The Carlyle GroupSyndicatedPortfolio
Portfolio Chief Technology OfficerExecutive recruitment agency · London · every engagement
Executive Recruitment Agency London · fractional, interim, part-time and permanent
An executive recruitment agency in London for every shape of senior seat. Fractional Quest Ltd is registered in Covent Garden and recruits fractional, interim, part-time and permanent executives for London companies and UK-wide.
Reviewed by Fractional Quest · updated 23 October 2026 · 4 sources linked below
- 3–5our shortlist
Fractional seats our founder has held
Climatise
One Up Productions
CK Delta
In the press
- Financial TimesThe executives going ‘fractional’, not freelance
- International FinanceRenting the C-suite, and why the fractional executive era has arrived
The agency
What an executive recruitment agency london does
Brief us on the seat, the engagement and the start date; we come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out. The board below shows current executive roles in london.
An executive recruitment agency in London for every shape of senior seat. Fractional Quest Ltd is registered in Covent Garden and recruits fractional, interim, part-time and permanent executives for London companies and UK-wide.
Who briefs an executive recruitment agency london. London companies briefing a senior seat, and executives who want London or hybrid roles.
The four shapes compared: fractional executive services, interim recruitment agency, part-time executive services and executive recruitment services for permanent search.
On the board · last 90 days
Executive roles in London on the board
From our jobs feed. Where a posting states no rate, “est” is our estimate from the seat’s published band; ◆ marks days a week the posting states.
9 of 9 roles
Function
Engagement
- Reg Advantage LtdSyndicatedFractionalProduction Lead and Fractional CTO
- CivSec GroupSyndicatedFractionalAcquisition CFO / Finance Director (Fractional)
- Flat IronSyndicatedFractionalFractional IT Director – Technology & AI (FTC)
- Flat IronSyndicatedFractionalFractional IT Director – Technology & AI
- fin-houseSyndicatedFractionalFractional CFO
- Log my CareSyndicatedFractionalFractional CPO
- Confidential clientOur mandate · available nowFractionalFractional COO
- Confidential clientOur mandate · available nowInterimInterim Chief Operating Officer
Every fractional role in the UK is on the fractional jobs board.
Three seats
What does a fractional seat look like in practice?
Three fractional seats our founder has held. Real companies, named with their permission; we state only what the seat covered.
Fractional seats our founder has held
ClimatiseFractional · go-to-marketA carbon-reporting software company that needed go-to-market leadership before a full-time hire.
- Seat
- Fractional go-to-market lead
- Days
- Two days a week
- Scope
- Go-to-market
One Up ProductionsFractional · go-to-marketA production company that needed both the go-to-market strategy and its execution.
- Seat
- Fractional go-to-market: strategy and execution
- Days
- Two days a week
- Scope
- Go-to-market
CK DeltaFractional · technologyTechnology work: tech stack implementation.
- Seat
- Fractional technology lead
These are seats our founder has held, not placements.
The scope
Executive recruitment agency london by seat
Finance. CFO recruitment agency · finance director recruitment agency · financial controller recruitment agency
Technology, data and security. CTO recruitment agency · CIO recruitment agency · CISO recruitment agency · CDO recruitment agency · CAIO recruitment agency
Marketing, sales and revenue. CMO recruitment agency · marketing director recruitment agency · CRO recruitment agency · sales director recruitment agency · chief commercial officer recruitment agency · SDR recruitment agency · head of sales recruitment agency
Operations and leadership. COO recruitment agency · operations director recruitment agency · CEO recruitment agency · chief of staff recruitment agency · executive assistant recruitment agency
People, product and legal. CHRO recruitment agency · HR director recruitment agency · CPO recruitment agency · general counsel recruitment agency · DPO recruitment agency
The process
How does a brief become a shortlist?
Six steps, one accountable person at each. We don’t promise a shortlist by a date; the weeks below are what a well-scoped brief usually takes.
- Day 001The 15-minute callThe seat, the engagement shape, the days or hours, the start date and the budget. No account needed; a call or a written brief.You and us
- Week 102Scope agreed in writingThe outcome the seat exists for, which days, and how the engagement will run for IR35. A brief that describes a person rather than a job, we rewrite with you.Us
- Weeks 1–203Search and approachWe approach people who aren’t looking and verify prior tenure in the seat at your scale and stage.Us
- Weeks 2–304References, taken by usFrom recent clients and boards: what they delivered, not what they titled it.Us
- Week 305Shortlist of three to fiveEach with day rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out. You interview and decide.You
- Week 406Kick-offScope, first-month outcomes and the contract agreed before day one.You, them and us
Against the alternatives
Recruitment agency, headhunter or job board
Four ways to fill an executive seat, on the dimensions that decide between them.
| Recruitment agency (us) | Retained headhunter | Job board | Your own network | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you get | A shortlist of 3–5, each with rate, availability and IR35 position | A retained search for one permanent appointment | Applications, unfiltered | Whoever you already know |
| Engagements | Fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent | Permanent, sometimes interim | Mostly permanent | Whatever they will agree to |
| Assessment | Five-stage vetting against your brief | Deep assessment of a long list | None | Your own judgement |
| Best when | You want options across engagement shapes, quickly briefed | A confidential permanent search at the top of the market | A well-known role with many applicants | You have the right person already |
| Commercials | Agreed in writing per engagement | Retainer, typically in stages | A listing fee | Your time |
The decision
When to brief an executive recruitment agency london three situations
Match the shape to the work, not the title.
- Weekly judgementFractionalA senior leader on a standing weekly commitment, often alongside other clients.
- Now, full-timeInterimFull-time for a fixed term: a gap, a change or a transaction.
- For yearsPart-time or permanentThe same person on set days, or a full-time leader for the long term.
Vetting
How do we vet an executive?
Five stages before anyone reaches a shortlist of three to five.
- Pedigree screenTenureWe verify prior tenure in the seat, at the scale and stage you need. No consultant presenting as an executive.
- Mandate fitFitFit to your stage, sector and the problem the seat exists to solve, not a CV keyword.
- Reference deep-diveVerifyWe take references ourselves, from recent clients and boards: what they delivered, not what they titled it.
- ShortlistShortlistThree to five candidates, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
- Kick-offStartScope, first-month outcomes and the contract agreed before day one.
The full process is on how we vet.
how it works
How our executive recruitment agency london works from brief to start date
Brief. A scoping call on the seat, the shape, the days, the start date and what success looks like in the first ninety days.
Search and assessment. We search the market for your brief and assess against the brief through our five-stage vetting.
Shortlist. 3–5 candidates, each with day rate or salary expectation, availability and IR35 position set out.
Start. You meet the shortlist; we handle the offer and the contract shape. Start dates depend on availability: senior fractional and interim people hold a portfolio, so a start date is agreed rather than immediate.
choosing
Choosing an executive recruitment agency london what to ask
Every shape, or one? If you are not yet sure whether the seat is fractional, interim, part-time or permanent, choose an agency that recruits all four and let the brief decide. We do.
What is assessed? Ask what the agency tests for beyond the CV. Our five stages are published at how we vet.
IR35 on the shortlist? For contractor engagements each candidate’s IR35 position belongs on the shortlist, and the engagement should be written to match how it will run; HMRC’s guidance for clients sets out who determines status.
Commercials in writing. Our fees are agreed with each client in writing per engagement; there is no figure on this site, and no replacement guarantee is implied by anything here.
The right route
Agency, recruiter, interim or permanent?
Three taps. Say how much senior work there is, for how long, and whether it is one leader or a run of hires; the tool names the route.
The route · Fractional recruiter
An embedded fractional recruiter.
A hiring plan to work through below the leadership team is a talent-acquisition job: a recruiter inside your business for part of the week, paid for their time. We don’t supply them; the page below explains the role.
The route · Non-executive director
A non-executive director.
Independent oversight and constructive challenge, not executive direction. We recruit NEDs through the same brief process.
The route · Advisor
An advisor, not yet a seat.
Less than a day a week of senior input is advisory. Buy it as a scoped engagement; when it grows into a day or more, brief us for a fractional executive.
The route · Interim
An interim executive.
Four or five days for a fixed period is interim: cover for a departure, a turnaround or a transaction. The IIM puts the UK average at £907 a day and ten months.
The route · Permanent
A permanent search.
Four or five days of work, ongoing, is a full-time seat. We recruit permanent executives through the same brief process.
The route · Fractional executive
Brief a fractional recruitment agency.
Senior judgement for part of the week: a fractional CFO, CTO, CMO or COO on one to three days. We come back with a shortlist of three to five, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
We recruit executives. We don’t supply embedded fractional recruiters; where that is the right route, the tool says so.
Clients
What do companies say about our fractional work?
From a company where our founder has held a fractional seat. Name and logo given with the client’s permission.
“Excellent fractional support for building both our go-to-market strategy and our execution.”
Charlie AndersonDirector, One Up ProductionsWhere we are
Where is Fractional Quest?
Where we are
71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ
Fractional Quest Ltd, registered in England and Wales, no. 17322105. This is our registered office; meetings are by appointment, and most briefs start on a 15-minute call.
Questions
Executive recruitment agency london questions, answered
An executive recruitment agency in London for every shape of senior seat. Fractional Quest Ltd is registered in Covent Garden and recruits fractional, interim, part-time and permanent executives for London companies and UK-wide.
Every C-suite and director seat: finance, technology, data and security, marketing, sales and revenue, operations, people, product and legal, plus chief of staff, executive assistants and non-executive directors.
Our fees are agreed with each client in writing per engagement, so there is no figure on this site. The rates shown on our seat pages are the market’s published bands, each naming its source.
You brief us on the seat, the shape and the start date. We come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out, assessed through our five-stage vetting.
Yes. We recruit fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent executives, and non-executive directors through non-executive director recruitment.
Sources
Where does every figure on this page come from?
The primary publisher for each number, linked. Where a figure is our own arithmetic, the page says so where it appears.
- HMRC
- legislation.gov.uk
- 1Understanding off-payroll working (IR35) HMRCStatus depends on how the engagement runs; medium and large clients make the determination.
- 2Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 HMRCEmployer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 a year.
- 3
- 4Employment Agencies Act 1973 legislation.gov.ukThe law a recruitment agency works under; no fee to a work-seeker.
