Our Niche
Retained Search
Case Studies
Helping our client companies hire and retain senior management for over 25 years
Tel: (+44) 207 242 9191Retained Search For Major Corporates
For more than 30 years we have worked for some of the world’s largest and most successful corporates. Our particular niche is finding exceptional talent for those critical roles that are particularly difficult to fill, whether because they require very specialist skills or expertise, or because they are in an especially challenging location.
In our connected world, identifying potential candidates can appear easy. Yet it remains difficult to attract candidates who combine relevant experience with a good cultural fit; getting to ‘yes’ is as challenging as ever.
We conduct targeted retained executive search assignments to identify senior talent for our clients. We search internationally, identifying any potential difficulties at an early stage and working with clients to develop a clear and effective recruitment strategy.
At every stage, from initial brief to on-boarding, we stay in close and regular contact. Our rigorous, structured assessment processes save you time in ensuring that shortlisted candidates are well-briefed and match your needs whilst our fixed-fee pricing structure enables you to budget accurately and have complete confidence in our impartiality in any final salary negotiations.
We focus on key business functions including:
- Commercial
- Consulting
- Finance
- General Management
- Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Development
- Market Access and Value Access
- Marketing and Sales
- Operations
- Portfolio Management
- Strategy
Private Equity
Working with Private Equity investors
We work with Private Equity or Venture Capital investors on every aspect of ensuring their investee companies have the right leadership teams to deliver on key priorities. Having specialised in this area for many years, we understand the importance of human capital: having people in place who can set and implement strategies for success, drive the business forward and keep investors fully in the picture.
Our work spans every stage of the investment process, from due diligence of management teams, through finding talent to fill skills gaps or recruiting interim executives, to supporting the HR functions of growing businesses.
Pre- and post-acquisition due diligence
Evaluation of the existing management team is crucial in assessing a potential investment. The leadership team may already have the skills to grow the business but often entrepreneurs could benefit from additional support or increased capacity in a particular area. Whether pre- or post-acquisition, we provide a range of services to assess key executives, analysing their strengths and advising on gaps in experience or competence.
Our approach is tailored to your specific situation but will include a combination of methods: competency-based structured interviews; a range of industry-leading tools including psychometric testing and assessment, much of which our BPS-accredited consultants handle in-house; taking up references and soundings – all supported by a hefty dose of common sense and experience. That way, we obtain and triangulate the detailed information our Private Equity clients need to support them in their decision-making.
Post-acquisition, we support investee companies at critical growth-points, helping them gain a clear picture of the skills they possess for the next stage of expansion and identifying areas where they need to strengthen their expertise. Our objective approach can help identify how any gaps can best be addressed, whether by specific training, coaching or mentoring, or by recruitment to fulfil a particular need.
One client, an innovative UK-based aquaculture start-up backed by significant venture capital funding, called on us to help them assess the skills gaps in their leadership team. Read about how we worked with them here.
External Recruitment
Where investors have identified a skills gap that can’t be filled internally, or a need to replace existing members of the Executive Team, we search the market to find the right Executive and Non-executive Directors to take the business to its next stage.
Our expertise over many years gives us a unique network of contacts: individuals who combine big-firm training, whether in a corporate, a professional firm or a global consultancy, with experience in a PE-backed business and who have transformed a business, typically achieving a successful exit. Many SMEs also reach a stage where a Non-executive Director with a wealth of relevant sector expertise can add depth and wisdom, without taking on executive responsibility. Working either for the Private Equity investors or for the investee company, we use our network to search internationally, quickly, effectively and, where necessary, confidentially to find the very best people in the marketplace for Executive and Non-executive roles. To see some examples of our work for PE-backed SMEs, including assignments where confidentiality was paramount, click here.
Finding Interim Managers to stabilise a business or on a turnaround basis
Whether to stabilise a business in the short term or to ensure a turnaround, investee companies can require a change of management urgently, without the time to search for a long-term replacement. We have a well-developed network of experienced interim executives who have demonstrated their ability to transform a business quickly and relish the opportunity to do so again. We can search quickly and effectively to get strong interim leadership in place to stabilise an investment whilst a longer-term solution is being developed.
Taking up references and soundings
-either as part of our assessment of management team members, or during the recruitment process.
Paper references can too often be a tick-box solution and, despite the evidence of their value, verbal references have fallen out of favour in some quarters. We believe that, if handled well, they have an important role to play. Our reference service uses a clear process, focusing on the critical-to-hire factors, handled by experienced consultants. We provide:
- CV validation and verification
- Detailed reference-checking from candidate-nominated individuals
- Where relevant, 360-degree soundings from industry insiders.
HR Support
-either as part of our assessment of management team members, or during the recruitment process.
Leaders of start-ups and fledgling companies must prioritise getting their business known and established. HR departments are often small and may lack expertise in some areas. We can provide a range of HR support services, particularly on one-off strategic issues for specific projects, such as a cross-border acquisition, or recruitment in a new geographic market. We have a team of highly experienced HR professionals who can step in quickly and efficiently, so that entrepreneurs and their leadership teams can focus on what they do best.
SMEs
Supporting start-ups and SMEs
Business leaders have to focus on establishing their business, selling their product effectively and dealing with investors, with time always at a premium. We help to create more time by supporting our SME clients – from start-ups to established businesses – with every aspect of ensuring they develop strong teams, hire the best people and encourage them to stay as the company grows.
After more than a quarter of a century’s experience of working for fast-growing, typically PE-backed SMEs, we understand the challenge of achieving rapid transformation while meeting the expectations of investors. The first step is always to get to know your business in detail, so that we understand your values and ambitions. We then work with you to achieve your people-focused goals, which could include:
- Providing assessment and support to make sure leadership teams work effectively together
- Finding talented people who share your commitment and values when you need to bring new talent into the business
- Giving support to people within the organisation via coaching and mentoring
Handling the typical range of HR responsibilities that are essential to the smooth-running of the business but often low on the list of priorities in the early stages.
Supporting Management Teams
-assessing skills, personalities and competencies
Recruitment is not always the answer to the challenges faced by smaller companies. Existing management teams may already have the skills to grow the business but could benefit from additional support or increased capacity in a particular area. Whether pre- or post-acquisition, or as a start-up starts to grow, we provide a range of services to assess key executives, analysing their strengths and advising on gaps in experience or competence.
There is no secret to effective assessment. Our approach is tailored to your specific situation but will include a combination of methods: competency-based structured interviews; a range of industry-leading tools including psychometric testing and assessment, much of which our BPS-accredited consultants handle in-house; taking up references and soundings – all supported by a hefty dose of common sense and experience. That way, we obtain and triangulate the detailed information our clients need to support them in their decision-making.
One client, an innovative UK-based aquaculture start-up backed by significant venture capital funding, called on us to help them assess the skills gaps in their leadership team as they approached a critical point in their growth. Read about how we worked with them here.
We find Executive and Non-executive Directors for rapidly-growing SMEs, many of them PE-backed.
Finding the right hires to take a small or medium-sized business forward is critical – and is widely recognised as one of the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs. New members of the leadership team must share a passion for the business and at the same time have the complementary skills needed to make the team work. Our expertise over many years gives us a unique network of contacts: individuals who combine big-firm training, whether in a corporate, a professional firm or a global consultancy, with entrepreneurial skill and flair.
Working either for the Private Equity investors or for the investee company, we use our network to search internationally, quickly and effectively to find the very best people in the marketplace. To see some examples of our work for PE-backed SMEs click here.
Taking up References and Soundings
–either as part of our assessment of management team members, or during the recruitment process.
Paper references can too often be a tick-box solution and, despite the evidence of their value, verbal references have fallen out of favour in some quarters. We believe that, if handled well, they have an important role to play. Our reference service uses a clear process, focusing on the critical-to-hire factors, handled by experienced consultants. We provide:
- CV validation and verification
- Detailed reference-checking from candidate-nominated individuals
- Where relevant, 360-degree soundings from industry insiders.
Finding Interim Managers to stabilise a business or on a turnaround basis
Investee companies can require a change of management urgently, without the time to search for a long-term replacement, whether to stabilise a business in the short term or to ensure a turnaround. We have a well-developed network of experienced interim executives who have demonstrated their ability to transform a business quickly and relish the opportunity to do so again.
HR Support
Leaders of start-ups and fledgling companies must prioritise getting their business known and established. HR can often be low on the list of priorities – which is where we can help. We can provide a range of HR support services, from market analysis to planning your recruitment process, from drawing up contracts to advising on salary and benefits. We have a team of highly experienced HR professionals who can step in quickly and efficiently, so that entrepreneurs and their leadership teams can focus on what they do best.
Leadership Consulting
Assessment
We offer a range of tools to help improve recruitment, development, teambuilding or right-sizing decisions. Each company’s situation and needs are different, so ours is a tailored approach. From competence-based structured interviews to psychometric assessment and testing, once we have explored your needs in detail, we can advise on and deliver the right package to achieve your aims.
HR Support
We can provide a range of HR support services, from market analysis to planning your recruitment process, from drawing up contracts to advising on salary and benefits. We have a team of highly experienced HR professionals who can step in quickly and efficiently to help out with or take on the management of specific projects when the necessary skills are not available in-house. Whatever the issue, whether it be cross-border recruitment or entry into a new geographic area, we have a number of highly experienced senior HR executives available to provide advice and support.
Coaching & Mentoring
Once development needs have been identified, whether by our clients or as a result of our detailed assessment of our client’s leadership team, we can call on experienced, qualified coaches to work with senior managers and executives to build skills and confidence in new areas of expertise.
Our case studies explain, for example, how Alderwick Consulting coaches have successfully worked with female executives in a leading corporate to promote diversity amongst senior leadership.
Our History & Philosophy
Since 1993, Alderwick Consulting has worked with client companies – from Fortune100 corporates and midcaps to Private Equity and entrepreneurial SMEs – to help them hire and retain senior management talent.
Our philosophy is simple: to develop long-term relationships by giving good advice to our clients, working with them as business partners and providing an exceptional level of service.
We deliberately choose to work with a small number of clients in each market sector, enabling us to search widely, free from many of the challenges posed by conflicts of interest.
At Alderwick Consulting we work as a team with every assignment actively led by a director of the company. Independent and privately-owned, we are driven by building the business and focusing on long term growth. We are all rewarded based on overall company performance rather than on commission, ensuring that our priority is serving our clients and building lasting relationships.
We have long been committed to a policy of diversity and inclusion in our own company, recognising the value of a truly diverse workplace in serving the interests of our business and our clients. Every search is different: we tailor our approach depending on cultural and business needs, ensuring that our strategy will help us identify and access a broad and diverse candidate pool.
We know our market well and pride ourselves on giving our clients accurate, impartial, practical and, if necessary, challenging advice. We always prefer to work on the basis of a fixed fee, so clients can budget accurately and have complete confidence in our objectivity at every stage of the search process.
We believe that our regular repeat business rate of around 86% is evidence of the success of this philosophy. Many of our clients have been with us since we started more than 30 years ago. In the case of one Top 10 Fortune 100 company, for example, we have recruited more than 500 senior management and executive hires over the years. Candidates we introduced here, and elsewhere, have gone on to become business leaders and clients.
Contact Us
Alderwick Consulting Ltd
33 St James’s Square
London SW1Y 4JS
T: +44 (0) 207 2429191
Jeremy Alderwick
Director and founding partner of Alderwick Consulting Ltd, with 30+ years of experience of recruitment in our niche market, advising clients on executive and senior appointments worldwide.
Sophie Turpin
As Senior Director, Sophie’s role is leading the firm while continuing to work closely with key client accounts on their executive appointments and the delivery of executive search mandates across the globe.
Sophie, a graduate of Sciences Po, started her career in commercial and investment banking in Paris and London before joining Alderwick Consulting 16 years ago. A French national, Sophie is fluent in both French and English.
Jessica Leroy
As Director, Jessica supports Sophie with a range of operational responsibilities while overseeing her client portfolio and executive search assignments. She has extensive expertise of handling every aspect of complex international searches.
Jessica graduated from the University of York before pursuing a business career, joining Alderwick Consulting in 2014.
Contact Us
Alderwick Consulting Ltd
33 St James’s Square
London SW1Y 4JS
T: +44 (0) 207 2429191
E: acl@alderwick.com
Jeremy Alderwick
Director and founding partner of Alderwick Consulting Ltd, with 30+ years of experience of recruitment in our niche market, advising clients on executive and senior appointments worldwide.
E: jalderwick@alderwick.com
Sophie Turpin
As Director of the company, Sophie’s role is managing executive search assignments for a range of clients.
A French national, Sophie is fluent in both French and English.
Sophie joined Alderwick Consulting Ltd following a career in commercial and investment banking. Sophie has extensive experience of global search and has detailed knowledge of healthcare, consumer goods and financial services industries, with an extensive track record of successful recruitment in these areas.
E: sturpin@alderwick.com
