Mandates where the appointment had to work.

Examples of recent search, fractional and advisory work. Client identities stay confidential. Further detail is shared in conversation where permission allows.

Selected work

How the brief was scoped, and what changed because of it.

Each of these started as a job title and became something more useful once the commercial question was answered first.

Executive search

CEO, Fintech

A listed fintech group needed a CEO who could integrate acquisitions and still deliver organic growth. The brief demanded enterprise sales credibility, genuine data and software fluency, and the discipline to run a P&L inside plc governance.

Situation: Listed company, M&A integration and organic growth mandate
Approach: Retained search with a competency scorecard, market benchmarking and operator validation
Output: Narrative insight reports per candidate covering commerciality, delivery evidence and balanced risk

Executive search

Chief Technology Officer, advice and distribution group

The CEO needed technology leadership support and the business had never hired a CTO, so there was no template to work from. We listened first and consulted properly: which parts of the business were strategic, which were tactical, and where the group was heading. That gave us both the immediate need and the longer term plan. We built the brief with the business and placed from the first shortlist. Twelve months on, the CTO has significantly improved product and innovation, and moved the estate from legacy to modern.

Situation: First CTO appointment, no internal precedent to follow
Approach: Consultative brief built with the business, covering strategic and tactical needs
Output: Placed from the first shortlist, with product, innovation and platform modernisation delivered inside twelve months

Executive search

Group chief data officer, technology services

A global technology services business needed commercial data leadership rather than a technical data manager. We built a longlist across three distinct candidate populations: commercial data leaders, step-up data and technology leaders, and strong operators from outside financial services.

Situation: Data leadership with revenue accountability
Approach: Segmented market map across three candidate archetypes
Output: Comparison of archetypes with the trade offs made explicit for the board

Recruitment

Product leader, wealth technology platform

A fast growing platform business needed a senior product leader who could work with financial advisers as well as engineers. Delivered on a fixed fee basis with a mapped market rather than an applicant pool.

Situation: Scaling platform, first senior product hire
Approach: Fixed fee exclusive search, direct approach into the sector
Output: Shortlist with practitioner assessment of product maturity

Confidential

Technology and product leadership, insurance group

A discreet track of senior technology and product appointments for a large insurance business, handled under NDA. Candidates were briefed in stages, warmed through relevant conversations and peer events before any formal process began.

Situation: Sensitive appointments, no public advertising
Approach: NDA first, relationship led introductions
Output: A warm pipeline available when the roles formally opened

Consulting & advisory

Talent capability review, plc division

A divisional leadership team wanted to understand whether its hiring approach could support an ambitious growth plan. We reviewed structure, process and cost, then set out what needed to change before headcount increased.

Situation: Growth plan outpacing hiring capability
Approach: Capability review with market benchmarks
Output: Written recommendations and a sequenced plan for the board

“Most searches fail at the definition stage, not the interview stage.”
Opulent Mind

Testimonials

What the leaders themselves say.

Feedback from executives we have placed, advised or coached.

“Six months tired of working with headhunters. Opulent Mind had a completely unique approach.”

Shane, CTO

“Opulent Mind are miles ahead in understanding how to work with CTOs.”

Nikkhil, CTO

“Opulent Mind introduced me to global suppliers and recruited my senior management team. More than search experts.”

Ian, CTO

“George found me my COO role with a VC backed start-up. A seamless process and a strong culture fit.”

Michelle, COO

“George coached me through my narrative to be more commercial when articulating my value to CEOs. It transformed how I interviewed.”

Nick, CTO

Want the detail behind one of these?

We will talk through how a comparable mandate was scoped, resourced and closed, including what we would do differently.

Ask us