-paragraph brief.
- Chief Executive Officer
- Managing Director Europe
- Country Manager (NL, UK, DE, FR, ES, IT)
- Chief Operating Officer
- Chief Financial Officer
- Chief Revenue Officer
- Chief People Officer
- Non-Executive Director or Advisory Board member
Looking for a current opening? Browse our live open positions or submit your CV confidentially.
- Who we work with -
The kind of clients on this practice
A representative cross-section of the management & leadership clients we partner with across Europe and the UK.
Founders and CEOs hiring their first senior leadership layer below them.
Boards replacing an underperforming executive on a confidential, off-market basis.
Private equity sponsors hiring leadership for a newly acquired European portfolio company.
European family-owned groups professionalising leadership ahead of a generational handover.
- Our approach -
A six-step search method, applied consistently
Every management & leadership engagement runs on the same six-step search process: discovery, market mapping, sourcing and longlisting, calibrated shortlisting, client interviews and selection, and offer plus onboarding support. Most senior searches close within 6 to 10 weeks, with a calibrated longlist visible to you within 2 to 3 weeks of kickoff.
See the full six-step approach- Why choose us -
Why clients pick Go Ahead HiRe for management & leadership
02
Founder, board and PE fluency
We are equally comfortable presenting a longlist to a founder, a board chair or a PE operating partner. We adapt the cadence and the reporting depth to the audience.
03
Cross-border rigour
European leadership candidate pools are fragmented across countries. We map the relevant pool in each market in parallel rather than relying on a single home-market network.
Ready to start a management & leadership search?
Brief us on the role and Darcie will personally come back within one business day with proposed next steps. Want to see how we run cross-border searches first? Read about our six-step approach or the six European markets we cover.
- Country specialisations -
Management & Leadership by country
Country-specific landing pages for management & leadership, with local salary benchmarks, market context and FAQs.
Management and leadership recruitment in Netherlands
CEO, Managing Director, Country Manager Benelux and full C-suite executive search across the Randstad and the wider Dutch market. Discreet, evidence-based, with one accountable con...
OpenManagement and leadership recruitment in United Kingdom
CEO, Managing Director, General Manager UK and full C-suite executive search across the London corridor and the wider United Kingdom. Discreet, evidence-based, with one accountable...
OpenManagement and leadership recruitment in Germany
Senior leadership leaders placed across Berlin, Munich, Hamburg. Native local sourcing, written Germany compensation benchmarks and a single accountable consultant on every search.
OpenManagement and leadership recruitment in France
Senior leadership leaders placed across Paris, Lyon, Toulouse. Native local sourcing, written France compensation benchmarks and a single accountable consultant on every search.
OpenManagement and leadership recruitment in Spain
Senior leadership leaders placed across Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia. Native local sourcing, written Spain compensation benchmarks and a single accountable consultant on every searc...
OpenManagement and leadership recruitment in Italy
Senior leadership leaders placed across Milan, Rome, Turin. Native local sourcing, written Italy compensation benchmarks and a single accountable consultant on every search.
OpenManagement and leadership recruitment in Portugal
Senior leadership leaders placed across Lisbon, Porto, Braga. Native local sourcing, written Portugal compensation benchmarks and a single accountable consultant on every search.
Open- Explore further -
The other five recruitment specialisations
Most clients work with us across more than one discipline. Browse the rest of the practice or return to the recruitment services hub.
Sales Recruitment
Hunters, account managers and revenue leaders.
Open practiceMarketing Recruitment
Brand, demand and lifecycle specialists.
Open practiceEngineering Recruitment
Software, platform and engineering leaders.
Open practiceOperations Recruitment
Supply chain, customer ops and revenue ops.
Open practiceConsultancy Recruitment
Strategy, transformation and advisory talent.
Open practice- Management & Leadership FAQ -
Process, pricing and how we work
Five questions we are asked most often about management & leadership at Go Ahead HiRe.
Last reviewed: · Source: goaheadhire.com
Are leadership searches always retained?
Yes. CEO, Managing Director, Country Manager and full C-suite searches at the seniority we work with require deep market mapping, off-market sourcing and confidential reference work that contingent recruiters cannot deliver. We run all leadership search on a retained basis, with the fee agreed in writing before kickoff.
Related: Brief us on a leadership role, Speak to a recruiter
Reviewed · Source: goaheadhire.com
How do you handle confidential CEO or Managing Director replacements?
Off-market with no public job ad, a tightly scoped longlist visible only to a named client contact (typically the board chair or the PE operating partner), reference calls through encrypted channels and offer negotiations handled by the lead consultant directly. The existing leader only learns about the search at the point of transition, on your timeline.
Related: See our six-step approach
Reviewed · Source: goaheadhire.com
Can you run a search for a Country Manager who can also build the team?
Yes - in fact, this is one of our most frequent briefs. For first Country Manager hires in a new European market, the brief is typically a senior commercial leader who can land in the country, hire and onboard the first 5 to 15 reports, and represent the company externally. We screen explicitly for team-building track record, not just individual sales delivery.
Related: See our sales practice, See the six European countries we cover
Reviewed · Source: goaheadhire.com
Do you handle non-executive and advisory board placements?
Yes, on a selective basis. We place non-executive directors and advisory board members for European scale-ups, private equity portfolio companies and family-owned groups. The brief is usually narrower than for an executive search (specific sector experience, public company background, or a particular functional area such as finance or technology) and the search runs faster.
Related: See who we work with
Reviewed · Source: goaheadhire.com
How long does a typical leadership search take?
Most CEO, MD and C-suite searches close within 8 to 14 weeks from kickoff. Highly confidential or rare-profile searches (for example a CFO with both public-market and PE-backed experience for a pre-IPO scale-up) can stretch to 16 weeks. We commit to a calibrated longlist within 3 weeks of kickoff regardless of seniority.
Related: See our six-step approach
Reviewed · Source: goaheadhire.com
Still have a question? Send us a message on the contact page or brief us on a new role.