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Service 03
Executive Search
Retained search for the senior roles that shape your trajectory, with the assessment and onboarding that make the hire succeed. We focus on executive placements, not high-volume recruiting.
A senior seat is open and the wrong hire would cost you years
You’re creating a first-time executive role and need to define it right
Succession is coming and the pipeline isn’t ready
Why It Matters
The stakes of a senior hire are the argument for doing it right.
40%+
of executive hires fail within the first 18 months.
University of South Carolina, Center for Executive Succession200–400%
of the departing executive’s annual salary is the estimated cost of replacing a failed executive.
SHRM~7x
more expensive, on average, than a nonexecutive hire.
SHRM, 2025 benchmarkingWhat’s Included
Four Ways We Support the Hire.
Retained Executive Search
Best for: filling the senior seat with the right leader, not the fastest one.
Role definition and success profile built with your board or leadership
Targeted, confidential outreach to qualified leaders
A rigorously assessed slate, not a stack of resumes
Structured interviews and reference depth
Offer strategy and close support
Leadership Assessment
Best for: de-risking a finalist or evaluating internal candidates.
Structured leadership assessment against the success profile
Strengths, gaps, and integration risks in plain language
Internal-versus-external candidate comparison
A written report leadership can act on
Executive Onboarding
Best for: making sure the hire succeeds after the signature.
A structured first-ninety-days plan
Stakeholder mapping and early-relationship strategy
Cadence check-ins through the transition
Early-warning course correction
Succession Planning
Best for: organizations that never want an empty seat to be a crisis.
Critical-role identification
Readiness assessment of internal successors
Development plans for the pipeline
An emergency-coverage protocol
How We Engage
The Ascend Path.
Diagnose
Diagnose
We define the role and what success requires.
Build
Build
We search, assess, and present the slate.
Sustain
Sustain
We onboard the leader and support the transition.
Start Here
Ready to Begin the Climb?
Need the seat covered while we search? Our Fractional & Interim Leadership keeps the function moving. Prefer an ongoing partnership across search, leadership, and operations? See our Managed Services model.
Drawing on our practices in Workforce Planning and Organizational Design.