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Portfolio Chief Technology OfficerRetained executive search firms · exclusive search for one appointment
Retained executive search firms · retained search, profiled from their own sites
Retained executive search firms: 10 firms, profiled from each firm’s own site — not a ranking. We are one of the firms and say so: Fractional Quest, the publisher, is listed first and marked as ours.
Reviewed by Fractional Quest · updated 23 October 2026 · 20 sources linked below
- 10 firmsfirms profiled
- Own-site factsbasis
- Not a rankingorder
- 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 retained executive search firms actually do
Every claim on a card links to the page that states it; anything a firm does not publish about itself is left out. If you would rather brief one firm, we come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
Retained executive search firms are engaged exclusively for one appointment and paid in staged instalments whatever the outcome. The retainer pays for the brief, a researched market map, direct approaches to people who are not looking, and assessment and referencing before anyone signs.
This page lists retained firms and explains the model. Fractional executive search firms compares retained search with fractional and interim; for one seat, see CFO executive search firms, CMO executive search firms or COO executive search firms.
The firms below are retained search, profiles rather than a ranking: no firm here publishes the audited outcomes a league table would need, and we are one of the firms.
On the board · last 90 days
Executive roles 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)
- Algorithmiq OySyndicatedFractionalFractional Chief Operating Officer (COO)
- Flat IronSyndicatedFractionalFractional IT Director – Technology & AI (FTC)
- Flat IronSyndicatedFractionalFractional IT Director – Technology & AI
- Green Orbit LtdSyndicatedFractionalFractional CTO Wanted | Green Orbit | Initially Equity Only | UK-Based
- fin-houseSyndicatedFractionalFractional CFO
- KeelCFOSyndicatedFractionalFractional CFO
Every fractional role in the UK is on the fractional jobs board.
The firms
Retained executive search firms: the firms, on their own facts
Numbers show position on this page — they are not a ranking. Every fact on a card comes from that firm’s own site, linked; anything a firm does not publish about itself is left out.
- 01 / THE PUBLISHERFractional QuestThe publisher of this page — listed first because it is ours, not because it outranks the firms below. Our model differs from retained search, and we say so here: you bring a brief and we come back with a shortlist, for fractional, interim, part-time and permanent seats. You bring a brief; we come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting. We hold no candidate bench and publish no placement record.
- 02 / RETAINED SEARCH · BIG FIVESpencer StuartFounded in 1956 and headquartered in Chicago, it states “more than 60 offices in over 30 countries”; practice areas it lists include financial services, private equity, consumer, industrial, healthcare, and technology, media and telecommunications (spencerstuart.com). It lists a London office (spencerstuart.com). Visit spencerstuart.com ↗ · Read our Spencer Stuart review →
- 03 / RETAINED SEARCH · BIG FIVEHeidrick & StrugglesFounded in 1953 in Chicago, it describes itself as “a premier provider of global leadership advisory and on-demand talent solutions” — the on-demand line being its offer beyond permanent search (heidrick.com). It lists offices across 29 countries, including London (heidrick.com). Visit heidrick.com ↗ · Read our Heidrick & Struggles review →
- 04 / SEARCH WITHIN A CONSULTANCY · BIG FIVEKorn FerryFounded in Los Angeles in 1969 by Lester Korn and Richard Ferry, it describes itself as “a global consulting firm that powers performance”: executive search sits alongside organisation strategy, assessment and succession, total rewards and leadership development (kornferry.com). The BBC’s 2025/26 Annual Report names it as the firm that supported the BBC’s senior-executive succession planning (bbc.co.uk). Visit kornferry.com ↗ · Read our Korn Ferry review →
- 05 / RETAINED SEARCH · BIG FIVERussell Reynolds AssociatesFounded in 1969 on Madison Avenue, New York, it publishes 47 offices across 25 countries; practice areas it lists include financial services, private equity, technology, and venture capital and growth (russellreynolds.com). It lists a London office (russellreynolds.com). Visit russellreynolds.com ↗ · Read our Russell Reynolds Associates review →
- 06 / RETAINED SEARCH · BIG FIVEEgon ZehnderIt publishes 71 offices in 37 countries and describes a “One Firm” partnership model; it does not state a founding year or HQ city on its own About pages, so neither appears here (egonzehnder.com). The BBC’s 2025/26 Annual Report names it as the firm that supported the search for the BBC’s new Director-General (bbc.co.uk). Visit egonzehnder.com ↗ · Read our Egon Zehnder review →
- 07 / RETAINED SEARCH · LONDON-HEADQUARTEREDOdgers (Odgers Berndtson)Headquartered in London, it describes “nearly 60 years” of history and operating “across 33 countries”, and states AESC membership (odgers.com). Its interim arm, Odgers Interim, places senior interim executives (odgersinterim.com). Visit odgers.com ↗ · Read our Odgers review →
- 08 / PARTNER-LED FEDERATIONBoydenFounded in 1946 by Sidney Boyden, it states “more than 75 offices in 45+ countries”, presents itself as a partner-led federation and states AESC membership (boyden.com). It runs interim management as one of three services, alongside executive search and leadership consulting (boyden.com). It lists UK offices in London and Aberdeen (boyden.com). Visit boyden.com ↗ · Read our Boyden review →
- 09 / RETAINED SEARCH · LONDONHunter-MillerIt conducts retained searches for senior marketing and brand leaders across sectors and ownership models — listed, PE-backed, family-owned and growth companies — and lists an address at 20 Grosvenor Place, London (hunter-miller.com). Visit hunter-miller.com ↗
- 10 / RETAINED LIFE SCIENCES SEARCHPartnerWiseIt states every search is “retained, partner-led”, and describes itself as “retained, never contingent”, working Director to C-suite in life sciences; it lists Harrogate and London offices (partnerwise.co.uk). Visit partnerwise.co.uk ↗
Independence. Fractional Quest takes no referral fees from any firm listed, and none of them is a partner or client. Firm sites change; each claim is as read on 23 October 2026.
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
How to choose between retained executive search firms
The fee basis, in writing. Retained search firms are paid in staged instalments whatever the outcome, and work exclusively; contingent recruiters are paid only if their candidate is hired, often non-exclusively; interim and fractional providers usually charge through the day rate or a retainer. Ask for the basis and when each payment falls due, in writing. We publish no fees: ours are agreed in writing per engagement.
Who vets, and how. Ask who runs the search day to day — at a retained firm, the partner who wins the brief is not always the person who calls candidates — and what each candidate is tested on beyond the CV. Our five-stage vetting is published.
What comes back. Named candidates with a rate or salary, availability and an IR35 position — or a database, a longlist or a marketplace to browse? Ours is a shortlist of 3–5.
IR35 on every brief. For an interim or fractional executive working through their own company, the off-payroll rules decide how the engagement is taxed, and a medium or large client makes the status determination (HMRC). Ask for the IR35 position on the brief, not after the contract.
Retained, contingent or day rate. Retained search for a permanent, board-level appointment; contingency for a role below the board with many candidates; interim for full-time cover for a fixed term; fractional for senior judgement on part of the week.
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
Retained executive search firms: how the models compare retained, contingent, interim or fractional
The firms on this page work in one or more of these models. Ask which one a firm proposes for your brief.
| Fractional Quest (the publisher) | Retained search firm | Contingent recruiter | Interim provider | Fractional provider | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How it is paid | Agreed in writing per engagement | Staged instalments, whatever the outcome | Only if its candidate is hired | Usually through the day rate | A retainer or day rate, or a placement fee |
| Exclusivity | One brief, one shortlist | Exclusive to one firm | Usually non-exclusive | Varies | Varies |
| Engagements | Fractional, interim, part-time, permanent | Permanent, sometimes interim | Mostly permanent | Full-time for a fixed term | Part of the week, ongoing |
| What comes back | A shortlist of 3–5, each with rate, availability and IR35 position | A shortlist from a researched market map | CVs of available candidates | Available interims matched to the brief | A matched leader, or a marketplace to browse |
| Best when | You want options across engagement shapes | A permanent, board-level appointment | A role below the board with many candidates | The seat is empty or a change needs leading now | You need senior judgement, not five days |
Against the alternatives
The retained executive search firms on this page side by side
What each firm states about itself on its own site. Where a firm does not state something, we say so rather than fill it in.
| Type | Engagements it states | Where it states it is based | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fractional Quest | The publisher | Fractional; interim; part-time; permanent | Registered in Covent Garden, London |
| Spencer Stuart | Retained search · Big Five | Permanent (retained search) | Chicago HQ; London office |
| Heidrick & Struggles | Retained search · Big Five | Permanent search; on-demand talent | Chicago (founded); London office |
| Korn Ferry | Search within a consultancy · Big Five | Permanent search, among consulting services | Los Angeles (founded); office count not published |
| Russell Reynolds Associates | Retained search · Big Five | Permanent (retained search) | New York (founded); London office |
| Egon Zehnder | Retained search · Big Five | Permanent (retained search) | Not stated on the pages we read |
| Odgers (Odgers Berndtson) | Retained search · London-headquartered | Permanent search; interim (Odgers Interim) | London HQ |
| Boyden | Partner-led federation | Permanent search; interim; leadership consulting | UK offices in London and Aberdeen |
| Hunter-Miller | Retained search · London | Permanent (retained search) | London (Grosvenor Place) |
| PartnerWise | Retained life sciences search | Permanent (retained); interim and fractional | Harrogate and London |
The decision
Which of the retained executive search firms fits your brief
Match the firm to the hire, not the other way round.
- Permanent, board levelAn identity-defining appointmentA retained firm: the research, assessment and exclusivity are what the retainer buys.
- Below the boardA senior hire with many candidatesA contingent recruiter may be enough, paid only if its candidate is hired.
- A phase, not a careerSenior capability for a periodFractional or interim, not a retained search — see fractional executive placement firms.
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.
which kind of firm
Retained executive search firms: which kind of firm fits and which page to read next
The retained executive search firms above work in the models set out in the comparison table — retained search, contingent recruitment, interim provision and fractional provision — and several work in more than one. Start with the hire: permanent or a phase, board level or below, five days or part of the week. Then ask each firm which model it proposes for your brief, and why.
If you would rather brief one firm for every shape of the seat, book a call: we recruit fractional, interim, part-time and permanent executives, and the brief decides the shape.
Whichever you brief, the same law applies: the Employment Agencies Act and the Conduct Regulations cover executive search consultants as well as agencies, a firm must not charge a candidate for finding them work, and the fee you pay is a commercial agreement between you and the firm (gov.uk guidance on the Conduct Regulations).
method
How this list is built and what it is not
Own-site facts only. Each firm is profiled from its own website, read on 23 October 2026, or from a primary register such as Companies House; every claim links to the page that states it. We do not repeat a firm’s fees, guarantees, client names or self-descriptions such as “leading” or “number one”.
Not a ranking. Numbers show position on the page. No firm here publishes the audited outcomes a ranking would need, and we are one of the firms — listed first because the page is ours.
Independence. Fractional Quest takes no referral fees from any firm listed, and none of them is a partner or client. Other retained executive search firms exist; we add a firm only when its own site gives us facts to state.
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
Retained executive search firms questions, answered
Retained executive search firms are engaged exclusively for one appointment and paid in staged instalments whatever the outcome. The retainer pays for the brief, a researched market map, direct approaches to people who are not looking, and assessment and referencing before anyone signs.
From firms whose own sites describe the service, profiled only from what each publishes about itself, each claim linked. It is not a ranking: no firm publishes the outcomes a ranking would need, and we are one of the firms, listed first and marked as the publisher.
Retained search firms are paid in staged instalments whatever the outcome; contingent recruiters only if their candidate is hired; interim and fractional providers usually through the day rate or a retainer. None of the firms on this page is profiled on its fees. Ask any firm for the fee basis in writing. Ours is agreed in writing per engagement.
Ask each firm who runs the search day to day and what each candidate is tested on. We put every candidate through five-stage vetting — pedigree screen, mandate fit, references we take ourselves, shortlist and kick-off — and send a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
Retained search is exclusive and paid in staged instalments whatever the outcome; contingency search is paid only if the firm’s candidate is hired, is usually non-exclusive and is uncommon at board level, because a firm paid only on success has little reason to invest in research.
Retained firms commonly offer a replacement search if the appointment fails within an agreed window. It does not refund the fee, and the terms vary by firm — get them in the fee letter.
We are one of the firms on this page, and its publisher. Our model differs from retained search, and we say so here: you bring a brief and we come back with a shortlist, for fractional, interim, part-time and permanent seats. We take no referral fees from any firm listed.
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.
- spencerstuart.com
- heidrick.com
- kornferry.com
- bbc.co.uk
- russellreynolds.com
- egonzehnder.com
- odgers.com
- odgersinterim.com
- boyden.com
- hunter-miller.com
- partnerwise.co.uk
- HMRC
- legislation.gov.uk
- 1Spencer Stuart — own site spencerstuart.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 2Spencer Stuart — own site spencerstuart.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 3Heidrick & Struggles — own site heidrick.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 4Heidrick & Struggles — own site heidrick.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 5Korn Ferry — own site kornferry.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 6Korn Ferry — BBC Annual Report 2025/26 bbc.co.ukRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 7Russell Reynolds Associates — own site russellreynolds.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 8Russell Reynolds Associates — own site russellreynolds.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 9Egon Zehnder — own site egonzehnder.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 10Odgers (Odgers Berndtson) — own site odgers.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 11Odgers (Odgers Berndtson) — own site odgersinterim.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 12Boyden — own site boyden.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 13Boyden — own site boyden.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 14Boyden — own site boyden.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 15Hunter-Miller — own site hunter-miller.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 16PartnerWise — own site partnerwise.co.ukRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 17Understanding off-payroll working (IR35) HMRCStatus depends on how the engagement runs; medium and large clients make the determination.
- 18Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 HMRCEmployer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 a year.
- 19
- 20Employment Agencies Act 1973 legislation.gov.ukThe law a recruitment agency works under; no fee to a work-seeker.
