Three mandates, three divisions: specialist search in practice.

The following three mandates were completed across different divisions over the past 12 months. They are presented here as representative examples of what specialist recruitment looks like in practice, and why the approach matters as much as the outcome.

What links all three is the way the search was conducted: a detailed brief, access to networks beyond the obvious, and a focus on long-term fit rather than the fastest available candidate.

Africa: delivering where traditional search fell short.

The Brief

We were introduced via a private equity partner to a high-growth business operating across Africa, who were looking to appoint a new CFO. The business had strong momentum but needed a finance leader who could operate at pace, navigate the complexity of multi-country African operations, and provide the credibility and rigour that the next stage of growth required.

What Had Already Been Tried

Prior to our involvement, the CEO had engaged an executive search firm. After a lengthy process, they were presented with a shortlist that, in the CEO's own words, “the search firm themselves weren't excited about, so how could I be?” The shortlist was technically competent but lacked the energy, ambition, and African market depth that the role demanded.

We were brought in to reset the search.

Our Approach

After taking a detailed briefing, we moved quickly, leveraging our network across Africa and the South African diaspora. Within one week, we presented a strong, credible shortlist aligned to both the technical and cultural requirements of the role. Every candidate had been personally engaged and assessed before being presented.

The Outcome

Following a structured interview process, a CFO was successfully appointed. Six months on, the candidate is embedded in the business and performing exceptionally, validating both the speed and the accuracy of the process.

“The search firm themselves weren't excited about the shortlist, so how could I be?”— CEO, Pan-African Growth Business

Business Services: accessing specialist talent outside of finance.

The Brief

We were engaged by an investment holding company whose CIO was looking to appoint a Senior Legal resource to support the group's strategic and transactional activities. The requirement was not straightforward: they needed a commercially astute corporate and commercial lawyer, likely from a top-tier law firm, but with the ability to operate effectively within a dynamic investment environment.

The distinction matters. A technically excellent lawyer who cannot operate at pace, or who struggles to engage with the commercial dimensions of a transaction, is the wrong hire for this environment regardless of their credentials.

Our Approach

After engaging directly with the CIO to refine the brief, we mapped the market across leading law firms and relevant in-house environments. Through targeted outreach, we identified and engaged a select group of high-calibre candidates who combined strong technical legal grounding, genuine commercial acumen, and the personal attributes to operate effectively in a fast-moving, deal-driven business.

We presented the candidates who met all three criteria, rather than every technically qualified candidate we identified.

The Outcome

The process resulted in a successful appointment. The candidate met the technical requirements and aligned well with the broader business culture and pace, which in an investment environment is as important as the legal capability itself.

Data & Technology: reaching talent that is not actively looking.

The Challenge

As demand for data and technology talent continues to outstrip supply, traditional recruitment approaches are increasingly ineffective, particularly when trying to access passive, high-performing individuals. The most capable data professionals are already employed, typically well-compensated, and rarely visible through job boards or inbound applications.

In a recent mandate, a client required a specialist data hire, a profile that is both scarce and typically not active in the market. Advertising the role would not have surfaced the right candidates. A different approach was required.

Our Approach

Rather than relying on inbound applications or job advertising, we conducted a targeted market mapping exercise, identifying relevant individuals across both industry and competitor environments. Our approach focused on direct engagement with passive candidates, positioning the opportunity in a way that resonated beyond compensation, and carefully qualifying both technical capability and long-term fit before making any introduction.

The Outcome

The result was a successful placement of a candidate who would not have been accessible through traditional channels. This reinforces a point that applies across all specialist hiring: the candidates who are hardest to find are often the best ones. Reaching them requires a proactive, research-led approach — not a reactive one.

What These Mandates Have in Common

Across all three cases, the outcome was determined less by the availability of talent and more by the quality of the search process. In each instance, the right candidate existed — but they were not going to be found through conventional means. The Africa CFO was not on a job board. The legal hire was not actively looking. The data engineer was not responding to advertisements.

What made the difference in each case was a combination of network access, direct engagement, and a clear understanding of what the client actually needed, rather than just what the job specification said. That is the distinction between filling a role and solving a hiring problem.