Executive search: recruiting leaders who will make a difference
Looking for a leader, a member of the executive committee or a key profile for your governance? We conduct confidential executive search warrants, in France and internationally, with the discretion and over-measure that these recruitments require. No standard process, just the right people, at the right time.
What is executive search?
Executive search is a method of recruitment reserved for executive positions: general managers, members of executive committees, directors of subsidiary or business unit, and others key governance functions . It is based on an exclusive, nominative and confidential research conducted through a direct approach with current leaders. Each mandate is unique, and the quality of the evaluation is as important as the quality of the research. That's why we take the time to understand your strategy, your culture and your stakes in ownership before approaching anyone. A leader succeeds in a context, rarely in all.
The recruitment of a manager engages your company for years, and a mistake at this level is expensive, both in money and in confidence. Cadran Talents leads executive search mandates in France and in more than 25 countries, for groups, ETIs, scale-up and investment funds. Our associates personally pilot each mission, from job definition to integration. Our accompaniment helps you secure your governance, your succession plan and your transformation projects. It also reassures your board of directors and shareholders: the decision is made on facts, with a rigorous and documented process.
How we do it
At Cadran Talents, as for the set of our solutions , each executive search mandate is custom designed. We start with a background work with you, close to a governance diagnosis What is the true role of the position, what decisions will it have to make in the first eighteen months, what are the conditions for success? We then move on to the market mapping : comparable companies, organisations from which the best leaders in your sector come, profiles identified by name. You validate this list before any approach. We then contact each person personally, in complete confidentiality, with a speech built for him or her. Depending on the position, a assessment of finalists complements our assessment.
During the interview phase, our associates meet each candidate several times and explore his concrete achievements, his way of deciding and managing, his reading of your situation. We use a shared assessment grid , validated with you, to compare finalists on the same criteria. We also conduct a thorough reference check, with the agreement of the candidate, to confirm our opinion and secure your Decision and its integration. We finally give you an argumented shortlist, without a language of wood, and we accompany you during the negotiation and the first months.
Follow-up on integration is an integral part of our method. A regular point with the leader and with you during the first hundred days allows you to anticipate the difficulties and make this recruitment a lasting success.
Find out how we recruited a DAF in 27 days for a scale-up:
Why would you hire a firm to recruit a leader?
An executive search mandate, with its in-depth interviews and the possibility of confront candidates with your real stakes, gives you a decisive advantage: you choose from among the best leaders in your sector, not only among those that are available. You also benefit from an external and honest look at your need, which avoids recruiting the predecessor's clone. This support is provided in person , by experienced associates, in order to measure what a CV does not say : the ability to decide, to federate, to hold on to the duration. It also offers you privacy and serenity you need for a decision of this importance, vis-à-vis your teams and your shareholders.
For who?
Companies that use our executive search share a common point: they are about to make a decision that will engage their future. Groups and ETIs that prepare a succession, scale-up that structure their executive committee, investment funds that strengthen the governance of participation. Our mandates make it possible to secure a succession by anticipating the departure of a leader, and finding the person able to carry the next stage of your development, in France or abroad.
Establish or strengthen a steering committee
Whether you are creating a new function or strengthening an existing team, recruiting a member of an executive committee changes the balance. We help you define the right profile for your stage of development, then we will look for it where it is. Our knowledge of sectors and their leaders allows us to move forward quickly, without sacrificing the rigour of evaluation.
Conducting a confidential mandate
Replacing an existing officer, preparing a reorganization or recruiting for an unannounced project requires absolute discretion. We carry out these mandates with a small circle of interlocutors, without announcement or communication, and without revealing the name of your company before the candidate's agreement. Your project remains confidential until the day you choose to announce it.
Recruiting an international leader
Opening a subsidiary, resuming an activity abroad or replacing a country director requires knowledge of the local market, its uses and levels of remuneration. Our consultants and partners in more than 25 countries conduct interviews in the language of the candidates, while you keep a single contact in France. For hotel and catering groups, our expertise in hotel and catering combines executive search and fine knowledge of the hospitality trades.
Frequently asked questions
How is an executive search mandate going?
The executive search is an exclusive and confidential search of executives, conducted by direct approach. It consists of identifying, approaching and assessing candidates, and then accompanying your choice to integration. The mandate generally follows these steps:
Understanding your governance, strategy and the exact role of the position to be filled
Set together the target profile, success criteria and companies where to look
Mapping the market and identifying potential candidates by name
Approach each person in complete confidentiality, with a tailor-made speech
Conduct in-depth interviews and, if you wish, an assessment of the finalists
Present you an argumented shortlist and organize your meetings
Check references, accompany negotiation and follow integration
How do you guarantee confidentiality?
Confidentiality is at the heart of an executive search mandate. A current leader cannot be approached lightly, and your project must not sound before the official announcement. At Cadran Talents, we do the following:
A small number of interlocutors on your side and on our side, defined from the brief
An approach of the candidates without revealing the name of your company before their agreement
Interviews organised in neutral locations or in secure videoconferencing
No announcements or messages on professional networks
Securely shared and destroyed documents at the end of the mandate
A confidentiality agreement signed with each stakeholder
How do you assess the leaders?
A leader's assessment is not limited to his or her career. It must measure its ability to succeed in your specific context: your strategy, your culture, your ownership, your team.
At Cadran Talents, we follow a structured evaluation process to produce a reliable and reasoned opinion:
In-depth interviews – we explore the concrete achievements, the failures assumed and the way to decide each candidate.
Shared criteria grid – each finalist is evaluated on the same criteria, validated with you upstream.
Finalist assessment – tests, situations and structured interviews complete our eyes when the post warrants it.
In-depth reference checks – we interview former superiors, peers and collaborators, with the agreement of the candidate.
Honest synthesis – strengths, vigilance points and conditions of success, presented without a language of wood.
By following this approach, Cadran Talents helps you to make a major decision with serenity, knowing the person you are about to welcome.
Why use a firm to recruit a leader?
Because a manager recruitment hires the company for years and the best profiles are not on the market. An executive search firm provides access to current candidates, confidentiality, an outside look at your need and a rigorous assessment. It also saves you valuable time and secures the decision with your board and shareholders.
